> We have nothing to fear
      but fear itself.<>

     — Franklin Roosevelt (1933)

Don't Panic Training CD

Rapid Anxiety & Panic Reduction Training
stands up against the power of a panic attack

by 
Richard Driscoll, Ph.D.

"And no Grand Inquisitor has in readiness such terrible tortures as has anxiety  ...
and no sharpwitted judge knows how to interrogate, to examine you as anxiety does, 
which never lets you escape, ...
neither at work nor at play, neither by day nor by night. 

— Soren Kierkegaard, The Concept of Dread 

Control panic attacks now!

Obviously, in the midst of a panic attack, you cannot simply will yourself to relax . 

Yet you can use the STARS stressbuster sequence to turn the force of the panic against itself.  You can stretch and tense and strain your muscles, you can breathe deeply, and hold it a moment. And then, as you release, you relax for a moment.  You continue the STARS sequences until your panic collapses in on itself.  

The STARS sequence combines the benefits of the various promising anxiety reduction methods into a single highly powerful product.  STARS stands for stretch, tense, air, release/relax, and suggestion.  

Components

<> Stretching your muscles releases tension, and is a component of many Eastern practices including yoga, Tai Chi, & Qui Gong.  

<> A panic attack involves an high physiological arousal that are unpleasant only so long as you are sedentary.  Tensing and stressing your muscles consumes the physiological arousal aspect of anxiety.

<> As you stretch and tense, and breathe deeply, and hold it, you consume your physiological over-arousal and wear yourself out, and your muscles yearn to release and relax.  So when instructed to let go, your muscles relax almost as if automatically, by themselves.  

<> Stretching from one side to the other produces the bilateral stimulation that is thought to power the highly effective EMDR therapy

<> Shallow breathing is common to panic attacks.  Deep breathing counters the constriction of shallow breathing.

<> As you notice your muscles responding to your suggestions to relax, you gain confidence and can give yourself further positive, constructive suggestions.

Preparation 

The training also prepares you for several familiar situations where panic attacks often occur. The training covers work and school situations, waking up in a panic, driving in traffic, crowds, and some general tips on staying optimistic amidst the most troublesome panic attacks.

Outcome Findings 

We have prescribed the STARS sequencing in our offices with clients with panic attacks, and find clear benefits for about 80% of participants. The STARS sequence in the Don't Panic Training is the same thing, and should produce substantial benefits for 70% to 80% of those who practice it.  

In six consecutive studies, the STARS sequencing and active control training used here has been found to be more effective than highly regarded cognitive and behavioral intervention methods.