Panic Free. Tom Bunn

to Calm Herself Automatically

CHAPTER 5. How Arousal Regulation Works

CHAPTER 6. Control Panic and Claustrophobia with Vagal Braking

CHAPTER 7. Control Panic and Claustrophobia with Oxytocin

Part III. Regulation of Arousal

CHAPTER 8. Accepting Arousal as Normal

      CHAPTER 9. How Feelings of Security and Insecurity Develop

      CHAPTER 10. Arousal Regulation Systems

      CHAPTER 11. The Arousal Regulation Hierarchy

      CHAPTER 12. Your Sweet Spot for Stress Hormones

      CHAPTER 13. How Panic Is Triggered

      CHAPTER 14. Ending the Panic-Attack Domino Effect

      CHAPTER 15. Alarm Attenuation

      CHAPTER 16. Establishing Automatic Alarm Attenuation

       The Three-Button Exercise

       The Alarm Attenuation Exercise

      CHAPTER 17. Your Manual Backup to Control Panic

       The 5-4-3-2-1 Exercise

      CHAPTER 18. Strengthening Executive Function and Reflective Function

       Imagination or Perception Exercise

       Part IV. Your Ten-Day Plan to End Panic and Claustrophobia Forever

      CHAPTER 19. Step-by-Step Instructions

      CHAPTER 20. Nine Questions about Your Ten-Day Plan

      CHAPTER 21. Emotional Control in Panic-Inducing Situations

       Preparing for an MRI

       Preparing for a Visit to a High Place

       Preparing for Passage through a Tunnel

       Preparing to Cross a Bridge

      CHAPTER 22. Controlling Anxiety

      CHAPTER 23. Summary

       Afterword for Therapists by Stephen W. Porges, PhD

       Appendix: Supporting Research

       Acknowledgments

       Notes

       Index

       About the Author

Part I

       Your Introduction to Automatic Control

       CHAPTER 1

       A Future Free of Panic and Claustrophobia

      If you have struggled with panic and found no relief, I know the frustration. As an airline pilot, I tried for years to help fearful fliers control panic, using every known method. Nothing worked.

      After years of experimentation, I stumbled on a solution. Since then, every client who has learned this new way to manage anxiety has been able to control panic when flying. Though our principal aim was to control panic in the air, clients reported an unexpected benefit: they were free from panic on the ground as well. This approach changed their lives. It can change yours, too. This book can lead you to a future free from panic and claustrophobia.

      This breakthrough, like many important discoveries, took place accidentally after years of searching for a solution. The search began in 1980 at Pan Am, where I was a pilot and volunteered to help with the airline’s fear-of-flying course. The pilot who led the course told participants they could conquer their fear of flying by letting go of control and by using breathing exercises to stay relaxed. The course ended with a “graduation flight.” Some participants got through the flight all right, but others panicked despite diligently performing their breathing exercises. The pilot in charge believed his advice was adequate. Unable to fault them on their breathing exercises, he told them, “You didn’t let go.”

      Panic is an awful experience. Being blamed by people who don’t understand makes it worse. It was distressing to watch this scenario play out in course after course. The suffering — and my powerlessness to relieve it — set me on a quest. I set up a fear-of-flying course of my own, called SOAR. It included every known technique for combating panic. Some techniques came from mental health professionals; some came from panic sufferers. Each technique was