When we start to avoid things it can shrink the number of places that it feels ‘safe’ to go. It can cut us off from rewarding experiences, and avoidance can quickly make us feel less competent. A key step in overcoming panic is to reverse the cycle of avoidance – this might mean facing your fears and revisiting places where you have panicked, or re-trying activities that you have stopped because of the panic.
Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter discusses the role of avoidance in the maintenance of anxiety, and introduces graded exposure as a technique for overcoming anxiety, including a worked example of the 'Avoidance Hierarchy' diagram.
