Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic

Michelle G. Craske, Ph.D. is Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Miller Family Endowed Term Chair, Director of the Anxiety and Depression Research Center, and Associate Director of the Staglin Family Music Center for Behavioral and Brain Health, at UCLA. She has published extensively in the area of fear, anxiety and depression and has been the recipient of extramural funding since 1993 for research pertaining to cognitive, behavioral, psychophysiological and neural risk factors for anxiety and depression that have informed novel treatments; innovative approaches to optimizing therapies such as virtual reality; and implementing scalable treatment models to underserved populations. David H. Barlow is Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, Emeritus and the Founder of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. He has published over 650 articles and chapters and over 90 books and clinical manuals. He is the recipient ofnumerous awards, including honorary degrees from the University of Vermont and William James College, and the two highest awards in psychology, the Distinguished Scientific Award for Applications of Psychology from the American Psychological Association and James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science honoring individuals for their lifetime of significant intellectual achievements in applied psychological research. Lauren S. Woodard is the research and administrative assistant to Dr. David H. Barlow at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychological Science from the University of Vermont in 2020. As an undergraduate student, Lauren worked in a learning theory lab and conducted research on habit development, examining the impact of mixed versus consistent reinforcers on habit acquisition. Lauren was awarded the Donald G. Forgays Outstanding Senior Award, given annually to a psychologystudent at the University of Vermont who demonstrates outstanding scholarship as well as achievement in independent research.

• Chapter 1: The Nature of Panic Disorder and AgoraphobiaChapter 2: Learning Breathing Skills and Understanding Your Negative ThinkingChapter 3: Learning More Breathing and Thinking SkillsChapter 4: Learning to Face Your FearChapter 5: Facing Fear Out ThereChapter 6: Planning for the Future

This brief six session treatment of panic disorder has been shown to be effective in primary care settings when administered by behavioral health specialists. As most patients with panic attacks first contact their primary care providers, use of this evidence-based manual can avoid years of struggling to get an accurate diagnosis and the most effective evidence-based treatment. This brief version is likely to be used in other settings where a longer treatment may not be feasible. I enthusiastically recommend this manual for every primary care facility and other settings where a brief treatment is warranted.