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Article: Sit back, relax and panic. (panic attacks during relaxation therapy)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- November 9, 1985
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1985 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Sit back, relax and panic
Many self-help books and courses aimed at people who suffer panic attacks promote meditation and relaxation procedures as the royal road to serenity. But relaxation therapy can, ironically, pave the way to panic attacks among some unwary individuals.
"We get countless patients in our [phobia and anxiety disorders] clinic who have been to the courses, listened to the tapes and then had panic attacks,' psychologist David H. Barlow told a recent National Institute of Mental Health science press seminar in Washington, D.C.
What seems to happen, he says, is that some people susceptible to panic attacks become sensitive to ...