I've done both and they worked well but after about 5 yrs I relapsed and now hove no insurance so I cannot see my therapist. I have ordered 4 self help workbooks to try and do it on my own again. The exposure therapy was the hardest for me because you have to actually face your fears (little by little) . CBT is just retaining yourself how to think more or less and practiced everyday it just becomes your normal way of thinking. I had my good days and bad but got through them easier and easier using the tools I was taught, I just need a refresher which is why I ordered the books. Any specifc questions?

I have been watching that show "Obssesed" and I noticed those are the two main types of therapy that they used. I wanted to see if it worked. I know that it seems really hard because in my case I certainly am and have been avoiding my fears but if it works, I would like to try it.

Here is a post I wrote about the book "panic attacks workbook" by dr carbonell.

yeah the thing i love most about dr. carbonell's book is he wrote it to be like it's him sitting in the room with you and teaching you how to overcome anxiety. it's just like getting cbt from a therapist except it costs $12. here is the main premise of the book:

here are the steps to take when we panic. it's the acronym AWARE.

A-cknowledge and accept-accept your feeling of anxiety and become aware of the symptoms. know that you are safe even though you are scared and that it's ok to panic.

W-ait. our gut instinct is to flee or change our behavior or try to stop the panic. Wait to respond so you don't reinforce the idea of being "in danger" by reacting to the panic. know that you can escape but delay the decision. stay where you are.

A-ctions to make yourself more comfortable. We're not trying to stop the panic attack. it will end no matter what and struggling keeps us ill rather than helps us get better. do belly breathing. go to axietycoach.com to see dr. carbonell do the belly breathing. also, keep fulfilling your "role." if you're shopping, keep shopping. if you're driving, merge, change lanes, whatever your role is at that time. a lot of anxiety comes from resisting our role. for instance, your role when you're a passenger in a car is to sit comfortably and let the time pass. people get anxious b/c they want to be elsewhere (but they aren't), they feel the need to walk or run (but they can't). they're resisting the role. another technique to use is "the rule of opposites". your gut instinct is your bodies response to "danger" but we're actually only experiencing "discomfort". by reacting like it's danger, the panic cycle persists. we should do the opposite of our gut instinct. if we're walking on a bridge and we're stiff, clinging to the railing and holding our breath, we should let go of the railing, do belly breathing and maybe do a hop or two. our brain gets the message that we're doing the opposite of our instinct so we're probably not in danger.

R-epeat. the anxiety may begin to get better, then get worse. keep doing the techniques.

E-nd. we are not trying to end the panic, but ride it out so we can become desensitized to it. the panic will end. they always do. the catastrophic thoughts we have never happen. the catastrophic thoughts are just a symptom of panic.

Meanwhile I am SO close to being fully recovered! Finally! I struggled with anxiety for 6 yrs and I was agoraphobic at times during my anxiety. I faced fears and did what dr. Carbonell said and it has been working. The key is becoming unafraid of panicking. I am still a bit afraid of panicking so I am not fully recovered but I am SO close. I have been so scared so many times in the past that I'd never be able to be carefree ever again. I am actually about to get a car and get a license! I started volunteering as part of my exposure plan I created for myself. I was really scared in the beginning but it has been great. A couple weeks ago I ran the the entire store for a week from open to close because the owner went on vacation! It's a nonprofit btw. It made me realize I can work! I don't have a car bc I never got my license but when I get my license and a job, I know I'll be fully recovered. Meanwhile I've been shouting from the rooftops; buy dr. Carbonell's book! He knows exactly what to say to make you realize you CAN face the fear so you can get your life back. He wrote the book to make it seem like you are sitting and talking with him in his office. He is a very desirable cognitive behavioral therapist and teaches exposure. He is the best of the best. His book has 5 stars on amazon. BUY HIS BOOK and follow it to the letter! Then you can recover. Life is even better after you missed out but then get it back. You really appreciate it so much more.

I loverabbits...I just got my "panic Attacks Workbook" by David Carbonell in the mail today I am so excited to start putting it to use.

i have done it twice before, and just started again last week for my newest fear. in the past it has been really helpful.
the first time i went i was afraid of getting ecoli from poorly cooked meat. i would give every peace of food to my parents for inspection before eating it, wouldn't have meals if i saw the tiniest trace of pink in the meat, and would start to feel sick if i did eat meat that i wasn't sure was well cooked. at CBT my therapist would give me exposures like bringing in chicken and eating it, or spraying windex in the room and not let me wash my hands (was afrain of chemicals too). it was really helpful and by the end of i, i was almost completely back to normal as far as checking my meat and eating went.