After years of research on panic disorders and years of picking my therapists brain it boils down to this. No matter what the cause of your anxiety and panic the reason for it to reoccur is all dependent on what you have stored in your memory. It doesn't even have to be related, all it has to be is negative. Negative memory causes negative thought patterns that program you to put a negative spin on every thought setting you up for panic. This is the worst kind because there often seems to be no apparent reason for the panic. Negative breeds negative and if that is what you are storing in your memory you can expect to have so called panic attacks that come out of the blue. They are actually set off by a negative memory you may not even be aware you have.
Stop storing negative memories. Sorry that is impossible. But you can bury them with positive ones so they are less accessible. This is a big part of the CBT process but seems so difficult for so many people. Again this is due to memory causing you to do the same thing over and over even though it isn't working. Time to store something useful in your memory to draw on.
Every bit of literature says CBT is the process of changing negative to positive. True, but it is of no use if you do not store it for future use. Every thing you do or will do hinges on past experience so if you have negative past experiences you have not buried they will dictate your reaction and unfortunately they will be stored in your memory ready to sabotage you.
Hypochondriacs, this is the basis behind your phobia. Instead of storing that you were wrong you store that you were never proved wrong. This just sets you up for future fear.
CBT does work and it is a simple process, making it last depends on how much of it you manage to store in memory. Changing negative to positive is only temporary if you do not store that positive for future reference. Survival skills are all negative thoughts (memory of a bad experience), you can't remove them and shouldn't but you can store a positive reaction to them so they don't dictate your life for you. (more CBT)
Davit
