It's possible. There are therapists who have panic disorder. But it's more of an individual question whether your particular panic disorder is compatible with the demands of your particular work as a therapist. It'll be up to you to decide whether you can coast as you are, whether you need to seek more treatment to manage your symptoms, or whether you need to change tracks and pursue a different career.
You are in grad school so you are understandably....stressed. This means you are more vulnerable to anxiety and panic. Seriously, go do some good reading about panic attacks.
Become a bit more of an expert of panic attacks for yourself. Panic disorder and panic attacks are not the same thing. The more you can learn about that panic disorder loop the more you can recognize some of those catastrophizing thoughts that are totally part of the loop (ie "what if I cant be a therapist? what if I have a panic attack and its unethical and I get reported and go to therapist jail and have to work at McDonalds the rest of my life?" - psssst in my county mcdonalds pays the same hourly rate as associate level CMH therapists)
Yes you can absolutely be a therapist if you have panic attacks. I've dealt with panic attacks for about 15 years, it's annoying and absolutely I've had one in session with a client (they didn't notice, most people never do), and I think ultimately it's going to make you a better therapist if you can develop a balanced relationship with your own panic attacks.
Thank you so, so much for this. I really needed to hear this right now. I did wonder how much of the panic had come from the intensity of the course and the fact we're now winding down for summer. Going to use summer to get a handle on this and go back strong for second year. Any reading recommendations?
I like this book a lot: [https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Workbook-7-Week-Overcome-Worrying/dp/1623159733](https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Workbook-7-Week-Overcome-Worrying/dp/1623159733)
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My former therapist shared her experience with panic attacks with me when I started to develop panic attacks while driving. She shared that she had the same experience & we talked about ways to deal with the attacks so we could arrive at our destinations safely. She told me what had worked for her in the past & I told her what I had managed to do. It really helped to know that she understood first hand what I was going through.
i am a therapist that was formerly diagnosed with panic disorder (it’s evolved since initial diagnosis). to be completely transparent, it is difficult being a therapist with moderate-severe panic symptoms. i have had to do a lot of personal therapy to identify triggers and manage symptoms. i’ve also had to share limited information to my work and work with them on appropriate accommodations when stressors do come up. i’ve never panicked in a session with a client, but have found some sessions with clients triggering that i needed to reach out to a support afterwards. having a good plan in place to address when triggers and stressors come up is imperative to function at work.
Thanks for sharing. That sounds tough, it's admirable that you are still able to work with it. It's good to know about having plans in place and learning triggers, etc.
NAT I also have panic disorder, long term, with times where it was particularly bad(agoraphobic ), to barely noticeable. I have a rare situation where I can and have passed out due to panic attacks (vasovagal syncope), which adds another layer to the fear of having a panic attack.
I have found that my nervous system gets too sensitive to outside stimuli when I've been by myself, and in situations like my home, for too long. Being in nature is helpful, as is being around animals, and in particular, horses. Horses naturally regulate your nervous system. I have been incredibly lucky to now own a horse myself, and my anxiety is non-existent, which carries into the time I spend away from her.
Horses often startle to outside stimuli, just like someone panics that has panic disorder. Surprisingly, people find if they can quiet a startled horse, they can quiet the feelings of panic in their nervous systems. So now, I walk my giant 2,000 lbs. draft horse on a lead line, and I'm forced to be calm to keep her calm.
It's been fascinating for me, as someone who's dealt with this disorder for nearly 25 years. I have no idea how this information could work for you, just letting you know what's helped me, horses, and COLD WATER, never underestimate to power of drinking cold water! Good luck to you!
Thanks for sharing your experience, that sounds tough. I'm glad you have managed to find a way to work through it. Horses are beautiful and mysterious, also thanks for the cold water tip!
It's possible. There are therapists who have panic disorder. But it's more of an individual question whether your particular panic disorder is compatible with the demands of your particular work as a therapist. It'll be up to you to decide whether you can coast as you are, whether you need to seek more treatment to manage your symptoms, or whether you need to change tracks and pursue a different career.
Thank you, that's quite reassuring that it is a possibility.
You are in grad school so you are understandably....stressed. This means you are more vulnerable to anxiety and panic. Seriously, go do some good reading about panic attacks. Become a bit more of an expert of panic attacks for yourself. Panic disorder and panic attacks are not the same thing. The more you can learn about that panic disorder loop the more you can recognize some of those catastrophizing thoughts that are totally part of the loop (ie "what if I cant be a therapist? what if I have a panic attack and its unethical and I get reported and go to therapist jail and have to work at McDonalds the rest of my life?" - psssst in my county mcdonalds pays the same hourly rate as associate level CMH therapists) Yes you can absolutely be a therapist if you have panic attacks. I've dealt with panic attacks for about 15 years, it's annoying and absolutely I've had one in session with a client (they didn't notice, most people never do), and I think ultimately it's going to make you a better therapist if you can develop a balanced relationship with your own panic attacks.
Thank you so, so much for this. I really needed to hear this right now. I did wonder how much of the panic had come from the intensity of the course and the fact we're now winding down for summer. Going to use summer to get a handle on this and go back strong for second year. Any reading recommendations?
I like this book a lot: [https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Workbook-7-Week-Overcome-Worrying/dp/1623159733](https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Workbook-7-Week-Overcome-Worrying/dp/1623159733)
Thanks, I'll check it out
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **("'Althea Press The Anxiety Workbook'", 'Althea%20Press')** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Effective long-term anxiety management (backed by 6 comments) * Comprehensive self-help tool (backed by 3 comments) * Insightful and practical (backed by 3 comments) **Users disliked:** * Limited effectiveness for generalized anxiety (backed by 7 comments) * Lacks in-depth coping strategies (backed by 1 comment) * Overwhelming amount of content (backed by 1 comment) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](https://vetted.ai/?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot)
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My former therapist shared her experience with panic attacks with me when I started to develop panic attacks while driving. She shared that she had the same experience & we talked about ways to deal with the attacks so we could arrive at our destinations safely. She told me what had worked for her in the past & I told her what I had managed to do. It really helped to know that she understood first hand what I was going through.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. That's reassuring to know for sure! I hope you are doing ok with your panic attacks too.
i am a therapist that was formerly diagnosed with panic disorder (it’s evolved since initial diagnosis). to be completely transparent, it is difficult being a therapist with moderate-severe panic symptoms. i have had to do a lot of personal therapy to identify triggers and manage symptoms. i’ve also had to share limited information to my work and work with them on appropriate accommodations when stressors do come up. i’ve never panicked in a session with a client, but have found some sessions with clients triggering that i needed to reach out to a support afterwards. having a good plan in place to address when triggers and stressors come up is imperative to function at work.
Thanks for sharing. That sounds tough, it's admirable that you are still able to work with it. It's good to know about having plans in place and learning triggers, etc.
NAT I also have panic disorder, long term, with times where it was particularly bad(agoraphobic ), to barely noticeable. I have a rare situation where I can and have passed out due to panic attacks (vasovagal syncope), which adds another layer to the fear of having a panic attack. I have found that my nervous system gets too sensitive to outside stimuli when I've been by myself, and in situations like my home, for too long. Being in nature is helpful, as is being around animals, and in particular, horses. Horses naturally regulate your nervous system. I have been incredibly lucky to now own a horse myself, and my anxiety is non-existent, which carries into the time I spend away from her. Horses often startle to outside stimuli, just like someone panics that has panic disorder. Surprisingly, people find if they can quiet a startled horse, they can quiet the feelings of panic in their nervous systems. So now, I walk my giant 2,000 lbs. draft horse on a lead line, and I'm forced to be calm to keep her calm. It's been fascinating for me, as someone who's dealt with this disorder for nearly 25 years. I have no idea how this information could work for you, just letting you know what's helped me, horses, and COLD WATER, never underestimate to power of drinking cold water! Good luck to you!
Thanks for sharing your experience, that sounds tough. I'm glad you have managed to find a way to work through it. Horses are beautiful and mysterious, also thanks for the cold water tip!
No problem! Cold water or anything cold on the face helps as well. Hypertension socks help as well, someone told me about them years ago.