Richard Anderson, M.D.

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I have retired from practicing general psychiatry after 40 years, except to continue my published sub-specialty; cognitive behavioral group therapy of panic and phobia disorders. Over the course of twelve 90-minute sessions, I teach a model depicting the rational side of the mind ("Evidence=Fact"), learning to overcome the irrational side ("Feeling=Fact"). Self-talk can shift from irrational ("I feel like I will faint, die of heart attack, suffocation, stroke, go crazy, or severely embarrass myself") to rational ("I am just anxious" -supported by evidence). Graduated exposure exercises (learning to "face the fear") are then used to replace the irrational side's crippling "safety behaviors", such as fleeing, avoiding, excessive use of alcohol, etc. with healthy coping behaviors.

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