ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a clinically based description of a three-phase treatment approach to panic disorder and associated anticipatory anxiety states. The treatment approach utilizes Freudian concepts of defense against anxiety (Freud, 1932), Erickson’s conversational techniques for hypnotic induction (Erickson, 1980), and a phenomenological and existential perspective on the meaning of anxiety, control, and freedom in the context of this limiting condition (Merleau-Ponty, 1962; Sartre, 1947; Solomon, 1972). It describes the author’s clinical experience, which has proven useful in treating anxiety disorders.
