CBT is basically used to reprograms your mind.people with anxiety and panic are more prone to the effects of stress,and this is where the therapy comes into play.
there are several things that cbt is meant to do.
1) Replace the negative thoughts and fears that overwhelm your mind,and replace them with more positive and realistic ones.by doing this,you will be better able to handle the stresses of life,which will limit the effects of it i.e Panic attacks
2) As you said ,your therapist showed you some breathing techniques.these are important because beathing to fast or shallow(hyperventilation) tenses up for your body,which throws your body into the "Fight or flight response" this is a natural reaction that all people have which prepare us for a perceived or real therats.your breathing becomes more rapid,which makes your heart pump faster to supply your muscles with blood in order to defend yourself to the therat,with panic suffers ,"the flight or flight response kicks in without there being a real therat to yourself.so by learning breathing and relaxation techniques,this will allow you to relax your body and mind,which will reduces stress,which reduces panic attacks.
3) The most important thing about CBT is that you have to put the work in.what i mean is that your therapist can only give you the tools to be able to relax and better deal with stress.CBT only works for those people who are determined to get better.this means sticking with it,practicing these techniques,finding out which ones work and which ones don't,because everyones different.Stick with it and you will see improvement.
Alot of research has suggested that both medication and therapy are the most effective treatment for panic disorder.i know medication can be exspensive and not the right thing for everyone,but there are medications called benzodiazepines(Clonazepam,adivan,xanax,Valium) which are fast acting,they can be taken as needed and will take effect in a really short time. this is something you should discuss with your family doctor and/or therapist.
Finally I'm really sorry to hear your going through all of these things.i don't mean to get into your business but you ex sounds like a jerk and your probally better of without him.
Therapy now more then ever is important,you have alot going on right now and you need to have support,you may want to also look into group therapy or some other group who share your common struggles.having people you can talk to is great when your going through rough times,if you alone too much you have more time to think and that can make it harder to get well. This site is great too,everyone on this site share a common struggle and there are some great people in this community,so please keep coming back .
Anyways i hope this explains and helps you out ,in my opinion i would get back into it,and if you can't afford it ,there are CBT workbooks that work too, i use to suffer from panic attacks and i haven't had one in almost 6 months.
Take Care & Good Luck:action-smiley-065:
AG
