Staring Down Panic

One in four people will experience a panic attack some time in their life. For many the anxiety will continue, consuming more and more time and energy each day in failed efforts to feel better. The strategies that have previously been helpful in dealing with day-to-day stress don’t work. The advice to “just face your fears” does not put a stop to the constant worry that the panic will return.

If this sounds familiar, this book is for you. Staring Down Panic will help you make sense of what you feel and demonstrates how Exposure and Response Prevention can be used to once again live a life not controlled by the avoidance of anxiety triggers. If you are a behavioral health provider who wishes to learn more about the use of ERP in their practice, this book will help you identify and correct common misunderstandings and potential mistakes in application.

Drawing on common experiences, personal stories and examples from his clinical work, Dr. Ott guides you through:

  • the role of your body’s emergency response system;
  • your brain’s natural mechanism for reducing anxiety and panic;
  • identifying and reducing ineffective efforts to control anxiety;
  • the necessary preparations to make before using Exposure and Response Prevention;
  • crucial elements to completing an exposure session;
  • selection of a competent and kind behavioral therapist, and
  • incorporating Exposure and Response Prevention into daily life.
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Staring Down Panic is a must-read for those who experience impairing anxiety and panic, medical and behavioral health professionals who encounter them, and psychotherapists who aspire for excellence in the effective treatment of anxiety and panic.

Robert Kinscherff, Ph.D., J.D.Senior Fellow in Law and Applied Neuroscience Center for Law, Brain and Behavior, Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Law School
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Dr. Ott reveals himself as a clinician and teacher who makes the complex simple without being simplistic and a compassionate clinician who appreciates the task at hand. Staring Down Panic is a must read for patients and clinicians alike.

Bruce A. Levine, Ph.D. ABPPClinical Psychologist, The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, State University of New York Emeritus Editorial Board Member, Journal of Behavior Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry
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In Staring, Down Panic, Dr. Brian Ott has provided a book that is clinically astute, scientifically informed, and “user-friendly.” Essentially, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone who suffers from panic attacks or acute anxiety, just as much as it is a practical and directly applicable guide for mental health providers in their work with anxious and panic-disordered patients. In this book, individuals will find understanding of … and relief from … panic and anxiety. At the same time, providers will find interventions grounded in the latest findings from cognitive neuroscientific research. Through stories, personal and professional, you will delight in Dr. Ott’s blending of clinical expertise and heartfelt concern for his readers.

David Gleason, Psy.D.Founder and Director, Developmental Empathy, LLC , Author of At What Cost?
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Staring Down Panic is an easy-to-read, comprehensive book that uniquely integrates psychoeducation about the etiology of anxiety with the experiences of those who battle panic every day. This is accomplished through a clever and unconventional weave of refreshingly real clinical conversations and clearly stated clinical instruction. While there are many self-help manuals written to assist in the treatment of panic disorder, this book stands out in its orientation of providing both a framework for treatment interventions based on behavioral theory alongside a comprehensive review of associated research findings. Dr. Ott does a remarkable job of taking complicated research and clinical concepts and making these concepts relatable and relevant to those struggling with anxiety and panic. While this book is written specifically for panic disorder, its concepts and clinical applications can be used across a range of anxiety disorders. Get ready for a view of panic that toggles between the lecture hall seat and the therapy office easy chair.

Karen Jacob, Ph.D.Director of Clinical Services, Gunderson Residence, McLean Hospital
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This is an encouraging and optimistic work, not least of all because it refuses to encourage beyond the point of good sense. This is a guide to panic, thank goodness, that refuses to pander. (Beware of therapists who promise you the moon.) Instead what it does is educate, in an inimitable tone that, like Brian’s own, is at once comforting, witty, and bracing.

Daniel SmithAuthor of the NY Times Bestseller Monkeymind
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The effectiveness of Exposure and Response Prevention has been documented in countless professional articles and is recommended as a best practice for many of the anxiety disorders. In Staring Down Panic, Dr. Ott translated this wealth of scientific data into a practical clinical resource for both patients and professionals. This engaging book is the work of a clinician and teacher. The behavioral and biological complexities of anxiety are captured and addressed in lessons that are true to the experience of those who suffer from it. Those lessons are structured in a manner that eases the task of applying these insights into our daily lives. This is a book you will read and gladly consult as you tackle your panic and anxiety.

Kim Leonte, Ph.D.Executive Director, Clearview Horizons