Everybody feels anxious sometimes. We all know what it’s like to get “ butterflies” in your stomach before a big event. Some of us may have even experienced that feeling from a real life danger like “our car sliding on a patch of black ice” or “coming upon a bear while hiking in the woods.” We have all probably felt similar feelings of anxiousness when we have gotten angry with someone or frustrated that a situation isn’t “going the way we had planned.” And we all know what it’s like to get “a case of nerves” before an exam. Anxiety rouses us into action. It gets us ready to face a threatening situation. It can even help to “keep us sharp” and “be on our toes” ready to do our best. Simply put, it helps us to cope.

Sometimes, however, anxiety can do just the opposite. It can become so overwhelming that it can disrupt our daily life. Anxiety disorders are illnesses, often related to both biological “predispositions” and our life experiences. Left untreated they can sometimes grow progressively worse.

There are, however, many effective treatments for anxiety management and cure. They include psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, hypnosis, medications such as Serotonin Inhibitors and Benzodiazepines, and many more. This web site will focus mainly on cognitive therapy and psychotherapy techniques.

*** Most of the information in this web site comes from the real life experience and research of Dean Krippaehne. Dean wants you to know that he is not a doctor nor is he a therapist. He is simply a person who has been cured of - or has learned to manage his Panic, Anxiety and agoraphobia. In these web pages are the “tools” he has been taught and has successfully used for over ten years.

Do I have an anxiety disorder?

Anxiety disorders can come in a variety of packages - so to speak. They may make you feel anxious most of the time, without any apparent reason. Or you may have occasional bouts of anxiety so intense they terrify and immobilize you.

Anxiety disorders are the most common of all the mental disorders. Listed below are the different types of anxiety disorders.

Panic Disorder. Repeated episodes of intense fear that strike often and sometimes without warning. Physical symptoms include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, abdominal distress, feelings of unreality, and fear of dying.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Constant, exaggerated and worrisome thoughts about everyday life lasting at least six months. Almost always anticipating the worst even though there is little reason to expect it. Physical symptoms include, fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, headache, indigestion or nausea.

Social Anxiety Disorder. Social Anxiety Disorder is an extreme anxiety about being judged by others or being embarrassed. Often this anxiety will lead to avoiding any social events or situations. Physical symptoms include heart palpitations, faintness, blushing and profuse sweating.

Agoraphobia. Anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing or in which help may not be available in the event of having an unexpected or Panic Attack. Agoraphobic fears typically involve situations that include being outside the home alone; being in a crowd or standing in a line; being in a movie theater; and in a bus, train, or automobile.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Repeated, unwanted thoughts or compulsive behaviors that seem impossible to stop or control.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Persistent symptoms that occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as war, rape, child abuse, natural or human-caused disasters. Symptoms include, nightmares, flashbacks, numbing of emotions, depression, and feeling angry, irritable or distracted. Family members of victims can also develop this disorder.

Specific Phobias. Two major types of phobias are social phobia and specific phobia. People with social phobia have an overwhelming and disabling fear of scrutiny, embarrassment, or humiliation in social situations, which leads to avoidance of activities. People with specific phobia experience extreme, disabling, and irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger; the fear leads to avoidance of objects or situations and can cause people to limit their lives unnecessarily.

* Additional information on Panic Attacks.

A Panic Attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes:

palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate

sweating

trembling or shaking

sensations of shortness of breath or smothering

feeling of choking

chest pain or discomfort

nausea or abdominal distress

feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint

feelings of unreality or being detached from oneself

fear of losing control or going crazy

fear of dying

numbness or tingling sensations

chills or hot flushes

Panic Disorder may be characterized by at least one of the attacks having been followed by 1 month (or more) of one (or more) of the following:

persistent concern about having additional attacks

worry about the implications of the attack or its consequences (e.g., losing control, having a heart attack, "going crazy")

a significant change in behavior related to the attacks