Brief therapy centred around interoceptive exposure in a case of panic disorder with agoraphobia
Andrea Gragnani, Teresa Cosentino, Antonella Bove, Francesco Mancini
In this article a brief cognitive-behavioural therapy centred around symptoms in a patient affected
by panic disorder and agoraphobia is illustrated. The intervention comprised interoceptive exposure
techniques, carried out in order to modify the misinterpretation of the feared symptoms. By the end of
the therapy, the patient reported the remission of symptomatology and the generalization of achieved
results to everyday life’s situations.
The achieved results were mainained at a one-year follow-up and suggest that also a brief form of
treatment centered around specific symptoms can prove itself successful.
Keywords
Panic disorder, agoraphobia, interoceptive exposure, acceptance, anxiety
sensitivity.
