Abstract
The case of Susan, a kindergarten teacher who developed panic disorder as well as a mild agoraphobia after a bad case of flue, is presented. She exhibited some of the typical misinterpretations of panic disorder patients, interpreting bodily symptoms as signs of imminent danger. But, there were also some underlying dysfunctional beliefs that maintained the disorder and challenged treatment. Exposure was chosen as the main intervention, with the goal of changing the catastrophic interpretations. Special emphasis was given on the motivation and the cognitive rational preparing for the exposure. Interoceptive exposure was utilized to target the panic attacks, often in form of behavioral experiments in combination with cognitive restructuring. The agoraphobia was target with in vivo exposure, but initially did not show the hoped-for effects, due to ingrained safety behaviors. For relapse prevention underlying beliefs were targeted with cognitive therapy. At the end of the treatment, Susan experienced significant improvements, i.e., both the panic attacks and agoraphobic behaviors had vanished and she was able to enjoy life again.
