Existential therapy of panic disorder: A single system study

Recently there has been an emphasis on biomedical and behavioral aspects of the treatment panic disorder. The symptom-based nature of these treatments may cause elements of the life context, such as systems of meaningfulness and symbolism, to be overlooked in some cases. In this paper, the successful treatment of a case of panic disorder of three years duration is presented, in which complete remission of symptoms occurred within the third week of existential psychotherapy. Prior to this therapy, the client had exhibited a deteriorating course while following a purely psychopharmacological treatment plan. Implications are discussed.