Panic provocation procedures in the treatment of panic disorder: Early perspectives and case studies

Although panic provocation procedures have been utilized for many decades to generate and test hypotheses about the pathophysiology of panic disorder, very little is known about the value of these procedures for treatment. In this article, we discuss the theoretical and practical issues related to panic provocation procedures in the treatment of panic disorder. We conclude that hyperventilation, physical exercise, and other activities that induce paniclike symptoms are among the most suitable provocation procedures for use in treatment. Two cases illustrate the use of such procedures in cognitive-behavioral intervention.