I have been working as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in the Netherlands for more than 20 years during which I have diagnosed and treated many Turkish panic patients by the virtue of sharing the same language, culture, and other demographics of the native land, Turkish Republic. The most important factor that led me to develop a different approach than that of a classical cognitive behavioral therapy -- focusing on neuro-vegetative reactions, neutralizing them through psycho-education and home-work, generating an insight into catastophic thoughts while "living" and finally easing up the panic attacks -- was the given patients' thinking of the methods as "ridicilous," and not doing their homeworks or acting as if they completed them even they did not.
The alternative method I devised was related to use a lot of metaphors corresponding to the patients' lives, generating an insight into catastrophic thoughts while "understanding" their bodily dynamics, self-controlling neuro-vegetative reactions, and acknowledging "the mechanism of panic reaction." Since it is relatively short, not necessitating homework, and easy to understand for the panic stricken patients, it promotes motivation leading to less relapses and even if relapses occur, achieving quicker and easier recovery.
The method appears to be effective among the native Dutch patients, as well as immigrants.
The presentation will be providing details of this newly applied successful panic treatment.