Panic Disorder Psychiatrist in Orange, CT

Panic disorder is exhausting — and not just in the moment. The anticipation between attacks wears you down too. If you're in Orange or anywhere across New Haven County and you've been white-knuckling your way through days, there's a better path. Sindhia Shyras, APRN, a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with over nine years of experience, works with patients on panic disorder treatment that actually gets to the root of what's happening in your body and your brain.

The Panic Feedback Loop — and Why CBT Breaks It

Here's what's really happening during a panic attack: you feel something physical — a racing heart, tight chest, light-headedness — and your brain flags it as danger. Adrenaline floods in. That makes the symptoms worse. And then your brain says, see? Something is terribly wrong. So the loop tightens. CBT interrupts this cycle by teaching you to read those signals differently. You're not broken. Your nervous system just learned the wrong lesson — and it can learn a better one.

Interoceptive Exposure and Medication — A Combined Approach

One of the more counterintuitive parts of CBT for panic is interoceptive exposure — deliberately triggering mild versions of the physical sensations you fear, so your brain stops treating them as threats. It sounds uncomfortable, and honestly, it is at first. But paired with medication management when appropriate, many patients see real improvement. Sindhia Shyras offers both supportive therapy and psychiatric medication management, so you're not choosing between approaches. You can work on both at once, on a schedule that fits your life in Orange.