It was here that panic attacks were explained to me for the first time, and I identified very much with the symptoms discussed. The most valuable information Paddy learned was that panic attacks cannot harm him. I attribute the ground I have gained so far against panic attacks to the knowledge that these attacks will not harm me. In other words, dealing with panic attacks we are just dealing with imaginary fear. This fear is well nourished as it thrives on negative thinking.
Panic attacks are like a bully.
If you stand up to it, it will go away, if you don't you will become its victim and it will ruin your life. Now Paddy does not get nervous going out on his own and he is completely at ease speaking to other people. He does still suffer from claustrophobia and panic attacks, but he has learned to cope with them and not be conquered by these feelings. So the happy ending of the saga is that Paddy is among the 80 to 90 per cent of people, who, with appropriate treatment can achieve a lasting recovery from agoraphobia and live the normal life of someone who pops in to the shop to stock up their fridge without breaking in to a cold sweat.