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you think about certain things, you can change how you feel about them. In CBT, patients try and understand why they think the way they do. Then they practice how to react to those thoughts in better ways. One patient might learn relaxation techniques for when he feels a panic attack coming on. Someone with GAD might learn to separate realistic worries from unrealistic ones. Someone with a panic disorder, who constantly feels in danger, might learn how to remind himself that those feelings of danger are not real. Most of the time, once a person learns which strategies are helpful, she will then move on to what is called exposure therapy . That’s where a patient is exposed to her fear in a controlled situation. Someone who is afraid of flying might

Exposure therapy helps people conquer their fears in small steps. For example, someone with a fear of flying might visit an airport without going anywhere, to get used to the idea.