TREATMENT OF PANIC ATTACK WITH VERGENCE THERAPY

AN UNEXPECTED VISUAL-VAGUS CONNECTION

ABSTRACT

Panic attacks are a fact of life in today '.s culture. As much as I0% of the healthy population can suffer a panic attack with­in a given year. Various methods of treat­ment have been described in the literature to counteract these panic attacks. It has been noted that it is possible to allevi­ate panic disorder anxiety by performing convergence therapy. This somatic inter­vention functions as a vagal maneuver, activating the oculocardiac reflex (OCR) by medial recti traction. It results in bra­dycardia and other parasympathetic re­sponses. I have found it possible to allevi­ate panic attack, non-cardiac chest pain and other vagally mediated symptoms by using convergence activity with patients who suffer from panic attacks. I have extended this technique to address non-­cardiac chest pain and it may be further extended to patients with other anginal­ like pains. It may be possible to alleviate panic attacks, non-cardiac chest pains, and other vagally-mediated symptoms with this technique. The risk-to-benefit ratio is nil. Research is needed to further elaborate the full spectrum of benefits of this novel technique.

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