Betty is hyperaware of such bodily sensations as heart rate and respiration rate. When she perceives heart or breathing as getting faster she becomes afraid that she is having a heart attack. These thoughts make her symptoms worse and she has a panic attack. Betty's pattern of thinking best illustrates ________

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Betty's pattern of thinking, where she perceives bodily sensations in a catastrophic way and associates them with a heart attack, is a central tenet of the cognitive theory of panic. This theory suggests that panic disorder arises from misinterpretation of bodily sensations as dangerous.

Betty Is Hyperaware of Such Bodily Sensations as Heart Rate