Defiance on the armchair : A young mother claims back her life from the grips of panic

This is a case study of a young mother plagued with attacks of debilitating panic, generally two or three times every day. She requested therapy when she noticed the attacks worsening. Informed by narrative and solution orientations to therapy, we joined with the client in her struggle toward freedom. The mother's first step was to defy panic's demand to leave her armchair. Panic weakened. Two weeks later, the attacks had diminished to one or two a week. Three weeks later, they were gone. In this paper we report on the efforts of all three of us to achieve this liberation. We discuss themes that may inform other post-modern therapists and aid in the liberation of others.