Two-day, intensive cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder: a case study.

Deacon (2007) packed all exposure tasks, cognitive skills, and homework into one weekend.

One rural adult with panic disorder got two 8-hour days of CBT instead of the usual 12 weekly sessions.

The goal was to see if a super-short format could still cut panic when long drives make weekly visits hard.

Panic attacks stopped after the second day and stayed gone at three-month check-ins.

The client also drove farther from home and returned to work, showing the fast dose worked.

Marchand et al. (2013) later tested the same CBT steps spread over weekly meetings. They also saw quick panic relief, proving the parts work in both slow and sprint formats.

Bhaumik et al. (2009) used VR headsets to give exposure homework without travel. Their clients kept attending, showing tech can solve access problems too.

Carr et al. (2003) warned that breathing drills alone are shaky for panic. Brett’s package still included brief breathing, but paired it with exposures, matching the review’s call for fuller protocols.

If a client lives hours away or can’t miss work, you can offer a Friday-Saturday CBT boot camp instead of losing them to a wait-list. Keep the exposure tasks, drop the weekly gap, and schedule a phone booster at one month. One long weekend can equal three months of panic freedom.