Comparison between REBT and Visual/Kinaesthetic Dissociation in the Treatment of Panic Disorder: An Empirical Study

The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of two brief treatment methods for panic disorder: Rational Emotive Behaviour
Therapy (REBT) and Visual/Kinaesthetic Dissociation (VKD), neither of which have been the object of scientific enquiry. The
study is a two-way between-groups pre-test/post-test experimental design with baseline and follow-up measures. An innovative
four-session treatment protocol was developed for each treatment method. Eighteen participants in North-East Surrey, England,
who responded to media advertisements for cognitive-behavioural treatment for panic disorder and who met Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia were randomly assigned to either REBT or
VKD. Pre-test/post-test changes in panic were measured using the ACQ, PASQ, and HADS scales and a global panic rating measure.
At post-test there was a statistically significant improvement on all measures for both groups, which was maintained at one-month
follow-up. Taking into consideration limitations such as the small sample size and a short follow-up period, implications
of this study and recommendations for future research are discussed.