You coined the term “Re-Entry Panic Syndrome”… what is it? 

Many are feeling worried or anxious about re-entering the world after quarantine but some are panicked. Re-Entry Panic Syndrome is worry about re-entering your community, job, or school after pandemic quarantine due to the fear of becoming ill. It is fear that stops you from resuming your normal life. The fear of becoming ill if you leave your home is overwhelming and results in physical, behavioral, or emotional distress. Physical symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest pain, panic attacks, sweating, nausea, and racing heartbeat. Behavioral symptoms can include avoidance, becoming upset when others close to them re-enter after quarantine, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and general change in behavior. Emotional symptoms can include worry, mood fluctuation, anger, emotional upset or tearful bouts. 

How is anxiety different from Re-Entry Panic Syndrome?

Anxiety is your brain or body’s response to stress that can be triggered by a multitude of things. The stressor can be real or imagined or a perceived threat. With Re-Entry Panic Syndrome, your anxiety is specific to fear of leaving your home due to worries about illness related to COVID-19.

What can people do if they think they have Re-Entry Panic Syndrome?

The first thing to do for a person who has anxiety of any kind, is practice good self-care, so you can lessen your stress and sleep better, which will reduce your overall anxiety. Be mindful and intently practice stress management techniques daily. Then attempt to get out in the community in some way that you feel most comfortable (maybe walking on your street or going to a park) and for short amounts of time. 

If you can’t tamp down your re-entry worries on your own, then it is time to seek help from a licensed mental health provider. At our Ridgefield center we have been working virtually with clients with anxiety around re-entering the world and have begun to work with some clients in person. With our trademarked, REPS Protocol™, we teach people how to break free from their re-entry panic with four steps: Respirate, Envision, Positivity, and Stress Management. We guide people who feel anxious or panicked through each of the steps so they can return to work or resume their life in way that feels comfortable for them. 

You have done so much to educate others about how effective holistic therapies are for mental health with almost 30 years in clinical practice.
Now you are in the docuseries, PROVEN, with Dr. Andrew Weil. Can you tell us more about that? 

I am so grateful to be a part of this major documentary series that is taking a deep look at all the complementary and alternative therapies scientifically proven to treat mental health issues and physical disease. There are so many highly effective and clinically proven therapies out there that people just don’t know about. So many times when people come to my Ridgefield center to reduce or reverse their mental health issues, they always ask me, “Why haven’t I heard about biofeedback or neurofeedback before”? The answer is, unfortunately, many mental health providers and physicians don’t know about these treatments and thus aren’t sharing that information. And people and kids are getting physically sicker and mental health issues are skyrocketing. The average age of onset of an anxiety disorder is age 6, and now one in six people are on a psychiatric medication, yet people are more anxious and depressed than ever. The good news is that with the internet, people are becoming the CEO of their own healthcare and finding ways to deal with and even heal their issues.  

With the average delay between onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment being 11 years (NAMI, 2019), we need to and can intervene sooner. There is so much a person can do for themselves or their child before it bubbles over into a larger issue. The notion that our genetics define us is an antiquated one and this documentary shows people all that they can do to improve their mental and physical health.

How can people watch the PROVEN docuseries? 

For a limited time, you can watch the PROVEN documentary series for FREE. You can sign up here: LW255.isrefer.com/go/proven/drch/

For more information about Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, integrative and pediatric mental health expert, and her integrative mental health center in Ridgefield, call 203-438-4848, email [email protected] or visit DrRoseann.com  See ad, back cover.