The only experience I have to draw from on whether or not desensitizing works is my own personal experience and dog training! Since the dog training won't help much except as a way to explain the concepts, I'll have to draw on my own experiencese. (It does work for dogs, though...lots of success there!)

The work my T and I have been doing does help...but I've found that it's hard to generalize it right now. For example, I am becoming comfortable talking with my T about certain things, but just the thought of talking to anyone else sends me in to a tailspin of panic. My T assures me that as I become comfortable with the topic and gain more positive experiences in talking with her, that will fade. I'm not sure I believe it, so I'm borrowing her confidence in the process for now.

I also tend to panic when I'm surrounded by people, especially in waiting rooms. I think desensitizing could work in those situations, depending on the source of the panic. If it's related to past trauma, then building a history of positive experiences through desensitization should prove helpful and you would be able to draw on that positive history in each new situation. For myself, the panic is due to simply feeling the pressure of other people and for that, mindfulness has been more helpful...bringing awareness to my own body and breathing and the fact that even when I feel croweded, my space is still my space and I can focus on my own body rather than the pressure I feel from others around me.