Panic Attacks

Definition:

 A Panic Attack is an intense and sudden feeling of fear and apprehension. Physical symptoms will include an increase in the rate of respiration, pounding heartbeat, sweating, shaking, nausea, feeling dizzy and light headed. Thoughts can turn to impending doom, and feelings of enduring a heart attack or death.

Description:

When someone experiences a panic attack, they describe it as a feeling of intense fear and impending doom, experienced in a short period of time. Some people believe they are dying or suffering a heart attack or stroke and to someone who has never experienced a panic attack, it can be difficult for them to truly appreciate how terrifying it can be.

Most people are surprised by the sudden appearance of a panic attack, especially if it is their first one. It appears out of the blue and for no apparent reason. What people don’t realise is the general build up of stress levels to which the subconscious is aware but we are not necessarily consciously aware, that precedes the attack. This build up, if not dealt with, eventually reaches its limit, alarm bells start ringing and the subconscious moves in to rescue us. The result is an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety. Run! Panic!

The subconscious mind notes the unusual amount of stress and seeks to discover the threat. It takes note of our surroundings, and bodily sensations to determine the cause of the attack. If we were to experience the same environment, or notice those same sensations, we could potentially endure another attack. Of course, this does not necessarily mean we will panic every time we encounter the same event but we may fear having a panic attack if ever we were to participate in that event again. On the other hand if we were to experience an attack in the same situation, the subconscious mind would be quick to inform us “I told you so, I knew it was a dangerous situation and I tried to save you once before and again I’ve had to rescue you for the same reason!” This consolidates the idea that driving or shopping in a supermarket is a dangerous place to be.

It only becomes a disorder when we experience recurrent attacks and persistently worry about having another one and have unrealistic fears about the implications of an attack. We may believe the panic attacks are an indication of a larger health problem, such as a weak heart or some major problem with our health. We may even begin to wonder about our state of mind. A sufferer of panic disorder may remain relatively active avoiding certain places/situations they feel may trigger off another attack but if it continues to spread to other areas of one’s life and begin to severely restrict a persons normal daily activities, this may develop into phobias. It can indeed also lead to agoraphobia (literally translated to mean ‘fear of the market place’).

Agoraphobia is a fear of being in public places, or being left alone. The thinking behind the agoraphobic is “ if I avoid every place I could potentially experience a panic attack and therefore look or feel stupid, then I will be safe”. Usually this means the agoraphobic will not experience panic symptoms in their safe place, typically the comfort of their own homes.

Therapy:

When we are in a higher state of stress, we react to things more emotionally. When that stress builds and passes a threshold, you can experience a panic attack. It is therefore important to reduce your stress levels which can easily be achieved through the use of hypnosis. Continuing to do so will enable you to achieve a feeling of control as you will begin to react to things in a more logical, rational way.

Using techniques drawn from NLP, your subconscious mind can erase it's referential template (e.g. every supermarket is dangerous because it's a supermarket) and replace it with a new desired one. Thereby a new understanding has been established (supermarkets are now considered safe). This method can be applied to any trigger including an over response to bodily sensations. As therapy progresses, you can begin to feel more relaxed in those situations that used to cause a panic attack as your subconscious establishes new templates.

A person can experience panic when they feel a sense of helplessness in dealing with an increase of stress due to more responsibility or experiencing a transition in life. Whatever the case, therapy will help strengthen those resources, that will enable you to deal with those situations in a much more desirable way.

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