Panic
Attacks
People with panic
disorder believe very strongly that the "attack"
they experienced means that something is physically wrong with
them.
For example, many people with panic disorder fear that they
are having a heart attack, that they're about to lose control,
or that they're going crazy. Other people with panic believe
that because they can't catch their breath that they're suffocating,
or that the dizziness, lightheadedness, and "unreal"
feeling they experience means they have a terrible undiagnosed
illness.
Panic Disorder with agoraphobia. Is the fear of having
panic attacks in public places and the avoidance of these places.
It is common for the person with agoraphobia to avoid travel
and stay close to home or a safe person.
So what brings on an attack? Our bodies have a built
in reflex that served our ancestors well. Whenever they were
faced with danger, their bodies would automatically prepare
to run or to fight. We still have this automatic response
to danger, but we fear rejection, embarrassment, failure, shame
disappointment etc., and we neither fight or run. And as we
stay still, anxiety caused a rush of adrenaline, which in turn
causes us to hyperventilate, tense our muscles, increase our
heart rate - in other words we panic. The unpredictable timing
of panic attacks, lead to a fear of the fear.
If your first panic attack comes on whilst in a shop the
fear of being embarrassed by another attack may cause you to
avoid that shop, and eventually perhaps you will start to fear
any shop, and then end up at home afraid to venture anywhere.
Solutions - we need to approach anxiety from every positive
angle that we have available to us. I focus on three main areas,
all three of which must be addressed in therapy.
Cognitive - learning new ways to change our old thinking
patterns. We train our minds to think differently than we have
in the past. We need to find different positive methods that
work well for us, some of which are:
- Slowing down,
slower talking, slower pace.
- Stopping automatic
negative thinking
- Positive self
statements.
- Working on anger,
perfectionism, frustration, etc.
Behavioural - this is changing our behaviour, changing what
we do, and this part is always handled last, because we need
to build a strong foundation of cognitive and emotional skills.
This is essential for people with social anxiety.
Emotional - It is important to have some type of relaxation,
or de-stress strategy. In this area calmness and peace are the
goals. The more your brain is relaxed, the easier therapeutic
information can get in and be processed. As peace and calmness
become stranger, they tend to crowd out the anxiety.
That
is why hypnotherapy is beneficial, it builds on the opposite to anxiety
- it builds on relaxation and confidence to change the patterns of thinking
and take action.
For
more information and help on panic attacks and related issues:
Call
Lyta Humphris on Plymouth 01752 788321 or
e-mail lhumphris@aol.com
for
an appointment now.
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