Panic is really an experience of intense fear, often leaving the sufferer with a strong desire to avoid feeling the symptoms again. Whilst some panic attacks are triggered by a specific event such as receiving bad news or being the victim of physical attack, the vast majority seem to occur out of the blue. It is these that can cause the most upset and anxiety for the individual.
The Symptoms of Panic
Most people in the throes of a panic attack will experience most or all of the following symptoms:
- Palpitations, racing heart
- Sweating and trembling
- Hot flushes or chills
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling sick
- Feeling dizzy or faint
- Fear of dying, going mad
- Numbness or pins and needles
- Feelings of unreality or being detached from the self
It is important to know that these symptoms are the direct result of adrenalin being pumped through the central nervous system. Essentially, the body has gone into fight or flight mode.
The fight or flight response is a perfectly natural part of the body’s mechanism for preparing the individual to respond to danger. Amongst other things, the secretion of adrenalin increases heart rate, increases blood flow to the muscles, reduces blood flow to the skin and digestive system, dilates the bronchioles in the lungs and dilates the pupils all in order to prepare the body for the action of staying and fighting or fleeing.
Unfortunately, many people are experiencing higher levels of stress on a day to day level than is healthy and are therefore also secreting elevated amounts of adrenalin. The nervous system is therefore in a constant state of arousal often experienced as anxiety. In demanding circumstances, which could include a crowded train or lateness for a meeting, the person produces even more adrenalin and the body thinks danger is at hand. A scenario like this can be the cue for a full blown manifestation of the fight or flight response and the person experiences panic.
Panic Attacks That Come Out of the Blue
Experiencing the unpleasant symptoms of a panic attack in a seemingly unpredictable way can lead to the fear that the symptoms could occur at any time. Fear of the fear itself then takes place. In addition, in the absence of understanding what is going on in the nervous system, catastrophic ideas are often attached to the experience.
In reality, the warning signals are usually apparent on the physiological level. Very often there will have been signs such as the palms of the hands beginning to sweat, the heart rate slightly increased or breathing becoming faster, for example. What happens, however, is that very often an individual's hypervigilance to these signs causes them to interpret them in a catastrophic way. The formation of anxious and awfulising thoughts leads to a response in the nervous system and the outcome becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Subsequent to an attack, a level of tension may be maintained in the body leading to shallow breathing and in many cases an inability to relax.
For many people, hypervigilance and catastrophising thoughts can lead to repeated panic experiences in certain situations or places. Hence, an individual could tend to always panic on the Underground, in a meeting at work, in a lift and so on. In these cases, triggers and associations have been formed around the experience of panic. However, it is not the situation or place itself which is causing the panic attack, but rather what the person is saying to themselves that is acting on the nervous system.
The Mind and Panic Attacks
The desire to avoid places or situations that might trigger a panic attack can be very strong. Learning to recognise what thoughts are precipitating panic or are present when experiencing panic and learning how to neutralise them can be invaluable in taking control once more and ultimately reducing the occurrence of attacks and even eliminating them altogether. Many of these thoughts can be very rigid in nature and can revolve around demands that one should never feel certain feelings or sensations. This kind of demand naturally creates tension in the body, a tension which increases when an individual is in a situation where they fear they might panic.
Treatment For Panic Attacks
There are many psychological therapists who work with those experiencing panic as well as self-help programmes. Specific approaches will vary but generally will include examination of beliefs, thoughts and images if present, attention to breathing and relaxation techniques. A doctor's diagnosis is important in the first instance to rule out a physical cause. Armed with a diagnosis, selection of the preferred type of treatment can take place.
References:
London College of Clinical Hypnosis. Treating Panic Disorder Masterclass. Avy Joseph
medicalnewstoday.com
New Harbinger Publications Inc. Hypnosis For Change. J. Hadley and C. Staudacher
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