When Panic Attacks
Your breath and heart are racing
Your breath and heart are racing. A cold sweat breaks out on your forehead. Are you having a panic attack? How can you tell if you are having one?
Panic attacks are nothing new, even though you may hear some writers and speakers stating that they seem to be a more modern phenomenon or problem. Stuff and nonsense, as my great-grandma would have said! The experience of panic attacks isn't a new thing, although the term "panic attack" has only become current in the last three decades or so. In the old days, they used to be called "hysterics" or "hysteria". The reason for the name change has been a recognition of medical facts and a desire to avoid sexist language: the name "hysteria" was derived from the Greek word meaning "womb", and it was thought that only women had them... unless you're Shakespeare's King Lear, who described the symptoms of his "hysterica passio" or "mother" before he had his nervous breakdown. The word "panic" is older still: it is taken from the name of the Greek god Pan, who was thought to cause this sort of terror and fear in those who had incurred his displeasure!
The medical fraternity in the bad old days when they thought panic attacks were caused by the womb were probably confusing panic attacks proper with PMS, which is caused by having a fully functioning womb and ovaries, complete with female hormone fluctuations. But having a bout of PMS isn't the same as having a panic attack, although some women may be more prone to having panic attacks when she's at that stage of her cycle. Panic attacks can be experienced by men, by women who are past the menopause and by children, as well as by women when they're not in the pre-menstrual state of their cycles. The early researchers in the area of psychology, such as Freud (who also combined hypnosis with his regular psychoanalysis), soon recognised that it wasn't just women who had "hysterics". In fact, a lot of the research in the area of psychology, hypnotherapy and the like was undertaken in the attempt to find a cure for hysterics - we would call them panic attacks these days.
So what is a panic attack and how can you tell it apart from just feeling a bit flustered and from ordinary fear?
Often, a frightening experience triggers a panic attack. However, you probably don't need to seek help from hypnotherapy if you have had a one-off panic attack after, say, you came home to find three large masked strangers in your home going through your valuables. A panic attack is probably understandable in these circumstances - all you need to do once you've calmed down again is to call the cops, preferably at your neighbour's house. However, if you have frequent panic attacks in response to only small stimuli or to stimuli that are not usually thought of as dangerous or frightening, then you probably should seek help, whether that help comes from hypnotherapy or elsewhere.
A panic attack is an intense reaction that affects the hormones, the nerves and the breathing. It is an exaggerated form of the normal fight-or-flight response. When you are in a situation that is perceived as being threatening (whether it is or isn't), your brain sends the signals to your kidneys to produce adrenaline. This adrenaline is supposed to gear you up to run away very quickly from the dangerous situation or fight off the threat. However, during a panic attack, it's almost like you get too much adrenaline buzzing around your system.
Often, during a panic attack, the increased heartbeat and breathing triggered by the adrenaline get into a sort of feedback loop, steadily getting worse and worse. Many of the symptoms of a panic attack overlap with those of hyperventilation, often because people do hyperventilate during a panic attack.
The medical experts list 13 (how appropriate!) symptoms of panic attacks: a racing heartbeat, sweating, shaking, feeling smothered or short of breath, a choking sensation, chest pain, a sick feeling in the stomach, dizziness, a sensation of unreality or detachment, a fear of going crazy, a sense of doom or impending death, tingling and/or numbness, and chills (or hot flashes). Experiencing at least four of these symptoms very quickly in response to a stimulus and having them reach a peak in about 10 minutes. If you only have one or two (e.g. a racing heartbeat and sweating), you probably aren't having a panic attack. Some people also start crying or screaming uncontrollably, while others experience ringing in the ears, headaches and stiff necks. Tunnel vision is sometimes experienced as well.
The symptoms of a panic are attack are quite like those of a cardiovascular event or heart attack. This has two main effects. Firstly, people experiencing panic attacks often think they are having a heart attack and call the emergency services. Secondly, people who have a panic attack and believe that it's a heart attack are often frightened even more: heart attacks kill you. (Panic attacks don't kill you, however.) This can have bad long-term consequences: after the embarrassment of going to the emergency room and finding out that you weren't having a heart attack but a panic attack often makes people afraid that they'll have another panic attack... which often does end up happening. This is the point where people often start seeking help from hypnosis and elsewhere.
Some people are more prone to panic attacks than others - we all know people who can "keep their heads when those about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you" and those who get the jitters at the drop of a hat. Phobias are often linked with panic attacks, and the way to overcome the panic attacks is to overcome the phobia. Other things that may make a person more prone to a panic attack include too much coffee, a passive or unassertive personality, some mental disorders and certain medications. Avoiding situations that make you panic and negative beliefs also make a person more prone to panic attacks, especially in the situation they have been avoiding.
The good news is that suffering panic attacks aren't a mental illness and they can be overcome.
by: Rick Rakauskas
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