subject: Why are the Symptoms of Panic Attacks so Frightening? [print this page] But they are not! It is simply our body reacting to a perceived threat as it has been programmed to for thousands of years. It is the fight or flight response that you have probably heard of. The fight or flight reaction is the body's way of preparing for action.
It is just a survival tool that is meant to save us and it is impossible for it to harm you. Accepting this simple fact is one of the first steps in controlling panic attacks.
We are programmed to respond to threats in a particular way. When we sense a threat signals are transmitted to some parts of our body to get us ready for action. This system is called the sympathetic nervous system. Once the threat is passed our body sends a new signal to tell us to relax again. This is known as the parasympathetic nervous system.
All of us are more aware of the sympathetic nervous system simply because its symptoms are far more immediate. This is the adrenalin pumping, heart racing feeling that we experience with a panic attack. It is instantaneous and quite dramatic. The reverse tends to be a slower gentler reaction as our body calms down again.
Whenever we do something to relax it is the parasympathetic system that is in use to calm us down and relax us. This is why it is so important that relaxation techniques make up part of the treatment for panic attacks because we are using our body's natural system to overcome the symptoms of panic attacks.
It is impossible for panic attacks to just carry on indefinitely because our own built in natural protection system will start to calm us down. Your body's primary aim is to protect itself so it will not let a panic attack spiral out of control. Eventually you will calm down.
Once you are aware of this and convinced of it, you are able to take the fear our of a panic attack and break the cycle of fear that is so often the cause of another panic attack.
If you practice telling your body to relax, it becomes second nature, so that you are able to relax on demand and control the frightening symptoms of panic attacks.
Why are the Symptoms of Panic Attacks so Frightening?
