"I’m losing control....."
"I feel like I’m going crazy....."
"I must be having a heart attack....."
"I’m smothering and I can’t breathe....."
Panic attacks are extremely frightening. They may appear to come out of the blue, strike at random and make people feel powerless, that they are losing control and about to die. A panic attack is really the body's way of responding to the 'flight or fight' response system getting triggered without the presence of an actual external threat or danger. When adrenaline floods the body, it can cause a number of different physical and emotional sensations that may affect people during a panic attack. These may be:
Very rapid breathing or feeling unable to breathe
Palpitations, pounding heartbeat
Chest pain
Dizziness, light-headedness or feeling faint
Sweating
Ringing in the ears
Hot or cold flushes
Fear of losing control
Fear of dying.
Panic disorder is sudden episodes of acute severe anxiety/panic associated with a fear of death or collapse. The key feature of the disorder is the sudden onset, occurring 'out of the blue', with no identifiable trigger. It can be accompanied with a persistent concern about future attacks and consequences of the attack (losing control).
Luckily panic and other anxiety disorders are treatable conditions that respond well to relatively short-term therapy such as hypnotherapy, cognitiv-behavioral therapy!
If you want to find out more about panic attacks and the possibilities of how to get effective help do contact me.
Yours
Martin Lammerding