Panic Attack Symptoms
I just had a 20 something-year-old male come to me for treatment last week suffering with incapacitating panic symptoms. We discussed several ways to treat the panic symptoms. He came back in today with the report on how he did over the last week. “I applied the first step you mentioned to an activity that usually causes my panic,” he said. “What was the outcome?” I inquired. He said, “the anxiety went away” when the treatment was applied, and he was able to perform the task without the continued symptoms.
Below I have listed many of the symptoms for a panic attack of which he typically experienced 5 or more. How many affect you?
- Sense of impending doom or danger
- Fear of loss of control or death
- Rapid heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Shortness of breath
- Chills
- Hot flashes
- Nausea
- Chest pain
- Headache
- Dizziness, faintness
- Numbness/ tingling
- Feeling of unreality or detachment
So, Jim what was the treatment that worked for this guy? The answer for some is counterintuitive to one experiencing panic. Face the very fear from which you think you must run. The energy is already there for fight or flight. Do the former. Tell yourself “Bring it on…give me the worst panic attack you can give me right now.” Remember David and Goliath? He was the only one in the army who ran to meet his foe. My client stated that once he invited the panic, the intensity turned from running to fighting. The air escaped the growing anxiety balloon in seconds. You do the same. Try it. See how it works for you.