2009 November | - Part 2

<body>There is an abundance of panic attack information available online these days. Panic attacks are often described as an irrational fear that brings about symptoms such as an increased heart rate, an increased breathing pattern, hot flushes; they feel as though they are going to feint, have chills or start to become sweaty. There are number of other symptoms and whilst most are seen during a panic attack, the symptoms and the severity may vary for each individual. Most panic attack information will tell you that panic attacks typically come on suddenly and without warning due to an irrational fear that an individual may have. Even though the triggers for an individual can be very different from person to person, there are similarities in their fear of the panic attack itself. Those who sufferer these attacks report that they feel like they are going to die, are having a heart attack or will have a heart attack due to the physical sensations they feel within their bodies at the time of the panic attack itself. The first time a person suffers a panic attack they more often than not will not understand what is going on. Typically the person is helped simply through gaining an understanding of exactly what a panic attack is, and the knowledge or comfort that many other people suffer from these too. Once a person has had a panic attack, they become fearful of experiencing another attack. Without help or treatment if this fear continues it is likely to turn into a panic disorder, where the individual fears the panic attack itself and not the event, object or situation that brought the original one on in the first instance. Getting help or assistance for panic attacks can be found in a variety of ways however most people who suffer from panic attacks fail to seek advice or treatment. Therapy and/or medications combined with relaxation techniques may help individual sufferers to get rehabilitated. Behavioral therapy allows a person to feel or experience some of the symptoms associated with a panic attack but helps that person to recognize that the symptom itself is nothing to be fearful of. This element of behavioral therapy is called interoceptive exposure. For example, the sufferer may be encouraged to bring on some of the physical sensations of a panic attack such as an increased heart rate. With support the person then understands that even though they experience these feelings it does not always bring about a panic attack and they can deal with it. Furthermore behavioral therapy includes real life exposure. An individual may be introduced to the very things that they fear in order that they can get accustomed to them. Relaxation techniques can be provided effectively in a several different ways. The individual person has to first relax their shoulders when they feel a panic attack starting to come on. If aware of the tension in the neck, the individual can then learn how to reduce it. Finally by relaxing the remaining muscles in the body the goal is to reach total body relaxation. A key step in relaxation techniques is to slow down the person’s breathing which results in reducing an elevated heart rate. Panic attacks often bring on an increased heart rate and a resultant increased breathing pattern which in some extreme cases can lead to hyperventilation where the individual takes in too much oxygen. By taking deep, slow and controlled breaths the person can slow down their breathing. Using diaphragmatic or circular breathing techniques using the diaphragm and not just the lungs can significantly help to reduce stress and anxiety at the same time as reducing the rate of breathing and ultimately ones heart rate. These techniques are often used during meditation or hypnosis to relax an individual. A key point is that the person reminds themselves that they are not going crazy and they are not going to die. It is those very fears that further exacerbate a panic attack. Panic attacks can develop into a panic disorder caused by anxiety and anticipation. There are numerous ways in which people exhibit their anxiety through a panic disorder. For example, post traumatic stress disorder is quite often seen after a person has experienced a very traumatic event like the death of a close relative or loved one, or separation/divorce, physical abuse or an attack, an accident or being witness to a traumatic incident. A doctor may also diagnose a person with having OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). This particular form of anxiety disorder is predominantly associated with having unwanted thoughts or obsessions that a person cannot get out of their everyday thinking, which preys on their mind. Bedtime can often be a particularly bad time as there are no physical activities to otherwise occupy the mind and body. The sufferer may then become obsessed with urges that move them to perform repeated ritualistic tasks, behaviors or routines in a bid to ease their anxiety.<img src='http://36515ig9s7xsrjfilln7ojgkbi.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=PANICATTACKSURVIVAL' width='1' height='1' /> </body>