Panic attacks (also known as anxiety attacks) can be a terrifying ordeal as our mind gives a strong reaction to something it perceives as a threat.  Read more …..  The panic attack response is known as the Flight or Fight Response and is the same reaction as if we were in threat of losing our life – you may want to type ‘Flight or Fight Response’ into a search engine.  Often this perceived threat is irrational such as being in the supermarket, driving, public speaking, however, the fear centre in our mind does not differentiate between a something we’d consciously perceive to be safe or something we know to be unsafe, therefore a trip to the shops can bring about the same reaction mentally and physically that we’d have if we were faced with a tiger.

A panic attack is the response to an extreme threat when the threat is not extreme.  Click on Anxiety and Panic Attacks for more information including symptoms, causes and methods of help.  Anxiety affects a huge amount of people and the Office for National Statistics estimates that 4.7 per cent of people suffer with an anxiety disorder at anytime – that’s roughly 1 in 20 people at the moment are suffering with a disorder such as Panic Attacks, OCD and Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

Seeking information is often the first step to help as it allows you gain an understanding of what is going on and allows you to be aware that your feelings are experienced by many other people and it is part of life.  If you are feeling a certain way or suffering, then it’s very likely that others or many others are experiencing life in the same way.  The circumstances in your life may differ from others but the symptoms and feelings are similar.

Often the help of a professional can help and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT),  Counselling and Hypnotherapy are all very effective (on their own or in combination) at allowing the symptoms to be alleviated, to manage panic attacks and to reduce or eliminate them.  Talking to others around you can also help as often panic attacks and anxiety may not be something that people talk about and you may be enlightened to discover how may people suffer with this (bear in mind others experiences may differ from your own). 

Future posts will offer tips to help manage panic attacks and feel free to contact me if I can offer any information or assistance.