Cure for Panic attacks

When I suggest to my clients some tips that may help alleviate the symptoms of a panic attack, they look as me as though I have gone totally mad.  Do I not realise that panic attacks strike suddenly and without warning and that when in the midst of one it is virtually impossible to think clearly, due to the total fear and confusion that the sufferer is feeling?  Well, yes I do realise that and I realise that advising sufferers to “breathe, focus, relax…etc” may not be the best advice under the circumstance.

Most suffers find it difficult, if not impossible to act in a rational manner when they are in the grips of an attack.  That is because the part of the brain that deals with the attacks, is not the rational part, it is the part that is well enough equipped for surviving potentially life threatening situations, but not for solving problems.

With that in mind, I have put together a few techniques that I use with my clients.

  • Find yourself a quite space where you can sit and relax while you think about the different experiences your body has during an attack.  Think about each one calmly and dispassionately and take a guess at why your body may be reacting that way.  Once you can see each for what it is and realise that, as frightening as it may be at the time, you are in no physical danger from the symptoms, move on to the next one.
  • Picture a huge screen and see yourself having a panic attack from a disassociated point, as though you were watching a film.  Once you reach the end of the `film`, run it backwards, really quickly.  Now add your favourite music while you run the entire film through from start to finish. Remain calm and focus on breathing rhythmically, how do you feel now? 
  • Remind yourself that panic attacks have never hurt you, they have never hurt   anyone else and never will.  Be aware of why they happen and that they pose no danger.  You will immediately dis-empower the attack.
  • Visualise the huge screen and see yourself handling a panic attack exactly as you want. If this is difficult, don`t worry, it will get easier with practise. Pretend that you are a director of your own home movie and you want to make it the best it can be. Edit it until it is just as you want it to be. Now, associate into the picture and imagine you are handling the attack the way you saw. Now think what cue or trigger will remind you to use this new skill in the future and enjoy the positive feelings you have about the situation.
  • Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga, tai-chi and the Alexander Technique.

Practice these techniques daily, until the panic attack holds no fear and each episode will be less traumatic than the one before.  The worst part of an attack is often the fear itself.  As Mark Twain famously said:

“I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened”.