Panic attacks can by their nature be very frightening to the person who is suffering from them. About 35% of the population experience a panic attack at some point in their lives so they are very common. Symptoms include a racing heartbeat, a general feeling that you are losing control, tingling sensations in lips or fingers, feeling sick / nauseous and the feeling that you feeling faint, lightheaded or dizzy. The good news is that while these symptoms are very unpleasant to experience the panic attack is very, very unlikely to cause you any harm. It is more about the shock of such a deeply unpleasant experience and the fear that you could have one again. The fear of when an attack will be experienced plays into the anxiety around losing control which, of course, feeds the anxiety that fuels, and leads to, the attack itself.
There are a variety of causes of fear, anxiety and panic which vary from person to person. When someone is feeling scared or anxious they release stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Here we are operating from our evolutionary primitive brain with the body in "fight' of "flight" mode. While an increased heart rate might be useful to defend ourselves from a bear with a panic attack the body becomes overwhelmed by the nature of its own response. Rather than prepare us to defend or attack the massive release of chemicals overstimulate the body leading to rapid breathing which in turn spirals into the host of symptoms described above.
Hypnotherapy provides a powerful means to counter panic attacks. The calm state of hypnosis is diametrically opposed to the hyper anxious state of the attack itself. More importantly, is able to deal with the root cause of the panic attack - anxiety. By dealing directly with anxiety of the client the hypnotherapy can then dramatically reduce and eliminate the panic attacks themselves. The root of this anxiety can be extremely varied. It might be that the person has some health issues or even bereavement. Perhaps they have experienced bullying, neglect or abuse previously and this has affected their psychological outlook. Financial problems, relationship issues and work pressures can all feed a sense of anxiety that could potentially lead to panic attacks. Solution focussed hypnotherapy can deal with these issues without having to relive, say, a possible trauma that caused them. This is obviously particularly valuable for people who do not want to relive specific traumas that are too painful to recount. Often such people cannot undertake traditional counselling so hypnotherapy becomes a viable alternative.
If you or someone you know is suffering from panic attack do get in touch.
beechwoodtherapies@gmail.com
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