A panic attack can be especially
frightening the first time you have one.
The symptoms include fast breathing, chest pain, sweating, hot or cold flushes and numbness in a range of body parts. People going through a panic attack often say that it feels as if they are going to die or that they are going mad. That is partly because panic attacks involve a fear level that is greater than what the situation at hand warrants. In fact, there might be no cause for fear, yet the person is having an attack anyway.
What happens if you don’t seek treatment for a panic attack?
What happens when you have a panic attack is that you are experiencing anxiety and fear that ramp up to an increased level. If you don’t seek treatment for panic attacks, you can start to experience panic disorder, where the panic attacks become frequent. Panic attacks could also lead to other complications such as depression, phobias and substance abuse. When you have panic attacks, you might begin withdrawing from your regular activities because the attacks come on often and you don’t know when they will happen next.
What triggers panic attacks?
Panic attacks usually last about 20 to 30 minutes, reaching their peak after about 10 minutes. What’s unusual about panic attacks is that they don’t necessarily occur when you’re in danger; they can occur when you are in a harmless situation, even while you’re asleep. No one knows the exact reason some people experience them, but they tend to run in families or when people experience a major life change such as moving, changing jobs, getting married or having a baby. The stress of losing a job or a death can also trigger a panic attack.
Understanding panic attacks
An interesting phenomenon about panic attacks is that people are usually more afraid of having the panic attack than they are of the actual event. For example, you might be more afraid of having a panic attack on an aeroplane where you will be stuck in your seat around strangers than you are that the plane will crash. The good news about panic attacks is that a trained therapist can treat them. A therapist can help you understand what might be causing your panic attacks.
How we can help
We at MH-Hypnotherapy teach our clients how to successfully manage their response to what their mind and body perceives as an emergency. The results we achieve are real and long lasting because we teach people how to deal with these problems for themselves. Treatments we use for panic disorders include 6-2-7 breathing, hypnotherapy and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
How many sessions does this take?
Panic attacks can usually be helped with as little as three sessions. Particularly severe cases of long-standing anxiety take longer to improve, generally between seven and 12 sessions. Our approach is always tailored to the individual’s needs and is discussed at every session.
