Part 1: What Is a Panic Attack?
No matter what kind of abuse you have endured, panic attacks may follow. Learning to control them can have a positive effect on almost every part of your emotional and physical recovery.
A panic attack is defined as a sudden onset of intense fear and terror along with symptoms of dizziness, trembling, heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, sweating, clamminess, chest pain, and losing the sense of reality. You can survive this condition with some knowledge about breathing, relaxation, and learning to translate external cues. The first panic attack usually comes out of nowhere, but there probably were some external cues that triggered it. The problem with these attacks is that once you have had one, the fear of another may precipitate another attack. Many people who have panic attacks think that they are going crazy, having a heart attack, or are dying. Once you've been seen by a doctor and had a heart attack ruled out, there are things you can do to take control of your life once again. <P>Let me state again, if this is the first time you have experienced symptoms of a panic attack, get diagnosed by a physician. You MUST make sure that you are having a panic attack, not a heart attack or other physical problem. Your doctor may help by prescribing medications or professional counseling so the attacks don't develop into panic disorder. This information is not intended to replace medical advice and attention, but as another tool to help you recover. Pay attention to what your doctor says, go to follow-up visits if necessary, and take any advice to go into therapy very seriously.
Deep breathing and relaxation techniques are good ways to calm down during a panic attack. We'll discuss those in future articles. First let's learn about focusing on and translating external cues. By concentrating on an object outside your body, you bring yourself back to the present and interrupt chaotic thoughts.
This is a learned skill that takes practice. But with a little bit of time and effort, you can calm yourself and stop a panic attack. As you get better at this technique, you will not need to fear panic attcks any longer.
Go to the next page to learn the technique.
