Panic Attacks and Panic Attack Symptoms Can be Eased with
Hypnosis
Panic attacks are usually brief, although the sufferer may feel
that they last forever. From an emotional perspective, panic
attack symptoms may include feelings of intense fear, an
overwhelming sense of doom, being out of control, or a sense of
unreality. The sufferer's thoughts may race and jump about,
without any logic or consistency.
Physical panic attack symptoms may include some or all of the
following sensations:
Racing or pounding heart; palpitations
Difficulty breathing or tightness in the chest
Shallow, rapid breathing
A choking feeling
Severe trembling or shaking
A rapid pulse rate
Sweating
A brief body temperature rise
Chest pain
Dizziness or light-headedness
Nausea
Fear of losing control
Tingling or numbness in the extremities
A feeling of not being physically anchored.
A panic attack may leave the person feeling utterly exhausted
afterward. This may be caused by the flood of adrenaline and
other stress hormones released when the panic attack starts.
These "fight or flight" hormones cause an enormous output of the
body's energy resources. When the attack is over, exhaustion
ensues as the body tries to recover.
Many people who experience panic attack symptoms initially think
they are having a heart attack. They may run to an emergency
room or call an ambulance, only to be told no physical ailments
have caused the intense feelings, sensations and other symptoms.
Over time, the sufferer may feel as if he or she is losing his
or her mind.
It is hard to overestimate the debilitating and widespread
effects of these attacks. People who suffer from panic attacks
often live in fear of the next attack, especially since they can
be unpredictable. The attacks seem random and unwarranted and
the sufferer worries they may have an attack when they are out
among other people, or while driving or in other worrisome
situations. Panic attack victims sometimes become reclusive or
agoraphobic (afraid to leave their home); they may lose
important relationships and friends. These types of coping
skills arise because of the randomness of the panic attacks. The
person having the panic attacks withdraws from social
interaction because they fear being around other people when the
panic attack starts. The fear of losing control in public and of
not being able to stop the attack adds to the negative impact
the panic attacks have on the person's life.
Thus, we have the vicious circle aspect of panic attacks: the
fear of panic attacks leads to anxiety about the possibility of
a panic attack occurring randomly, which can lead to a
full-blown panic attack. Often patients cannot lead normal lives
and end up on disability, unable to maintain a job. The panic
attacks and panic attack symptoms literally control their lives.
How can hypnosis help with panic attacks and panic attack
symptoms? The key reason hypnosis can help with panic attacks is
that fears, anxieties, and, in fact, all emotions, originate in
the subconscious. The subconscious also controls involuntary
physical functions, such as heart beat, respiration, etc.
Hypnosis works in the realm of the subconscious. Therefore, the
good news is that the subconscious mind can be retrained to
reinterpret both fear responses and panic-inducing situations.
There is a good chance that the person can use his mind to
eventually free himself from panic attacks completely.
A hypnotherapist will usually take multiple approaches to
working with a panic attack sufferer.* For example, the person
may be taught physical and mental relaxation techniques
(important for calming the racing heart and other physical panic
attack symptoms), self-hypnosis, visualization, and guided
imagery to use when he or she feels a panic attack approaching.
The panic attack sufferer may be taught how to reinterpret
sensations and feelings so that the early stages of the panic
attack do not escalate and become "full-blown."
Deep, focused breathing techniques may be taught by the
hypnotherapist. Breathing techniques are a deceptively simple
way to help panic attacks. Not only does focused deep breathing
help distract the person's mind from the fear, but it also has a
powerful subconscious effect. We usually think of breathing as a
totally automatic process. But when we bring our attention to
our breathing, we can easily change the pace and depth of our
breathing. This sends the subconscious a reassuring and powerful
message: "You are in control. You can control this panic
attack." Further, deep breathing can help reverse the effects of
shallow, rapid, panicked breathing. It can increase oxygen flow
to the brain, which can help restore calm, logical thought
processes.
Hypnosis techniques may also focus on reassuring the
subconscious mind that it is safe to release the fear and/or
anxiety. Panic attacks may arise from a part of the subconscious
that believes it is keeping the person "safe" by sending them
the message to panic. In other words, some part of the
subconscious may think it senses danger or it may simply want
the person to be alert to danger. So it sends messages to the
person's conscious mind regarding extreme fear, doom, etc. to
insure that the person is "paying attention." This part of the
subconscious needs to feel reassured that the person has other
ways of remaining safe, cautious, etc. Then it can be persuaded
to release the fear response. To accomplish this goal, the
hypnotherapist may use complementary therapies such as
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), which is a form of "waking
hypnosis" or "conversational hypnosis."
Sometimes, a small amount of emotional relief can by given to
the panic attack sufferer by simply explaining that his panic
attack symptoms are not "crazy," "insane," or "irrational."
Instead, the symptoms seem "rational" from the perspective of
that part of his subconscious that wants him to be alert to
danger and ultimately safe. Once the person understands the
problem at a deeper level he or she may begin to feel that he or
she is not "going crazy." This is one small step in the journey
back to emotional wellness.
It should be emphasized that it may take multiple hypnosis
sessions for the panic attack sufferer to feel some relief. Over
time, he or she will begin to feel more in control and empowered
to stop a panic attack and its accompanying symptoms before they
become overwhelming and/or debilitating. Eventually, he or she
may be able to completely eliminate panic attacks.
*Hypnosis is not a substitute for medical, pharmaceutical or
mental health treatment of panic attacks. Rather, hypnosis
provides a wonderful complement to standard "talk therapy"
(psychotherapy, etc.) and medical/psychiatric approaches to
panic attacks. Hypnosis works with doctors and mental health
practitioners, not against them. Do not discontinue medical,
pharmaceutical and/or mental health treatment for your panic
attacks when you begin hypnotherapy.