Overcome Panic Attacks

The trap of panic

Many experts and researchers describe the panic attacks and panic disorders as a (very effective) trap in two fundamental key areas. To overcome panic attacks demands effort, perseverance and commitment. The first trap is linked to that person who, struggling with a crisis, trusts that whatever he is doing is dangerous (ie, he will get a heart attack, he will faint, he will lose the reason, he will lose the control) when, in reality, a panic attack does not pose any danger by any means to him. Secondly, those affected by a panic attack will fall into the trap of carrying out anything that they consider will help them to avoid crisis when what they actually do is to deteriorate their situation on how to overcome panic attacks. Such actions include behaviors of avoidance, as well as trying to control/overcome panic attacks, fight them, fall into superstitions and rituals to stay away from panic attacks and reach self-protection. That is, what is done to deal with panic attacks finishes up locking them in, in most cases (Carbonell, 2004).

According to Giorgio Nardone and Federica Cagnoni (Arezzo), a first experience, either real or unreal, can introduce into the person's mind a new possibility of perceptual reaction: the fear. From that experience, everything that is carried out is done to defend himself from the real or imaginary danger. Nonetheless, this reaction does not work; on the contrary, it further confirms the threat, which worsens the outcomes and creates a classic situation of panic reaction, both in terms of fear generalization in the psyche as well as in the behavioral response, thus making it harder to Overcome Panic Attacks.

Particularly, there have been recognized three representative solutions that make an effort to overcome panic attacks: 1) avoidance, 2) request for help and 3) attempt to control.

Avoidance. The effect of avoiding, in fact, represents a confirmation to the person of the threat of the prevented situation which, in turns, prepares subsequent evasive behaviors. As result, not only the fear increases but it also grows the person's skepticism to overcome panic attacks with their own resources, thus increasing the phobia and the reactions. Therefore, the disorder becomes more disabling and limiting.

Request for help. Once the vicious circle of avoidance is turned on, the person normally uses a second "strategy" that is sometimes counterproductive: the request for assistance, that is, the need to always be accompanied and comforted by someone who is willing to mediate in a crisis in order to provide assistance to the affected person to overcome panic attacks. The provision of help assists the person to calm down, but gradually it leads to an increased fear situation. As a matter of fact, the possibility of having someone or something (a substance or drug) to quickly intervene in the provision of help, ends up reassuring the person that he/she is incapable of confronting the feared situation all by him/herself.

Attempt to control. The control of physiological and behavioral reactions allows for a perceptual cycle that makes the person confront his fear. However, in an attempt to maintain control at any costs on the body itself and on its psychiatric functions a paradoxical situation raises: when the person focus his attention on physiological responses (heart rate, breathing, balance, etc.), it unavoidably leads to a change in some of this same functions, causing a fear that generates more changes and puts the person further away from the position to overcome panic attacks.

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