Panic Attack And Anxiety Cures

And Now My Story

I remember the first time I had a panic attack. My life was a mess and not the same again until I got a handle on it and it went away. Yes, it can go away.

For me the panic attacks lasted several years, about 5 or 6. I fought them every way I could think of including alcohol, running, meditating, and various other things.

When I think back it looks like panic attacks couldn't possibly have entered my life. I was a risk taker.

I was a boxer. I was an airplane pilot. I was a horseman for years in Montana. I still ride motorcycles!

I went through High School in Montana and went into college there, too. I spent several great years chasing degrees and women and married a real sweetheart.

I had been nervous a time or two, but I had never experienced anything like a panic attack.

At 30 years of age I was 6 foot two inches and 190 lbs. I was in great shape! The panic attacks came out of the blue.

By that time owned my own businesses for 6 years. I was at a convention in L.A. and a friend drove me to LAX so I could go back to Oregon, the rugged Northwest and my family.

I was sitting in the waiting area watching the incredible variety of people you see at LAX when I heard the boarding call.

At this time I had been an aircraft pilot for 6 years and had my own aircraft. I should have flown it down but it was cheaper and much faster to take the jet. I tell you this to show that I have no anxiety issues about airplanes! I'm a pilot!

I got in line. We started moving toward the tunnel to board the plane when something "went off" in my stomach. I was suddenly VERY uneasy. Within seconds I wanted to run but I thought I was crazy AND I didn't want anyone else to know.

Somehow I got on that plane. By now the panic attack was in full bloom. I was pouring sweat. I was shaking. I was afraid,but not afraid of something that made sense. I thought there was a good chance I'd die. The fear was immense and made me feel crazy because, as near as I could tell, there was no reason for this.

Something was wrong with me! I was OK an hour ago and now I'm losing it. I was afraid I'd have to panic further and demand they land and let me off. I wanted to run.

I sat there, in my window seat, looking out at the scenery, like I used to love to do, but now all I had were legions of confused, evil feeling ideas swirling around inside my head.

I had to keep them in there. I couldn't let anybody know! Every time the flight attendant ask me something I just mumbled that I didn't feel well.

That was the longest flight of my life even though it was less than two hours. I had thought about jumping out. I thought about my wife and kids. I tried to force myself to only think about positive things and, about an hour and a half after the panic attack started, it started to fade slowly.

I was so happy and relieved. Then I started worrying that it would come back! Up, down, the whole rest of the flight.

When I got on the ground I went straight to the bar and drank a double of whisky.

I got my baggage and walked out to the car. I was thinking things like "What the hell was that!" And then I remembered the fear of it coming back! So I stuffed it.

When I got home I didn't tell my wife about it.

The next day things seemed normal and I forgot about it. Until the panic attacks returned. I couldn't get onto an elevator. I couldn't meet with business associates in a closed room. I made a LOT of excuses.

The next few years were damn tough. I tried everything I could. I knew what they were now, but I didn't know how to get rid of them, until I fell across a book that I can't recall the name of.

I went down by the river in my little sports car to read the book. I cried when I saw myself explained exactly in that book. It had several therapies, mostly mind work and meditating, and some phrases to repeat.

It took a while to be able to say I was over it permanently... but I felt immediate partial relief and encouragement!

The panic attacks were the scariest things I had ever dealt with up till then and the idea of them coming back was chilling. But they never did.

Later, I found out that once you get these things to leave you can get rid of them at will. Once you are to that point, the fear of the attacks returning loses it's power and you can start living a full life again.

Don't worry, you're going to be OK!

Riley West, an adventurer and businessman, had some real trouble with anxiety and panic attacks.

Later, Riley met with J. Barry McDonagh, a foremost expert on panic attacks. He had developed a program to cure panic attacks and keep away these life ruining anxiety bouts.

Tiny Little Link To My Blog About Curing Panic Attacks

Tiny Little Link To My Cure Panic Attacks

1. Make Sure You Get Really Good Sleep!

2. Regular Light Exercise Is Very Effective - Walking is Perfect.

3.Reduce Caffeine Intake or Stop Completely. Same Thing With Alcohol.

4. Eat Better Food! Your Body And Mind Run On That Stuff!

5. What If You Are Low On Some Vitamin Or Mineral? - Multivitamins!

6. Leave Work At Work! Don't Think About Work When You Are Not There.

7. Take Some Time Outs! See to a Movie! Your Walks Count, too!

If you do just these things, and only a little bit, you'll be amazed at the changes!

The following article was written by Joe Barry - An international panic disorder coach.

Riley West is the EX-sufferer of panic attacks and anxiety who is happily without those concerns and would like to see anybody who suffers from this disorder find this simple cure.

If you suffer from...

* Palpitations

* a pounding heart, or an accelerated heart rate

* Sweating

* Trembling or shaking

* Shortness of breath

* A choking sensation

* Chest pain or discomfort

* Nausea or stomach cramps

* Derealization (a feeling of unreality)

* Fear of losing control or going crazy

* Fear of dying Numbness or a tingling sensation

* Chills or hot flashes

(Source: American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) 2000 Washington, DC.)

...then you've experienced firsthand some of the possible symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack. If you are reading this page because a loved one suffers from these symptoms and you are trying to understand or help, it's hard to appreciate what they go through.

Just try to imagine what it feels like to experience one, if you can.

Here is a typical example:

Standing in a supermarket queue, it's been a long wait but only one customer to go before you make it to the cashier. Wait, what was that sensation? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and what do you know-your heart skips a beat. "Please, God, not here."

A quick scan of the territory-is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack.

There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus: Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Think relaxing thoughts, and again, while breathing in, think "Relax," and then breathe out. But it doesn't seem to be having any positive effect; in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel self-conscious and more uptight.

Okay, coping technique 2:

Gradual muscle relaxation. Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Try it again. No; still no difference. The anxiety is getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you could feel more confident in dealing with this situation.

Now, the adrenaline is really pumping through your system, your body is tingling with uncomfortable sensations, and now the dreaded feeling of losing complete control engulfs your emotions. No one around you has any idea of the sheer terror you are experiencing. For them, it's just a regular day and another frustratingly slow queue in the supermarket.

You are out of options. Time for Plan C.

The most basic coping skill of all is "fleeing." Excuse yourself from the queue; you are slightly embarrassed as it is now that it is your turn to pay. The cashier is looking bewildered as you leave your shopping behind and stroll towards the door. There is no time for excuses-you need to be alone. You leave the supermarket and get into your car to ride it out alone. Could this be the big one? The one you fear will push you over the edge mentally and physically. Ten minutes later the panic subsides.

It's 10:30 a.m. How are you going to make it through the rest of the day?

If you suffer from panic or anxiety attacks, the above scenerio probably sounds very familiar. It may have even induced feelings of anxiety and panic just reading it. The particular situations that trigger your panic and anxiety may differ; maybe the bodily sensations are a little different. Or maybe it happened to you for the first time on a plane, in the dentist chair, or even at home, while doing nothing in particular.

If you have ever had what has become known as a "panic attack," take comfort in the fact that you are by no means alone.

A panic attack always comes with the acute sense of impending doom. You feel you are either about to lose your mind or one of your vital bodily functions is about to cease functioning and you will end your days right there among the canned goods and frozen food.

You are by no means alone; you're not even one in a million. In America, it is estimated that almost 5% of the population suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. For some, it may be the infrequent panic attacks that only crop up in particular situations-like when having to speak in front of others, while, for other people, it can be so frequent and recurring that it inhibits them from leaving their home. Frequent panic attacks often develop into what medical physicians refer to as an "anxiety disorder."

One of the first steps to regaining control of your life is getting helpful information. This site will give you that, and more.

The beginning of your recovery starts here. What you will learn is that there is a very good chance you are about to end the cycle of panic attacks in your life. You will learn not only to regain the carefree life you remember once having, but will also gain new confidence in living. Your answer to living free from "panic" or "anxiety attacks" is at hand.

This site demonstrates that the panic and anxiety that you have experienced will be the very key to your courage and success.

Begin the road to recovery by browsing through the site. While many of you may have read almost everything you can possibly read relating to panic and anxiety I assure you this site offers something very effective.

Did you know...?

The key difference between someone who is cured of panic attacks and those who are not is really very simple. The people who are cured no longer fear panic attacks. I'll try to show you how to be one of these people as well.

What if I told you the trick to ending panic and anxiety attacks is to want to have one. That sounds strange, even contradictory, but let me explain.

The trick to panic attacks is wanting to have one-the wanting pushes it away. Can you have a panic attack in this very second? No!

You know the saying that "what you resist, persists." Well that saying applies perfectly to fear. If you resist a situation out of fear, the fear around that issue will persist. How do you stop resisting-you move directly into it, into the path of the anxiety, and by doing so it cannot persist.

In essence what this means is that if you daily voluntarily seek to have a panic attack, you cannot have one. Try in this very moment to have a panic attack and I will guarantee you cannot. You may not realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make the choice by saying this is beyond my control.

Another way to appreciate this is to imagine having a panic attack as like standing on a cliff's edge. The anxiety seemingly pushes you closer to falling over the edge.

To be rid of the fear you must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you fear most.

How do you jump? You jump by wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day asking for anxiety and panic attacks to appear.

Your real safety is the fact that a panic attack will never harm you. That is medical fact. You are safe, the sensations are wild but no harm will come to you. Your heart is racing but no harm will come to you. The jump becomes nothing more than a two foot drop! Perfectly safe.

Learn more...

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:

Tiny Little Link To My Main Blog About Panic Attacks and Anxiety.

Celebrities Reported To Have Had Panic Attacks

1. Nicole Kidman (amazing actress)
2. Kim Basinger (actress)
3. Delta Burke (actress)
4. Donny Osmond (entertainer)
5. Winston Churchill (best ever statesman - was depressed - big time boozer)
6. John Cougar Mellancamp (musician, actor)
7. Ann Wilson (Singer - Rock Group "Heart")
8. Winona Ryder (actress)
9. Marie Osmand (entertainer)
10. Cher (singer, actress)
11. Beverly Johnson (supermodel)
12. Roseanne Barr (comedian - actress)
13. Michael Jackson (singer)
14. Naomi Judd (singer)
15. Susan Powter (tv host)
16. Nicholas Cage (actor)
17. Sissy Spacek (actress)
18. Johnny Depp (actor)
19. Sally Field (actress)
20. Alanis Morisette (singer)
21. Burt Reynolds (actor)
22. Courtney Love (singer - actress)
23. Naomi Campbell (supermodel)
24. David Bowie (singer)
25. Carly Simon (singer)
26. Aretha Franklin (singer)
27. Lani O'Grady (actress)
28. Michael English (singer)
29. Sir Laurence Olivier (actor)
30. Earl Campbell (football player)
31. Al Kasha (songwriter)
32. Emily Dickinson (poet)
33. Marty Ingels (comedian)
34. John Madden (sports announcer)
35. Leila Kenzle (actress)
36. Willard Scott (weatherman)
37. Shecky Greene (comedian)
38. Olivia Hussey (actress)
39. Oprah Winfrey (host - says she had just one attack)
40. Tom Snyder (host)
41. John Candy (comedian - actor)
42. Sam Shepard (playwright)
43. Isaac Asimov (author - educator)
44. Charles Schultz (cartoonist)
45. Dean Cain (actor)
46. Barbra Streisand (singer - actress)
47. Anne Tyler (author)
48. James Garner (actor)
49. Jim Eisenreich (baseball)
50. Pete Harnisch (baseball)
51. Nikola Tesla (inventor)
52. Charlotte Bronte (author)
53. Alfred Lord Tennyson (poet)
54. Sigmund Freud (psychiatrist)
55. John Steinbeck (author)
56. W.B. Yeats (poet)
57. Sir Isaac Newton (scientist)
58. Abraham Lincoln (president)
59. Barbara Gordon (filmmaker)
60. Robert Burns (poet)
61. Edvard Munch (artist)
62. John Stuart Mill (philosopher)
63. Calista Flockhart (sp.?)
64. Lucille Ball (actress, singer)
65. Jordan and Jonathon Knight (new kids on the block)
66. Norm McDonald (snl)
67. Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics (singer)
68. Scarlett Johansson (actress - Lost in Translation)

And whaddaya bet that isn't 1/10th of a percent of the people who live in dread of another attack!

It just isn't right - and you know what?

You can kick it - just like that!

I'll bet it doesn't seem possible to you right now if you are still suffering. That's typical. Don't let that worry you. Take encouragement from it!

Thank you,

Riley West - Former Big Time Panic Attack Sufferer. AND the guy who KNOWS you can shake the panic attacks.

Tiny Little Link To My Main Blog About Panic Attacks and Anxiety.

A panic attack is a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort that is accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms.

Symptoms may include:

palpitations
sweating
trembling or shaking
shortness of breath or smothering
feelings of choking
chest pain or discomfort
nausea or abdominal distress
dizziness or light-headedness
pins and needles
diarrhea
dry mouth
headache
derealization or depersonalization
and chills or hot flushes.

Panic Attack Symptoms

There are two types of panic attack:

1) Spontaneous (Uncued) Panic Attacks These are not associated with a situational trigger and appears to come 'out of the blue'. These panic attacks can occur during periods of relaxation or when sleeping.

2) Situational (Cued) Panic Attacks Occur either in anticipation of a situation or in a situation where an attack has previously been experienced. Usually the symptoms become apparent as one enters the situation.

I will outline some of the typical fears people have resulting from the panic attack symptoms. The most common fears created by the panic symptoms are:

Losing Control Will I Pass Out in Public? Am I Having A Heart Attack? Feeling Out of Touch or a Sense of Unreality

"Am I going crazy?"

It is understandable for anyone to fear they may be going crazy when they suffer from the panic attack symptoms. There is so little real public awareness of mental disease, so people often jump to extreme conclusions. These conclusions are usually based on misinformation and an overactive imagination.

The most commonly known mental health issue is schizophrenia - even the word itself strikes terror within the average person. Schizophrenia is a major disorder characterized by such severe symptoms as disjointed thoughts and speech babbling, having delusions or strange beliefs (for example... sufferers often claim they are receiving messages from an inner voice) and hallucinations. Furthermore schizophrenia appears to be largely a genetic disorder and run strongly in families.

Schizophrenia generally begins very gradually, and not suddenly (such as during a panic attack). Additionally, because it runs in families, only a certain proportion of people can become schizophrenic, and in other people no amount of stress will cause the disorder. A third important point is that people who become schizophrenic will usually show some mild symptoms for most of their lives (such as unusual thoughts, flowery speech...etc.). Thus,if this has not been noticed in you yet, then chances are you will not become schizophrenic. This is especially true if you are over 25,since schizophrenia generally first appears in the late teens to early 20's.

More panic attack symptoms...

Losing Control

During a panic attack, because of the symptoms the people are feeling, they are prone to believe they are going to "lose control". This loss of control can be bodily,i.e., that all your vital organs will completely lose the run of themselves and descend into chaos or that the individual will mentally lose a grip on reality. Often, it is those who hate being socially embarrassed suffer from this fear the most.

Losing control could range from steering your car into an innocent passerby, or picking up a knife and killing the nearest and dearest person to you (not that we all don't think of this from time to time!).

Put your mind at rest! As scary as those thoughts may be, you are not going to commit any of these acts. Relax. The reason you are experiencing them is because your body feels out of control with the panic attack symptoms. Your mind feels that if your body is out of control, it is next on the list.

You are not going to lose it. In fact, I am sure that with all the panic attacks you may have experienced in public places, nobody even noticed you looked uncomfortable. We are,by nature, social animals and dread to be seen in some kind of an embarrassing situation. Jumping up from your chair in a business meeting and screaming for an ambulance may go through your mind, but it is unlikely to happen. Life is too short to keep up with appearances all the time. In fact, the more honest you are with your fears, the less pressure you are subjecting yourself under, and the more your panic attack symptoms will dissipate.

Panic Attack Symptoms

Passing Out in Public

Panic attack symptoms often include light-headiness, which induces fears of passing out or fainting in public. The core fear of passing out in public is that we suddenly become so vulnerable, especially if we are alone. Who will look after us as we lie strewn across the sidewalk? We also dread the thought of passing out for fear that we may never wake but fall into a coma. Passing out is caused by a lack of blood to the brain. When we faint, the body falls to the ground and allows blood to be easily supplied to the brain - which is, again, another of the clever safety mechanisms of the body. Fainting during a panic attack is highly uncommon due to the amount of blood that is being circulated. Your heart is usually beating fast and there is little worry that the brain would be short of fresh supply. The symptoms of dizziness often felt during a panic attack is caused by increased respiration, and it is harmless and does not lead to fainting.

Heart Attacks

This fear really is a minefield and almost anyone who has suffered from panic attack symptoms at some point will fear for the health of their heart. Let us look at the facts of heart disease and see how this differs from panic attacks.

The major symptoms of heart disease are breathlessness and chest pain, as well as occasional palpitations and fainting. Such symptoms are generally related to the amount of physical effort exerted. That is, the harder you exercise, the worse the symptoms, and the less you exercise, the better.

The symptoms will usually go away quickly if the individual rests. This is very different to panic attack symptoms. Certainly, panic symptoms can occur during exercise, but they are different to the symptoms of a heart attack as they occur frequently at rest. Of most importance, heart disease will almost always produce major electrical changes in the heart, which are picked up very obviously by an EKG. In panic attacks, the only change that shows up on the EKG is a slight increase in heartbeat rate.

Sometimes, individuals go through a similar worry about their heart as they do with their breathing. People convince themselves that if they worry enough about their heart, or concentrate too much upon its actions, that it may somehow get confused and forget how to beat correctly. It is quite common for people who suffer from panic attacks to regularly check in on their heart at intervals, to make sure it is still beating away.

It is true that, mentally, we can all affect the pattern of our heartbeats. When you concentrate hard you may notice an irregular beat or two. This is nothing to get upset about. Remember that our bodies have an incredible internal intelligence and simply telling your heart out of panic that it might stop does not mean that it takes any heed of our fears. Learn to become more comfortable with your heart, let it do its job. Listen to it when relaxed and also when exercising. The more comfortable you are with the diversity and range of your heartbeats, the more confidence you will have in it when it is exerting itself.

If you are worried about heart problems, treat yourself to an EKG, and put your mind to rest. If you have had an EKG and the doctor has cleared you, you can safely assume you do not have heart problems. Also, if your symptoms occur at any time and not solely upon exertion, this is additional evidence against a heart disorder.

Unreality/Disconnectedness

Of all the panic attack symptoms, this is perhaps the least mentioned one in the literature (induced by excessive anxiety). It is the sensation of unreality. Many people become distressed by this sensation and feel they may be losing their mind.

People who experience panic attack symptoms report feeling disconnected from their world, or having a sensation of unreality. The sensation is described as if the world has become nothing more than a projection of a film. This sensation is quite distressing as it often leads to the individual believing that some permanent damage has been done to their brain, causing these sensations. The individual may be having a conversation with someone and suddenly feels alarmingly isolated and removed from the situation. Once the sensation arises it can make such an impact that it takes days to leave the eerie feeling behind and stop thinking about it.

I mention this because the condition is not often spoken about, and to reassure those of you who may have experienced this sensation, that it is only a side-effect of excessive anxiety and will pass as soon as the body learns to relax. Once the body returns to normal and has the opportunity to dispel some excess chemicals produced by the adrenal glands, then this unusual sensation will dissipate.

As I went through my struggles with Anxiety and Panic Attacks I was still the same person I was before...only now I had this affliction.

It went on and on. Six years in total and by the end of that time (I'm a slow learner) I was mad. As in angry. If a Panic Attack was a predator I NEEDED to kill it.

I'm not unreasonable. If a predator leaves me alone, I do the same. Live and let live.

But when a predator keeps coming back and attacking me I get a new mindset.

In this case of the over-amped anxiety and panic attacks, it was me against them and I HAD to survive.

After all, I was the higher life form and I had responsibilities.

On the last day of my six year fight I was sitting in my car at a red light listening to a self-improvement tape. A Panic attack knocked at my door.

I screamed at him.

I said, "I've had it with you! Don't bother coming back. We are through!"

I may have said it more than once...and VERY emphatically.

As I pulled away across the intersection I could see the panic attack, broken and being run over in the street, and I KNEW he would never reach me again.

I was stronger than it. I'd won. It was OVER!

I don't know if you are going to have to personify the horrible affliction of panic attacks in order to get rid of them.

But there IS a tactic of inviting them in and throwing them out. And it worked for me.

Go here now and WATCH THE VIDEO at the ONE PLACE that tens of thousands of people, just like you, found their way out.

And, don't worry. You are going to get your life back!

Tiny Little Link To My Second Site on Panic Attacks and Anxiety

Tiny Little Link To My Main Site on Panic Attacks and Anxiety