Anyone who’s ever lived through a panic attack or a severe anxiety disorder knows the suffering it causes, both physical and emotional.  The fear can seem overpowering and the physical sensations that go with it make many people think that they’re going to die.

They feel as if they’re trapped and would give anything to find release from their fear.

Perhaps worse is living with the fear that another episode of panic might suddenly come suddenly, anytime,anywhere.

That fear can lead people suffering from panic attacks to gradually withdraw from situations where they might be embarrassed or at risk if an attack occurred. 

Gradually their their fear gains increasing control over their life.

Obviously people in this situation want release. 

When they try to find this relief from a health care professional they’re often offered a prescription.  There’s no doubt that {drugsmedications} are helpful, especially in the short term.  However, ideally they are only a stop-gap measure, something to ease the symptoms while the underlying cause is addressed.

A Mistake Most People Make

Since anxiety episodes feel so overwhelming, people almost automatically assume that they need to fight against these feelings and the experience they’re having.

This is very understandable.  The bodily reaction underlying a panic attack is the fight or flight response - the response we learned about in high school that prepares us to respond to physical danger by either fighting for our life or running like crazy. 

The bodily reaction is getting us ready us for to defend our very existance, so naturally we feel like we should fight.

However with panic attacks, that’s exactly the wrong response.  By resisting them, we’re giving them more power that they really have.

How To Escape This Trap

The trick in dealing with panic attacks is to accept them, even challenge them to do their worst.

That may sound counterintuitive.  Or maybe it seems too scary.

The key is that with a panic attack, there’s no terrible consequence.

If you’re attacked by a dangerous animal and just sit there, you’ll die.

In contrast, you won’t die as a consequence of a panic attack.  The sense of danger is an illusion, a paper tiger.

The way to see that is to open yourself to the feeling of panic and the accompanying sensations and even welcome them.  Dare them to do whatever they can.  It may be frightening when you start, but less so as you do it more often.

What you’ll likely discover is that this actually reduces the symptoms of fear, sometimes almost immediately.  As the saying goes “What we resist persists”.  Accept a panic attack for what it is and it loses its power.

Although this approach is simple and effective, it is a learned skill.  Practice and coaching help to become proficient at it.  But the beginning is just knowing that the risk from a panic attack is more illusion than real.

If you want to find out more about anxiety attacks Panic Attack Release is a great site.

And there’s a good review of a product that teaches this type approach at Panic Away Review

As in the Wizard of Oz, the man behind the curtain is not very frightening once you see what’s really there.

You can find out about a great way to get beyond Panic Attacks by clicking that link.