Symptoms experienced by sufferers do vary from person to person but generally panic attacks will cause one or more of the following symptoms to appear: an increase in the heart rate and a feeling of the heartbeat ‘racing’, an increase in the breathing rate or a feeling of breathlessness, feelings of not being in control, chest pain, light-headedness or dizziness or a fear of fainting, feeling nauseous, feelings of extreme temperature (either hot or cold), numbness or tingling sensations throughout the body.
Panic disorder can appear at any age but more often than not it begins in young adults. Statistics show that it is twice as common in females as in males.
Having a single panic attack does not necessarily mean that the sufferer will go on to develop full blown panic disorder: many people will just experience one attack. In general, the quicker that treatment is sought, the less disabling the condition will become.
Experiencing panic attacks in certain situations may lead to phobias developing in those particular situations e.g. if a person experienced a panic attack whilst travelling on a crowded bus, they may use avoidance tactics to ensure they are never in that situation again for fear of a repetition of the initial attack.
In approximately 30% of cases, the condition completely takes over a person’s life and places severe restrictions on what they can or can’t do. In extreme cases, a person’s fears become so great that they eventually cannot leave their own house, a condition known as agoraphobia. Early diagnosis and subsequent treatment of panic disorder can often stop the condition developing into agoraphobia.
Hypnosis is a technique that is able to access folders within a person’s subconscious mind.
Hypnotherapy, which is hypnosis used in a clinical way, can help with panic attacks because the anxiety and stress that triggers a panic attack has its roots in the subconscious.
As well as emotional functions within the subconscious, physical functions are regulated too by this area of the brain. Functions such as breathing rate and heart rate are controlled by the subconscious. Because both the emotional and physical aspects of this condition are within the subconscious and the ability of the hypnotherapist to access the subconscious using various techniques, hypnosis can help panic attack sufferers.
The therapist will work to break the cycle of increased physical feelings that cause anxiety that then leads to even more physical symptoms etc.
There are a number of techniques that are used in combination when working with a client suffering with panic attacks:
The sufferer is taught techniques to take themselves into a deeply relaxed state. These include breathing techniques to calm down the ‘racing’ heart and rapid breathing. This calming down of the breathing allows the lungs to work more efficiently and increases oxygen flow to the brain, which in turn restore logical thought processes.
This is taught to be used at the onset of a panic attack to prevent it becoming a full blown attack.
Whilst in trance, the subconscious is accessed and the original reasons for the disorder can be unearthed. This normally occurs when young (between the ages of 1 – 6 years old) and develops into a full blown fear of a particular situation. By revisiting the original memory and interpreting it as an adult, the correct interpretation can be made, thus removing the irrational fear.
I am an award winning hypnotherapist with 18 years of experience in treating people suffering with panic attacks. Call now to book an initial consultation or just a chat to see how you can finally be free from your fear.
