What is a Panic Attack

Hypnotherapy In The Age Of Anxiety

The modern world has developed a lifestyle that is based mainly on convenience. But in prioritizing our physical needs, insufficient attention has been paid to our psychological needs, leaving more and more people susceptible to stress and anxiety or panic attack.

For most of us, physical necessities are easily attained: food and drink are only the nearest supermarket away; clothing is a department store away; and shelter is a rental agreement away.

But it is equally true that the easy access to the sources of these necessities is not free, which means that pressure remains, which in turn creates stress and anxiety.

The Anxiety Epidemic

Anxiety is almost at epidemic levels. It affects practically every area in our lives, especially in our professional lives where it can significantly impact on performance, productivity, and our relationship with employers. As a result, it can affect one’s peace of mind.

But perhaps the most worrying factor is the attitude people have of anxiety. Most believe it is simply part and parcel of life, mistakenly seeing it as normal a part of someone’s personality as a sense of humour. It is not a mental condition.

It is certainly common. In fact, research shows that every year as many as 2.4 million people in the US, aged between 18 and 54 develop panic disorders to come kind, while in Australia, 40% of the population will experience a panic attack at least once.

What Is A Panic Attack?

A panic attack is a clear sign of anxiety. It feels similar to a heart attack – with a racing pulse and difficulty breathing. But there is no threat to life, which is welcome news, but given what the experience puts people through, can create confusion.

There are several symptoms to having a panic attack, such as:

• pressure in the chest
• pounding heart
• rapid pulse
• light-headedness
• difficulty breathing
• hot flushes or chills
• trembling body and twitching muscles

It is unquestionably a scary experience, especially when it happens without warning. The overall result is that you fear you are having a stroke or are about to die. But panic attacks do not kill; they leave you traumatized and aware that you are not in control of your emotions.

What Triggers A Panic Attack?

There are five principal forms of anxiety disorders that can lead to a panic attack:

• a general panic disorder
• agoraphobia
• social phobia
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• obsessive-compulsive disorder

At the core of these disorders is a fear, the root of which is usually a past trauma that has never been addressed. The good news is that research shows anxiety is not a mental illness, but a disorder. So, it can be dealt with very effectively if the appropriate action is taken.

Appropriate action does not include being told things like ‘snap out of it’, for example, which is more likely to add stress. Instead, there is definite treatment that can help.

Treatments For Anxiety and Panic

Treatments for anxiety prescribed by doctors are chiefly anti-anxiety medication, which can be effective in the short term. But they do not deal with the core problem that creates the anxiety.

A new treatment has been shown in research to be far more effective. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has already been used to deal with other forms of anxiety disorders with great success. But now, in an improved form using ICHP techniques, more profound changes can be achieved at an unconscious level.

What Is Cognitive Behavioural Treatment?

The principal difference between CBT and other treatments is that it is closely associated with hypnotherapy. This allows the treatment to get to the root cause of anxiety, hidden deep within the subconscious. In essence, it helps an individual to alter how they think about stress or anxiety, how they behave and how they react to it. As a result, they develop skills to better manage problems.

The enhanced CBT treatment builds from the usual CBT model, allowing it to work on the subconscious mind directly. Along with Hypno-psychotherapy, it can lead you off the path towards panic attacks by ending the psychological fixation on irrational subconscious fears.

And so, a person can achieve a faster transformation, breaking the shackles that anxiety had once created and allowing the patient enjoy greater freedom.