Panic Attacks and Anxiety go through four distinct phases: You make unrealistic self-statements that keep you in a constant state of alarm. Your body tenses in the fight or flight reaction and your heart beats faster and you feel short of breath; you begin to fear fear itself as your body becomes more sensitized. You begin to anticipate panic attacks. You reject your own feelings as your fear of fear escalates as you resist and fight. Even feeling excited from exercising or slight illnesses seems dangerous because the symptoms remind you of the feeling of panic. You avoid any situation, person, or thing that evokes feelings or arousal or anxiety. What started as feelings or nervousness or anxious thoughts becomes avoidance of every social contact.
Fortunately there is a way to cope with this nightmare of anxiety and panic. Your symptoms of the fight or flight syndrome can be over quickly. If you can stop your catastrophic predictions, your panic attack will be over in three minutes. But you have to stop the loop of catastrophic thinking. The crucial step is to contest and refute any catastrophic predictions you find yourself making about your panic symptoms. You will first need to look at how your panic symptoms arise. You need to look at your physical symptoms and begin the process by repeating a coping phase then moving on to slowing your heart rate; learning to feel balanced; then moving on to breathing fully and deeply; feeling strength in your legs; that you can swallow feely; feeling hot or cold; and feeling clear headed. Hypnosis can help in each of these stages. You will learn to accept all your feelings and ending avoidance.
If you would like to know more, please contact me at 361.442.9590 or at [email protected].