Long term causes such as heredity, childhood enviroment, and cumulative stress create a predisposition to anxiety issues. Yet it takes specific conditions, operating over a short period of time, to actually trigger panic attacks or cause a phobia to develop.
There are certain specific stressors that precipitate or often precede an anxiety attack. These can include significant personal loss such as loss of employment, loss of spouse, loss of health, or a major financial reversal which a multitude of people are experiencing due to the pandemic. There can also be a significant life change that causes a period of adjustment such as getting married, having a baby, changing jobs, moving where you change geographical areas, or developing a protracted physical illness. Another short term trigger of panic attacks can be the use of stimulants or recreational drugs which can include caffeine, cocaine, marijuana, amphetamines, and withdrawal from narcotics or tranquilizers.
These are just a few of the possible triggering causes of a panic attack. There are other long term causes and there are maintaining causes such as anxious self talk, mistaken beliefs, withheld feelings, lack of assertiveness, etc. There are many others.
I have a self administered life events survey developed by Edmund Bourne that can assess your life events over the past two years and determine a number that suggests the level of cumulative stress that can be a factor in the causation of panic attacks. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in determining your level of stress. Hypnosis is a helpful tool in mitigating the effects of stress and lessening the degree and occurrence of panic attacks.
My office is currently closed due to the pandemic but I will be glad to speak with you by phone, 361-442-9590, or by email at holtadams2002@yahoo.com.