2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
A very common question is: "How to overcome, overcome fear during a panic attack?" The main mistake that takes a person further and further from recovery is the desire to conquer a panic attack and pushing fear back to where it is trying to escape.
In fact, one of the frequent mechanisms for the occurrence of panic attacks is as follows: during a traumatic event, a person experiences very strong fear, which is displaced into the unconscious and continues to exist there until this person finds himself in another situation that has some similarity (often unconscious) with the initial traumatic situation. That is, the unconscious recreates a traumatic event and gives out a reaction to it, and not to what is currently happening to the person.
The human body reacts to stress by releasing the hormone adrenaline, which must prepare the body to fight or flee in a dangerous situation: the heart beats faster, breathing quickens. Consequently, ventilation of the lungs increases, provoking dizziness, numbness of the hands and feet, tingling in the fingers, sweating. Chills, nausea often appear. To a person, everything around him may seem unreal; there is a feeling that he is going crazy or dying. And most importantly - the strongest fear, incongruous of the situation in which this person is at the moment.
Panic disorder is often a disease of strong people, a consequence of not accepting the weak part of one's personality - the part that absolutely every person has, and a consequence of a constant struggle with oneself. In fact, one of the main internal attitudes of a person susceptible to panic attacks: "You mustn't be afraid!" There may be many reasons for this, but most often people who suffer from panic attacks have powerful, controlling, authoritarian parents who did not recognize the child's right to be weak at least sometimes (however, as a rule, their right to be weak, too).
In such families, there was often a prohibition on the expression of emotions, and the children, in order not to upset their parents, as well as to avoid punishment, constantly overcame themselves.
Panic attacks are a problem for comfortable children who are used to not complaining or crying. Most of the negative emotions such children did not live through, but were forced into the unconscious. Therefore, that strong fear, which served as a trigger for the emergence of panic attacks, according to the same scenario, was sent to the unconscious with lightning speed.
A person may feel an inner anxiety, but he constantly controls it, preventing it from breaking into consciousness. These people are used to enduring discomfort, and it is often difficult for them to hear themselves, because in their childhood there were a lot of parental "must" and "must not" and very few "want" and "can". They often became a bottomless container for parental expectations. "It is necessary" to study only for the A's, "it is necessary" to always be strong, "it is impossible" to be afraid, whine, cry, complain, relax.
This "must not relax" deserves special attention, since it is an important element in the formation of panic disorder. Not for nothing in the word "relax" the root is "weak". The unconscious of such people perceives relaxation as a manifestation of weakness. In addition, the parents of people susceptible to panic attacks most often themselves had a high level of anxiety and, accordingly, broadcast to the child that the world is very dangerous, so in no case should you relax in order to be ready to repel its threats at any time.
Such people have a very strong, dominant Inner parent and a weak connection with the Inner Child, who is in charge of emotions, true desires, the ability to be weak and carefree.
These people unwittingly abandoned that part of their personality that can experience vivid emotions, fear, cry, get upset, grieve.
A panic attack is a compressed fear, compressed to the state of a spring that tries to straighten out, to break out. Fear screams, “Notice me! I am! You can't push me inside anymore. Do not fight with me, but realize and live at last. Accept your weakest part as part of your personality."
Nothing weakens a person like a struggle with oneself. However, in order to realize and live those emotions that have languished in prison for a long time, in order to allow yourself to be both strong and weak, - to integrate parts of your personality together, the help of a specialist is often required.
The described mechanism for the occurrence of panic attacks is certainly not universal for all cases of panic attacks, but it occurs very often.
Recommended:
Panic Attacks. Should I Panic?
Panic attacks are not uncommon these days. They manifest in a variety of ways: anxiety, fear, rapid breathing or heartbeat, shortness of breath, choking, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, trembling, and more. The symptoms are many and many are somatic.
Panic Attack Symptoms. What To Do About Panic Attacks?
What is Panic and Panic Attack? The word "panic" takes its origin from the name of the ancient Greek god Pan. According to myths, the unexpected appearance of Pan caused such horror that the man "headlong" rushed to run, not making out the road, not realizing that the flight itself could threaten him with death.
Panic Attacks As A Relationship Problem
Why are more people suffering from panic attacks, loneliness, depression, anxiety and fear? It seems to me that the answer to this question lies in the field of relationships, or rather, the violation of human relations with other people, the violation of contact in general with the outside world.
Don't Panic! About Panic Attacks
"The violin is tired, at least someone will grow old with pain and fear …" Nowadays, interest in panic attacks is increasing. And this is not just an idle interest, but people who have been "exposed" to it are looking for a way out, trying to figure it out and help themselves.
A Person Is Not A Problem, A Problem Is A Problem
Narrative approach a relatively young trend in modern psychotherapy and psychological counseling. It originated at the turn of the 70-80s of the XX century in Australia and New Zealand. The founders of the approach are Michael White and David Epston.
