A panic attack feels as if you are going to die or disintegrate into a thousand pieces. The sensation of being in the world, disappears and our entire mind and body acts as if it were under attack from something life threatening.
Panic Attacks
Our feelings are shaped by our nervous system. This system is a super fast and sensitive neural highway whose function is to scan the environment to ensure our safety. When we feel safe, our bodies and minds work harmoniously and we can connect with friends, our jobs, our family. However, we don’t always feel safe even although a reality check says we are. Panic attacks are the signals that we don’t feel safe and our system moves to protect us by shutting down or over heating.
This creates a response in us which is fight, flight or freeze! This is a life saving response but if it is happening when there is no obvious danger, it becomes a terrifying and consuming experience, and we will do anything to stop feeling like this. This becomes a vicious cycle where we are frightened of our fear response, and we start to avoid or control our choices to keep us safe. In truth this imprisons us!
There are positive steps we can take to help us understand and learn how to reassure ourselves and respond with more kindness and compassion. These steps will slowly enable you to notice when you are feeling fearful and instead of trying to ignore this alert, you can take steps to reassure and maintain safety within yourself. It does not need to develop into a full blown panic attack!!
Panic attacks are part of the clarion call of our healthy, protective system. Exploring what they mean to you is part of the journey to change our relationship with them and yourself.
