Panic Attacks
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes. The panic attack can seem to come out of nowhere and feel like you are having a heart attack, have no control over your own body, or that you are dying.
Many people have just one or two panic attacks in their lifetimes, and the problem goes away, perhaps when a stressful situation ends. But if you’ve had recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and spent long periods in constant fear of another attack, you may have a condition called panic disorder.
Symptoms of a panic attack are:
- Pressure/weight on the chest or chest pains
- Racing/Pounding heart
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Trembling or shaking
- nausea
- feeling dizzy, light-headed, faint
- numbness or tingling sensations
- Feelings of choking, feeling like something is stuck in your throat
- Chills or heat sensations
- Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
- Racing thoughts
- Derealization (feeling like things aren’t real) or depersonalization (feeling like you are not in your own body)
- Fear of dying
Although panic attacks themselves aren’t life-threatening, they can be terrifying and significantly affect your quality of life. Recurring panic attacks can cause people to change their behaviors, socialization patterns, avoid places or situations where they have previously had a panic attack, or unrealistically change their daily routine which may add unnecessary time to their day or be an inconvenience to others.
Therapy may help you regain control over your own body and mind. Schedule an appointment today and I will guide you through the techniques that I have used to help people not only significantly reduce their panic attacks but completely eliminated them.