Exposures involve voluntarily bringing on a mild to moderate level of anxiety In other words, exposures show you ways to face the demon, challenge him head on, and kill him once and for all.

There are two keys to exposures:

1. They have to be voluntary (which means that you can’t do them all the time, because you won’t always be in the mood)

2. If you imagine your anxiety from a 0-8 (with 0 being calm and 8 being a panic attack), you want to hit a 4 during any given exposure (because if you go above a 4, the anxiety might get ahead of you and no longer be voluntary and under your control).

Exposures are used to gain mastery over any phobia. They work for panic disorder because the core of panic disorder is usually phobia as well: A phobia to certain physical sensations. Whether it’s a racing heart, dizziness, nausea, a choking sensation, or a certain pain, every panic disorder patient has at least one or two physical symptoms that trigger their panic cycle. Exposures show you how to experience these sensations in such a way that you finally stop being triggered by them. After 1-2 months of exposures, most patients find that coping techniques begin to be effective (i.e. the shield actually starts working). Once patients are good at exposures, they can often use them to actually stop a panic attack that is coming on. In other words, once the demon appears, they can turn the tables on the demon, challenge it, and get it to run scared with it’s tail between it’s legs. After several months of exposures, most of my patients become completely panic free (and can usually be taken off on any panic-related medications they have started).

Exposures are at the heart of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and they are by far the most useful techniques for killing the Demon and gaining mastery over panic once and for all.

Dr. Lindsay Kiriakos
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/what-to-do-when-you-feel-a-panic-attack-coming-part-3-facing-the-demon-106411.html

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I have them often. I shake uncontrollably, vomit, blurred vision, racing and palpitating hearbeat and even pass out. I can’t breathe and they scare the crap out of my husband and children (me too). Can anyone give me some tips to help stop them? I try breathing deeply and slowly and walking but often does not help. I can’t afford a doctor with no insurance and have been self medicating with alcohol which I know is not good. Help??

actually, you should try breathing deeply and slowly in a paper bag..thats the correct way to not hyperventilate while panicking.
there is medication for anxiety and panic attacks. The problem is they are prescription medication such as "xanex" or "lexotanil".

but without seeing a doctor how will you get that medication?
you could try an alternative which is usingt over the counter anti-histamines (the ones used for allergies) because they have a mild sedative affect and that could help you a little bit.

good luck

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If you have had the misfortune to suffer from a panic attack you know what a truly terrifying experience it is.

Suddenly and without warning you start to feel dizzy or light-headed, you can’t seem to catch your breath, your body starts trembling or shaking and most frightening of all your heart starts to race and you can literally feel it pounding in your chest as if it is about to explode. Your mind screams: Help! I must be having a heart attack!

The first time I suffered a panic attack, I felt sure I was either having a heart attack or about to have one, and took myself off to the local hospital. Oddly, even as I was on my way to the emergency room I felt the symptoms decrease, until by the time the doctors saw me I was feeling much better. Later I was told that this is one of the ways you can tell whether it’s a panic attack or heart attack. Panic attacks symptons generally decrease in a short time, whereas heart attack symptoms generally increase or stay at the same level.

After that first panic attack, I learned that my feelings and thoughts produced the physical symptoms, which in turn fed the feelings and thoughts of panic and terror. Which is why, as I was on my way to the emergency room, the focus of my thoughts naturally moved from how terryfing the symptoms were, to thinking about how much better I would feel at the hospital were I could receive help. I literally stopped myself from being panicked by the panic itself.

Panic attacks usually lasts less than ten minutes, although some of the symtoms may last longer. As soon as you feel yourself in a spiral from anxiety to sheer panic, try and focus on your breathing, and think about how you are feeling. Remind yourself that the actual fear of a panic attack feeds on itself like a raging fire, and that this fire will quickly burn itself out. Fortunately, despite their frightening nature, be reassured that panic attacks themselves do not lead to heart attacks, loss of control, mental illness or death.

A panic attack is a mental thought process that produces the physical symptoms, whereas a heart attack produces physical symptoms that leads to the mental thought process of panic.

Quite simply, you panic first, and the panic attack itself produces the symptoms that make you think you’re having a heart attack. Conversely, you have the physical symtoms of a heart attack, which then produces the worry that makes you get to the hospital.

So in answer to the question, is it a panic attack or is it a heart attack, simply try and ask yourself what came first: the mental panic or the physical pain?

If you have suffered a panic attack, please either get yourself to a hospital or see your doctor to rule out any physical problems. Panic attacks and generalized anxiety are very common and are treatable a variety of ways, but you should be diagnosed by a professional before embarking on any treatment.

John Smith
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/how-to-stop-panic-attacks-697910.html

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I was in a car accident in the beginning of June this year, and ever since that day, I get a panic attack almost every time I am the car. I am starting to not get as many panic attacks, but I really want to know how I can just stop these attacks IMEDIATELY! So please help!!

I used to get these!

Check out these websites:

http://www.anxietypanic.com/

http://www.ridofanxietynow.com/index.html (go through the articles)

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anxiety_types_symptoms_treatment.htm

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Last year, there were some 40 million Americans treated for anxiety and panic disorders. If you are one of the many who are experiencing sever panic attacks on a regular basis, there are treatment options available that can reduce or eliminate the panic attacks. Don’t let panic attacks rule your life any longer. Read on to learn about some of the panic attack medications available.

The most commonly prescribed panic attack medication is one of the various forms of antidepressants. These medications help to keep your anxiety and stress levels down to a manageable level. They also help with any depression conditions you may have, which is not uncommon in anxiety disorder patients. There is a chemical imbalance in your brain that is responsible for the magnified effects of everyday stresses. Two main neurotransmitters (serotonin and norepinephrine) are related to your mood, and these are the chemicals targeted by antidepressants.

While most antidepressants work by correcting the levels of these neurotransmitters in your brain, how they go about it can be completely different from product to product. The panic attack medications Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac are all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, and Ativan are all a class of antidepressant called benzodiazapines. Norpramin, Anafranil, and Tofranil are tricyclic antidepressants. Parnate and Nardil are both monomine oxidase inhibitors. These last two types are prescribed much more rarely nowadays than the first two classifications of antidepressant. Knowing what type of antidepressant you are currently taking is very important, as some other medications, even over-the-counter ones, can react badly with certain classes of antidepressant. Always ask your doctor about any possible drug interactions.

All of these panic attack medications, while usually quite effective, can have some unpleasant side effects. Usually these side effects are most pronounced if your dosage is too high, they can occur at any dosage. The more common side effects of antidepressants include: dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, headaches, blurred vision, sexual problems, nausea, heart palpitations, racing heart, weight gain, nightmares, insomnia, and nervousness. While some of these side effects may be better than having panic attacks, if they are too much they can cause more stress than the medications relieve. If at any time you feel that the side effects are just too much, you should discuss changing your medication with your doctor.

Remember, everyone is different. All medication do not effect everybody the same way. What works for one person may not work for you, and it can take time and effort to find the panic attack medications that work best for you. Your doctor may have to change your panic attack medication several times, but with so many different antidepressant and dosages available to try odds are good that you will find the medications that work for you. And once you have found the panic attack medications that best control your symptoms, don’t stop taking them just because you are feeling better. The medicines just deal with the symptoms, they are not a final cure for your panic disorder.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/panic-attack-medications-new-hope-for-many-who-suffer-709329.html

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