Panic attacks are incredibly distressing and debilitating. This makes it difficult for you to carry on with their daily lives. These sudden episodes of intense fear or discomfort can be accompanied by a range of physical symptoms such as sweating, chest pain, trembling, shortness of breath, and more.
Panic attacks can be triggered by a variety of factors, including stressful life events, a traumatic experience, or generalised anxiety disorder.
This blog post tells you effective ways to stop a panic attack, how to manage anxiety and panic, and available treatment options.
Understanding Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, and Triggers
A panic attack is a sudden, intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes. In individuals susceptible to panic attacks, this response can become overactive.
When the brain perceives a threat, even if it’s not real, it triggers a cascade of physiological reactions: adrenaline is released, heart rate increases, and breathing quickens.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), panic attacks are characterised by a surge of intense fear or discomfort that peaks within minutes and includes at least four of the following symptoms.
Duration and Onset
Your panic attacks might last between 5 to 20 minutes. However, they may even go on for an hour. You can have them suddenly, without warning. You may not be in a triggering situation sometimes.
Causes and Triggers
Panic attacks can happen because of different factors:
Environment
Substance abuse or withdrawal
Stress
Genetics
Medical Conditions
How to Stop a Panic Attack: Tips and Effective Ways for Immediate Relief
When experiencing a panic attack, it is important to remember that the feelings will pass and that you are not in danger. Here are a few tips:
Deep breathing & breathing methods: Take slow, deep breaths. You should focus on the inhale and exhale. This can help you relax instantly. You can do this whenever you feel overwhelmed. This can help regulate your breathing and reduce physical sensations of anxiety.
Another effective breathing method is the 4-7-8 breathing method. You inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, then exhale for 8 seconds. By doing this, it helps you to manage your emotions and also this technique can help calm the nervous system and reduce feelings of anxiety.
Muscle relaxation technique: Starting with your toes, tense and then relax one muscle at a time, working your way up your body. This can help release physical tension and reduce feelings of anxiety.
Mindfulness: You can practise being present in the moment instead of thinking about the past.
Self-Havening: Self-Havening involves touching specific areas of the body (face, arms, or palms), engaging in positive self-talk… to reduce the negative emotions and memories. You can use it to calm your nervous system.
3 Keys to Stop a Panic Attack
1. Activate the parasympathetic nervous system
The key to stopping a panic attack is activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps regulate bodily functions and calms the body. By managing symptoms, such as deep breathing and muscle relaxation, and trying to focus on positive thoughts and surroundings, individuals can gain control over their panic attack and prevent it from escalating.
2. Manage your symptoms
Symptoms of a panic attack can be overwhelming, but you can manage them by focusing on your breathing, challenging unhelpful thoughts, and grounding yourself in the present moment.
3. Identify Your Triggers
Identifying the triggers that lead to your panic attacks can help you avoid or manage situations that may cause an attack. Keeping a journal of your panic attacks and the situations or events leading up to them can help you identify patterns and potential triggers.
Once you identify your triggers, you can work on coping strategies to help prevent or manage future panic attacks.
Panic Attack & Anxiety Disorder Treatment Options
Clinical Hypnotherapy
As anxiety is a subconscious reaction, accessing the subconscious level to make changes can help alter negative thought patterns and reduce anxiety symptoms effectively.
Havening
It is a psychosensory treatment method. It uses gentle touch to make you calm and feel safe. Havening rewires your brain’s response to stress and curbs anxiety.
Havening is based on the concept of neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to change and adapt over time. By stimulating specific areas of the brain through touch and visualisation, Havening can effectively change the way an individual’s brain processes and responds to traumatic memories and emotions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Helpful for both panic and anxiety attacks. This method helps you to recognise and resolve negative thoughts and behaviours.
In a Nutshell
Panic attacks can be a challenging and frightening experience, but there are multiple types of hypnosis which have effective ways to stop them. With the right tools and support, it’s possible to stop panic attacks forever.
If you experience panic attacks frequently or they interfere with your daily life, seeking help from a mental health professional can provide you with effective treatment options and support. Book a FREE Strategy Call with us now and learn more about how we can help.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can panic attack be cured permanently?
Yes. Panic attacks can be cured permanently when the underlying problems are resolved and the nervous system is calm and regulated. Therapy and medication can help treat the symptoms of panic attacks, but a more comprehensive approach that addresses the root cause of the anxiety is necessary for long-term relief. By addressing the underlying issues and learning coping mechanisms, individuals can overcome panic attacks and regain control of their lives.
2. What are the 3 ways to stop a panic attack?
There are several proven ways to stop a panic attack.
- Self Havening: Self Havening is a technique that involves self-touch to stimulate sensory receptors and calm the nervous system.
- Grounding techniques and mindfulness: This can include techniques such as using the senses to identify and describe objects around you, focusing on tactile sensations, or repeating a calming phrase to yourself; and slowing down the breathing by taking slow, deep breaths can help calm the body and mind. Help you focus on the present moment and ease symptoms.
- Challenging and reframing negative thoughts: This can help interrupt the cycle of anxious thoughts that contribute to panic attacks. This can involve questioning and changing irrational or catastrophic thoughts that often accompany panic attacks.
If you find the above techniques are not working for you, Hypnotherapy can help identify and address underlying issues contributing to panic attacks and provide effective relief from panic attacks.
3. Panic Attack vs Anxiety Attack, what is the difference?
Panic attacks often arise from a sense of imminent danger or threat, with symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, and a feeling of impending doom. They can occur in response to a trigger or seemingly out of the blue. They are sudden and intense periods of fear and physical symptoms that come on quickly and unexpectedly.
Anxiety attacks, on the other hand, are typically characterized by a sense of worry or fear about a specific situation or future event, with symptoms such as trembling, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. Anxiety attacks, on the other hand, are more gradual and long-lasting, with symptoms developing over time.
Both conditions can be treated with therapy and self-care techniques.
