Panic Attack Symptoms Help You Fight Panic

I've cataloged the symptoms of panic attacks below. Recall your most recent panic attack - which ones are you having?

Taken individually, these symptoms may be insignificant, or signal something completely different than you are having a panic attack. It's when you have several together, or for a long period of time, or in the presence of actual danger, that a panic attack may be occurring.

Remember - our bodies are "hard wired" to respond to danger (the "fight or flight" response). It's up to you to interpret your environment with some logic and reason and then decide on the best course of action.

The Symptoms of Panic Attacks

The predominant symptoms of panic include:

Rapid onset of increased heart beat, pounding heart or palpitations,
Chest Pain or Discomfort
Choking sensations,
Dizziness, unsteadiness or vertigo
Derealization (feeling unreal or dreamy)
Depersonalization (feeling outside yourself or like you don't exist)

(Many times there is a secondary fear of dying, losing control, or going crazy.)

These symptoms may also indicate you are having a panic attack:

* Sweating

* Shaking visibly or inside

* Choking sensations or lump in throat

* Smothering or shortness of breath sensations

* Nausea, bloating, indigestion or abdominal discomfort

* Feeling light-headed

* Fear of losing control or going crazy

* Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) in face, extremities or body

* Chills or hot flushes

* Skin losing color

* Blushing or skin blotches

* Urgently needing to urinate or defecate

Note -- clinically the word "symptom" is used by doctors to describe the effects of an illness, however, panic is not an illness. It's a condition caused by an internal "state", including your physiology (body chemistry, stance, condition) along with the thoughts, feelings and emotions you are having at the same time. The "symptoms" you experience during panic are a set of physical and internal experiences caused by the "fight or flight" response and your evaluation (thoughts) about that response.

Your Experience
True fear can only be experienced when there is something existing, in the moment, to be afraid of. When you have a panic attack when there is nothing to be afraid of, then your experience may be a panic attack.

Panic Attacks and Anxiety

If you are constantly worried, to the extent that it affects your activities and your lifestyle, you my have "generalized anxiety disorder." Anxiety is not tied to any specific circumstances or situations. Are you suffering from the symptoms of panic, or anxiety?

The leading indicator of whether you are suffering from anxiety, or having a panic attack, is how long your symptoms last - are they ongoing, or for only a short term. If you only feel panic in specific situations, then you may have a phobia.

Panic is a condition that normally lasts for a comparatively short term - 5 to 30 minutes. Panic may come on suddenly for no apparent reason, or be set off by something that reminds you of an event in the past where there was danger, or at least you thought there was (possibly a phobic response). However, in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), panic disorder is defined as "... recurrent attacks of severe anxiety (panic), which are not restricted to any particular situation or set of circumstances and are therefore unpredictable. "

Phobias
If you have sudden bouts of fear or anxiety, for no logical reason, along with any single or combination of the symptoms listed above, you may have the symptoms of panic attacks.

This article cannot, and should not, stand alone as the sole medical or psychological intervention for any disorder. Any individual with a medical or psychological problem should first consult a qualified health care provider for diagnosis and professional advice.

Dan DeLuca, CH, is a Certified Consulting Hypnotherapist, Trainer, and Speaker in the fields of Personal Growth, Motivation and Communication. Since 2005, Dan has been practicing Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Hypnosis, TimeLine Therapy and other transformation modalities.

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