Panic attacks may be devastating, scary, and an absolutely uncontrollable feeling. As those who undergo it can testify, it is like something is horribly wrong within the body or the mind. The feeling that the heart is racing, shallowness of the breath, shaking, chest pains or the feeling of being out of touch with the real world none of these manifestations are imaginary. They are well-rooted biologically and psychologically. It is possible to learn all about the science behind panic attacks, which would help clear out the mystery and enable people to better cope with it with confidence and understanding.
What Literally is a Panic Attack?
Panic attack is a powerful burst of fear or uneasiness, which reaches its climax in several minutes. Not always it is coupled with any evident trigger and this is why it surprises many citizens. Panic attacks may occur at the times of stress or when a person supposedly relaxes. The symptoms are usually similar to those of a heart attack giving rise to the fear and confusion. Nevertheless, panic attacks by themselves are not life-endangering despite the level of their severity.
Therapeutically, however, treatment of the symptoms is not the end but rather finding out the causes of the symptoms. It is important to understand the process that goes on in the body when experiencing a panic attack to enable one to overcome panic attacks.
The Alarm System of The Body
The fundamental core of a panic attack is the fight or flight response which is produced by the body. It is one of the survival mechanisms that we inherited. Under the threat of danger, the body gets ready to fight or get away. This action is regulated by some section of the brain named amygdala which rapidly detects the fear responses and flashes warnings to other body parts.
Once the amygdala detects a danger, whether the threat is not a true physical danger or not, the autonomic nervous system is then invoked. In this system, there are automatic body functions such as heart rate, breathing, and digestion.
What Occurs in Your Body in Case of Panic Attack?
Physically, what occurs during panic attack can be broken down as follows:
1. Adrenaline Surge
The brain sends a message to the adrenal glands, to prepare adrenaline (also called epinephrine). The hormone accelerates the heart, raises the levels of blood pressure and enhances the level of energy. It makes it that sense of urgency, when really, there is nothing to be upset about.
2. Increased Heart rate and Respirations
When adrenaline flows through the body the heart will pump faster in order to pump more oxygen. The respirations also become shallow and fast which at times give way to hyperventilation. This disproportion of oxygen and carbon dioxide may lead to lightheadedness, anesthesia or tingling at the hands or feet.
3. Muscular Tension and Prostrations
Muscles become strained ready to move fast. Trembling or shaking may be the result of the unused energy by the body which is preparing to act though it is not going to so.
4. Sweating and Coldness
The body begins to sweat to cool it off, which is a natural reaction to physical activities or stress. Hot sensations are felt by some people or others develop a sudden chill or cold-sweat.
5. Digestive Disruption
Digestion becomes slowed or halted when the fight-or-flight is on: as digestion is not a critical procedure in an alarm situation. That is the reason why most individuals develop nausea or stomach cramp during a panic attack.
6. Tightness and Pain of the Chest
As one coughs more and tenses up the muscles, it is normal to experience chest tightness. This feeling usually makes individuals believe that they are experiencing a heart attack.
7. Loss of touch to Reality
Several individuals are reporting to be out of touch with their environment or themselves, which is called derealization or depersonalization. This is what the brain does as an attempt to protect a person against excessive fear.
What Causes Panic Attacks?
Panic attacks may have different causes. In some others, they are caused by stress built up, unhealed trauma, or significant life changes. Others could be biologically inclined, including their increased sensitivity to the fear circuits found in the brain or a deviation of neurotransmitters like serotonin or norepinephrine.
Also there are cognitive patterns. People with a tendency to be very alert to what happens in their bodies can turn out to give a lot of importance to an innocuous variation, such as a missed heartbeat or a warm glow of blood. Such misunderstanding triggers the spiral of fear and panic.
Combined psychological counselling, biological, and environmental triggers are very common among therapists. There is hardly a single cause but a combination of factors which leads to a panic episode.
The Brain Circuitry Process behind Panic
The series of panic attacks leads to developing some sort of neural shortcut in the brain. Our amygdala becomes faster to trigger, our body becomes more sensitive to stress and our mind becomes more ready to expect another episode. This forms a vicious circle in which the fear of experiencing a panic attack is already a catalyst on its own.
It is as though the brain gets conditioned to fear fear. This is referred to as anticipatory anxiety, and it is typical of people who develop panic disorder—a disorder that involves having frequent unpredictable panic attacks and constantly feeling concerned about further attacks.
Therapy and Awareness
Treatment and awareness are effective attributes and significant in certain ways. In fact, the role of treatment and awareness cannot be ignored.
On the one hand, as a therapist, the very first thing in treating panic attacks is to make people understand what is going on in their body. Realizing the symptoms are not harmful and are just something real, the fear can be reduced, proving a feeling of control.
One of the commonest methods is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It assists people to be aware and restructure their thoughts before and after panic attacks.
Breathing exercises work beautifully. The central nervous system is relaxed when the balance is achieved in oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body and this can be done with slow and deep breathing. Being in the present can be achieved by grounding exercises and mindfulness which allows an individual to be in the present instead of lingering on possible fears of what might happen.
Therapists also assist clients in finding deeper emotional causes of their anxiety- such as unexpressed trauma, perfectionism, or grief. Panic attacks do not emerge only due to the superficial stress factors, they can also be a result of a long-term emotional pattern.
Is prevention of Panic Attacks possible?
Although everyone cannot avoid panic attacks, particularly at the initial stages, the attacks can be minimized considerably. With adequate support, time and better coping mechanisms, individuals can learn to deal with anxiety and even break their cycles of anxiety.
Healthy habits like eliminating caffeine and alcohol consumption, good sleep hygiene, body movement activities and coping with stress in a healthy manner are few lifestyle related activities that can help with anxiety.
Most importantly, during the healing process, there is the aspect of learning to trust the body once again. Panic attack can look like a betrayal, when in reality, a body is trying to defend itself. When equipped with the tools and someone as their support, with proper conditions, people will be able to transform their relationship with anxiety.
Conclusion
Panic attacks are severe yet temporary bursts of fear, which arise in force due to the strong biological reaction to danger.
Therapy gives the opportunity to openly explore such experiences, break negative practices, and build a set of tools to handle tough moments. Although panic attacks can be a part of the path of a person; it does not have to dominate it.