Panic - Attack or Alarm?
The term Panic Attack is commonly used nowadays, but it wasn’t always the case. Over the last decade, searches for ‘Panic Attack’ on Google have increased by 223%, climbing steadily since September 2011. Quite clearly, the events of 9/11 led to people the world over feeling more panic more often, leading many of them to seek answers on how to cope with their feelings.
This trend is entirely understandable, what we describe as ‘panic’ is simply the body’s response to an imminent threat, preparing it to ‘fight, flight or freeze’ and in doing so, bringing about a whole series of rapid and very powerful physical changes, all of which are designed to keep us alive. The problem comes when there is no identifiable threat to respond to, no predator to be evaded or overcome.
An ancient response stuck in modern times
This is what we see in modern times, where the ‘threat’ is more generalised and indistinguishable, for example the danger posed by global terrorism or Coronavirus - how can you run from or fight against something which is faceless, everywhere, all the time? Instead, the panic response becomes over-stimulated, and without the ability to close its loop and return to calm, the panic state gets jammed. This is what’s known as Panic Disorder, simply that the intended panic response is out of its natural order.
The experience of having a Panic Attack can be terrifying as an overwhelming rush of chemical and physical changes take place, most often in a time and place where there is zero threat to life, which adds to the confusion the panicked person feels - asking themselves, why am I feeling this hot fear taking over me, heart racing, head spinning, chest tightening, like I may die - and yet I’m just in a supermarket or on a bus?!
Attack or alarm?
Which is what leads me to think that whoever decided on the term Panic Attack had either never experienced one themselves or was incredibly insensitive. You see, language is a powerful thing, especially where our emotionally-driven unconscious mind is concerned. Whilst ‘Panic Attack’ may seem like an accurate description of how it feels, the very nature of the word Attack is loaded with meaning, most significantly, it suggests we are the victim of something external, other than ourselves. This framing disempowers us and moves control beyond our reach. And when we’re in a state of heightened emotion, our unconscious mind will readily take any suggestion onboard, especially one we’re making to ourselves in how we’re talking, the unconscious thinks “they just said they’re having a panic attack, we must be under attack, double that adrenaline!”
A more accurate and helpful term would be Panic Alarm. After all, these signals come from within us, (not some outside force), they are our sophisticated survival systems telling us something’s up, so they want to know we’re hearing them and that the message got through ok. Much of the advice on controlling panic attacks centres around distraction; things like stamping on the spot, looking at things around us, focusing on our senses, counting our breath. Some of which can be of useful as part of a coping strategy (breathing in particular is highly effective. However, the broader point is that the more we attempt to distract our attention from our own alarm, the louder it rings. Just like the alarm on your smartphone, increasing in volume until you acknowledge it.
A different approach to panic
So, here’s a different approach to distraction and one that I came to learn through self-experimentation. Instead of trying to distract or ignore those feelings of panic when they bubble up, welcome them, be grateful for them, talk kindly to them, say ‘hello my old friend, nice to have you back’. To anyone who lives in fear of panic attacks, this may sound like crazy talk, and it certainly is counter to much of the guidance that’s out there. But give it a try, after all, what’s to lose?
Working at my hypnotherapy practice in Norwich, I help people to connect with their unconscious mind through hypnosis, allowing them to better understand the cause of their panic symptoms and retrain their mind in how to respond in a more appropriate way, a way that allows them to lead their lives free from the restrictive fear of panic disorder. If you found this article useful and would like to talk about your own situation or know of someone who may benefit, please get in touch.
