Panic Attacks

Luckily, the majority of people do not suffer from these awful "events". Coping with them can be very stressful and often lead to people becoming dependent on prescribed medication, usually for very long periods of time. Others will turn to illicit substances or alcohol to relieve their fear and stress. Even more, will avoid the situations that are likely to bring on a panic attack.

We don't know why we can't get into lifts, for instance, or why we can't be in a crowd at a football game. The thoughts of crowded trains - especially when they stop for no apparent reason between stations can be genuinely terrifying for some people. I know of people who will get under a table and turn mirrors towards the wall during a thunderstorm.

"During moments of extreme anxiety or during a panic attack, these symptoms may be accompanied by:

a sense of danger or doom

trembling, dizziness, weakness

shortness of breath

excessive perspiration

feeling cold or overheated

numbness or tingling in the hands

rapid heartbeat, palpitations

chest pain

rapid breathing, hyperventilating

Panic attacks can happen when least expected and without obvious provocation. Frequent panic attacks may elevate your level of stress and contribute to social isolation."

I will briefly try to explain what brings about a panic attack because, in reality, the majority of us don't know how we developed them and quite a number of us are convinced we are the only people who suffer from these terrifying moments and are, therefore "odd", "different" or objects of ridicule for others.

In reality, the "cure" for panic attacks lies within ourselves.

Most cases of panic attack and phobia have their roots in some awful event that happened to us in our past. Sometimes they are events that we can't remember or are lurking about in our subconscious. In my own case, for instance, I was taken into hospital at the age of 5months and saw nobody other than doctors or nurses until I was 10months old. I wasn't expected to live and my parents could only see me through a glass panel. I had no sensual contact with them. I have no recollection of this but the result of this had dreadful effects on my later life.

I was terrified to let my parents out of my sight in case they would "leave me" again. I won't go into details here but suffice to say I grew up as a very fearful and nervous person but I couldn't explain why. What I wasn't able to remember from my infancy was lodged firmly in my sub-conscious. This can go some way to explaining why a panic attack can occur at very unexpected times.

I was convinced I was the only person who got these feelings and I tried to keep them hidden. I had to stop playing football and give up boxing for issues related to my stress. As many of you know, I learned to cope to some extent with this awful discomfort by turning to alcohol. Inadvisable, incidentally.

Let me see if I can give you an example.

Fear begets fear. By that, I mean that our build up to panic often begins long before we realise it. "Is the thought of Monday morning ruining your Sunday night?" I was asked once. In effect what I was being asked was "are you already wondering if that train will be crowded again tomorrow morning?". I was.

I would get up Monday morning and straight away start worrying if I would have to stand on a crowded train. By the time I got to the station, I would already be a mess.

Would there be enough air for us all to breathe? Will I start feeling sweaty and nauseous? Will I start finding it difficult to breathe properly? I know I am going to feel dizzy. Will I start tugging at my collar? Will everybody be watching me? What about the funny way my heartbeat goes? I wonder if that is the start of a heart attack. More often than not, I would let that train go by and get the next train which would leave me late for work unless I ran most of the way from the station.

These were at the time genuinely petrifying feelings I had. They were very real to me. I would often have to get off the train after one stop.

I had to learn about "Fear begetting fear" - Basically we know what frightens us (crowded train) and this fear is compounded by the fact that we worry about it hours before the actual event. Another thing I learned is that not being in control of a situation or an object for that matter can also frighten us. This is part, a huge part of the reason why people hate elevators and planes. They cannot control them, and having no control of a situation naturally frightens us.

In many situations, our fear, phobias and panic attacks come from learned behaviour. If you remember I told you about people getting under tables when there would be a thunderstorm? This stemmed from "an old wive's tale" that lightning would strike a mirror and rebound into the room. Another simple example is that people have a bad experience with a dog and go through life believing that all dogs are vicious and so the route home must be changed - worse again, they pass this belief on to their children.

Help is at hand for all of us who suffer from the above. We are not alone. In the world today, millions and millions of people suffer from panic attacks. Learned behaviour can be unlearned - with the right help.

Likewise, deep-rooted fears that we cannot explain to ourselves is often resolved in therapy . It may be a time-consuming exercise but the relief from panic is priceless.

Don't be a victim of this inhibiting and most uncomfortable ailment. We all deserve to have a happy and fulfilling life.

I get great enjoyment from helping people who are in difficulty and one of my most enjoyable moments came when a client of mine who had been virtually house-bound, boarded her flight to Australia. This was after she had taken up swimming, joined Zumba classes and did a Strictly Come Dancing show for charity. Her answers lay inside her. I just helped her find them.