Panic attacks happen when a person feels overwhelmed with intense anxiety and fear, and can cause physical symptoms such as sweating, a rapid heart rate, trembling, and shortness of breath. They can be terrifying and leave the person feeling completely out of control. Did you know that panic attacks are surprisingly common? Each year around 2-3% of the population will experience a panic attack and around 22% of people will experience one in their lifetime. But it’s important to remember that panic attacks are also treatable.  

What Are the Symptoms of a Panic Attack? 

If you're wondering what a panic attack is, it's an incredibly frightening experience that can have both physical and psychological symptoms. The symptoms may vary from person to person, but they generally include some or all of the following:

These symptoms usually begin abruptly and without warning, and can peak in just a few minutes. Once the attack has reached its peak intensity, it typically subsides over the course of 10 minutes or longer. Some people may experience after effects, such as fatigue, irritability and difficulty concentrating. 

What Causes Panic Attacks and Anxiety? 

At some point in our lives, we may all feel anxious. Whether it's before an important event or due to a traumatic experience, feeling anxious can be a normal reaction. But when this sensation intensifies to an extreme level to the point of causing overwhelm or fear—that's when a panic attack can occur. 

But what exactly causes these episodes? There can be many reasons you experience a panic attack, from stressful life events, hormonal changes, stimulants such as caffeine even some medications or drugs as some examples. It's important to note that everyone is different and that what causes a panic attack in one person may not necessarily affect another. Whatever the source of your anxiety may be, it's best to seek professional help if you experience any signs of a panic attack—such as difficulty breathing or chest pain—so you can find the right treatment that works best for you. 

Why are panic attacks so problematic 

Not only do panic attacks feel completely overwhelming and are be incredibly scary to experience but you may find yourself worrying about having a panic attack or changing your behavior to try and avoid them happening again. This can create more problems for you as you start to change your life more and more to avoid triggering an attack. This can lead to a vicious cycle, creating even more anxiety and if left unchecked you can end up in a place where panic attacks rule your life.  

How to overcome panic attacks 

There is no one-size fits all approach to overcoming panic attacks and you may need to try several approaches before you find something, or a combination of things that work for you.  The cognitive behavioural approach is a common and effective therapy tool that helps you to become more aware of your thinking patterns, and how they affect your behavior. It also helps you to identify any triggers, negative thought patterns, then replace them with more positive ones. This can help you control anxiety levels and reduce the frequency of your panic attacks, but very often just talking about your attacks in detail with someone can be incredibly useful. Mindfulness, breathing techniques and relaxation techniques can help reduce stress levels and anxiety – both of which can trigger a panic attack. Regular physical activity releases endorphins that help to reduce stress levels and lift your mood – both things that can help prevent panic attacks from occurring in the first place. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise each day or even better, spread out exercises throughout the whole day – even 10-minute workouts can make a difference! 

Therapy can be a daunting and overwhelming experience, especially if you’ve never been before. It’s natural to feel nervous about opening up to a stranger and discussing your most personal thoughts and feelings. But fear not! Your first therapy session is all about getting to know each other, setting goals, and establishing a plan for your therapeutic journey. In this blog post, I've outlined what you can expect in your first therapy session so that you can go in feeling prepared and confident.  

What will happen in the first session? 

During your first therapy session, you can expect to spend most of the time getting to know each other and this is why a first therapy session is often a little longer than subsequent sessions. I’ll ask you some questions about yourself, what brings you to therapy, and what goals you hope to achieve through treatment. It might be useful for you to talk about any relevant personal history and background. This information will help me get a better understanding of who you are as a person, your priorities, life challenges which can enable me to best support you on your journey. This is also a great time for you to share any concerns or apprehensions you have with the process, I can answer any questions which may put your mind at ease and I can look at ways to accommodate any concerns so you feel as comfortable as possible. This isn’t just appropriate in the first session but in any sessions going forward, therapy is a collaborative two-way process so if you have any questions at any time please ask! During this first session I’ll give you lots of information about my approach towards treatment and provide some insight into what future sessions might look like. One of the most important things about this first session is that we’ll look at creating an achievable goal for therapy so that we’re both working on the same page, in the same direction and I can guide our sessions most effectively for you. With the cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy approachwe’ll also aim to fit in time to try some hypnotherapy too if you’re comfortable with this. If not, that’sabsolutely fine as everything I offer to clients can also be done without the use of hypnosis and at your own pace. 

What will therapy be like overall? 

Therapy can vary greatly from person to person. Some people may find it challenging and emotional, while others may feel relieved and empowered by the experience and many people may experience all of those feelings at different stages. With the cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy technique we will particularly look at helping you identify your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are causing distress in your life. We will work to develop coping mechanisms for managing these challenges and guide you towards achieving your goals so there will be lots of opportunities for learning and self-reflection along the way.