What Are Panic Attacks and Why Do We Get Them?

Below is the science behind panic attacks, why you experience them, and how I have stopped mine.

I used to frequently suffer from panic attacks. My anxiety would be so bad that I would wake up with panic attack symptoms: feeling dizzy, nauseous, experiencing blurry vision, unable to focus, heart racing, a knot in my throat, and my chest feeling like it was compressing. My panic attacks were frequent; I would experience between 1 to 3 a week. My body had such a high tolerance to them that I would only acknowledge the symptoms if they were really bad. It's been a long road of self-discovery and learning, but I haven't had a panic attack in a very, very long time. I've gone from experiencing 1 to 3 a week to having none.

Panic attacks occur when you are anxious. Symptoms of anxiety are a physical response to being in your sympathetic nervous system, also referred to as your 'fight or flight' mode. You experience anxiety, panic attacks, and stress when your body and brain cannot balance themselves after entering 'fight or flight.'

Once upon a time, your stress response or 'fight or flight' would have been a reaction to danger, for example, being chased by a predator that wants to eat you. Your nervous system would kick in and tell you to either fight, take flight, or if all else fails, freeze—think playing dead.

Thankfully, we are no longer being chased by dangerous animals that might eat us. Human beings have evolved, but our nervous system hasn't quite caught up with our new surroundings or environment. Now, the dangers in our life come from home life, work life, relationships, money, to-do lists, self-expectations, lifestyle, social expectations, and the list goes on.

When you enter into your sympathetic nervous system or your stress response/ 'fight or flight' mode, you experience lots of physical changes in the body, which essentially prepare you to run or attack. These physical symptoms include:

• An increase in heart rate

• The release of hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine

• Shutting down of your digestive system

• Dilation of your pupils

• Breathing through your mouth

• An increase in the number of breaths you take per minute

• Shifting your breathing from your belly to your chest

As soon as you start to breathe through your mouth, the number of breaths you take per minute will increase, naturally speeding up your heart rate. The hormone adrenaline tells the brain that you are about to run, resulting in your breathing moving from your belly to your chest, further increasing your heart rate. A lot of old techniques tell you to focus on your breath when having a panic attack, but if you've ever suffered from one, you'll know that's nearly impossible. Bringing focus to your breath days or even weeks after your last panic attack can cause one to happen again. If your panic attacks are still frequent and quite severe, I'd recommend practicing grounding exercises. Grounding exercises create the same neural pathways in our brain as meditation or breathwork without requiring any focus on your breath. They're hugely beneficial, subtle, so they can be done anywhere, and are less likely to trigger a panic attack.

Reiki is non-invasive and a brilliant alternative therapy to help you manage your panic attacks. It will help regulate your stress response and bring you out of your 'fight or flight' mode. Without needing to focus on your breath, you'll enter into a calming, deep, meditative state where the mind and body can feel safe.

If you want to find out how I can help you with your panic attacks or anxiety symptoms please don’t hesitate to get in contact.