Anxiety is common worldwide, affecting about 4 percent of people. For some with anxiety, their symptoms can develop into panic attacks. Panic attacks can be overwhelming, leaving you feeling dizzy, sick, overwhelmed, afraid, and out of control. If you have panic attacks, hypnosis for panic disorder can help you take control.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Panic attacks often occur without warning. They may be triggered by a phobia or other external stressor or they may have no obvious cause. Anyone can experience a panic attack, but they are more common in people with panic disorder, which is a type of anxiety disorder. During a panic attack, your body’s fight-or-flight or fear response is exaggerated, and you might feel a variety of symptoms, including:
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Faintness or dizziness
- A pounding heart
- Chest pains
- Difficulty breathing
- Weakness or shakiness
- Depersonalization or a feeling of being separated from your body
For most people, panic attacks only last a matter of minutes, but they can last up to 20 minutes. The onset tends to be rapid, and they peak quickly. However, they can leave you feeling rattled and uncomfortable for long periods. You may feel anxious and unsettled about having another panic attack even after the attack has subsided. Hypnosis for panic attacks can help you calm the panic and relax your mind.
Using Hypnosis to Manage Panic Attacks
Your fight-or-flight response is a natural process. In emergencies, your body releases adrenaline, cortisol, and other hormones to prepare you for life-threatening situations. These hormones enable many physiological changes. More energy, oxygen, and other substances are sent to your brain and other parts of your body so that you can take action to protect yourself. However, this type of response is not always necessary. It can even be an overreaction, such as in the case of panic attacks.
Panic disorder is associated with anxiety disorders. Panic attacks can be triggered by a variety of stressors, including your work, social situations, phobias, traumas, chronic illness, medications, substances, or pain. While you cannot always control or avoid every trigger, you can better manage your responses to them by using hypnosis for panic disorder.
Reducing your stress is a good first step in managing and reducing your anxiety. Hypnosis is a deeply relaxing practice that can relax your body and triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body’s natural emergency response. Hypnosis for panic attacks can work in other ways, too. It can help you detach from your worries and fears and contemplate them from a distance in a way that does not make you afraid or anxious. When using hypnosis for panic disorder, you can learn to look at your fears and phobias from a new perspective. You can even develop new coping skills that can help you stay calm and focused before anxiety and panic can take control.
With hypnosis for panic attacks, you can learn to focus your attention and move past your fears and worries to regain control and calm your body and spirit. Research shows that hypnosis can be a safe, effective therapy for managing anxiety and stress-related disorders and can alleviate panic attacks. In one single-subject study using hypnosis for anxiety, the subject experienced a greater sense of control, improved self-concept, and eliminated symptoms and panic attacks. You can enjoy relief from anxiety through hypnotherapy, too. Contact Renewed Edge today to learn more about using hypnosis for panic disorder or to schedule your consultation with our hypnotherapist.