Monday, May 14, 2007

Panic attack symptoms

What are the most common panic attack symptoms?

First of all, the word 'symptoms' is used by doctors to describe the effects of illness... ANXIETY IS NOT AN ILLNESS... it's a behavioural condition. However, anxiety does produce some pretty scary SENSATIONS.
I tell you this because I need you to understand that all the feelings, thoughts and sensations you experience are products of the anxious nerve signals your brain produces, not the signs of illness! Symptoms of panic attacks are unpleasant to say the least BUT they are completely normal and harmless (if inappropriate).
For ease, I will, however, carry on using the word symptom, to describe these sensations.
Not everyone experiences the same panic attack symptoms; we are all different biologically and therefore react differently to each other as a response to the same or similar stimuli.
The following list identifies the most common symptoms of panic attacks. Experiencing four or less of these panic attack symptoms identifies what is called a limited symptom attack.

Common symptoms of panic attacks
· Rapid heart beat, pounding heart or palpitations
· Sweating
· Shaking visibly or inside
· Choking sensations or lump in throat
· Smothering or shortness of breath sensations
· Chest pain or discomfort
· Nausea, bloating, indigestion or abdominal discomfort
· Dizziness or unsteadiness
· Feeling light-headed
· Derealisation (feeling unreal or dreamy)
· Depersonalisation (feeling outside yourself or like you don't exist)
· Fear of losing control or going crazy
· Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) in face, extremities or body
· Chills or hot flushes
· Skin losing colour
· Blushing or skin blotches
· Urgently needing to urinate or defecate

Experiencing different or more panic attack symptoms than are listed above does not mean that your condition is worse or different, or that you are suffering from another un-diagnosed condition. Diagnosis of anxiety disorders is very accurate so chances are you ARE suffering from an anxiety disorder. Some people have anxiety disorder but never suffer from panic attack symptoms.
To find out more about how the Linden method can help you overcome your panic attack symptoms please

How are panic attack symptoms caused?
Panic attack symptoms are caused by a number of biological changes that occur during times of stress and anxiety. The human body is very resilient, even in times of anxiety we are strong, although we may not feel it. It's also very true that some people might be scared that their heart will stop, or give up, through the constant racing, thumping or chest pain, this is simply not true, again these are very common symptoms of panic attacks.
No one has ever come to any harm as a result of anxiety or panic attacks! Consider how hard athletes have to work in order to give their hearts the kind of workout your heart receives through anxiety; athletes hearts do not give up, do they? The heart is a muscle, raising the heart rate exercises it, making it fitter. You wouldn't worry if your heart raced after running for the bus, so why worry about it when it happens during anxiety.
The downside of these panic attack symptoms is that your body will feel tired and shaky after they subside. You may feel as if you have run a marathon yourself. Feeling tired or achy is a necessary side effect, if you are aware that it may happen, when it does, you will know what it is and it won't scare you as much!
Most anxious people complain of aching muscles and general fatigue, these are very common symptoms of panic attacks and anxiety. Muscle tension can cause pain or sensations of tightness anywhere in the body; most common in anxiety are pains in the chest, neck and shoulders. Tension in these places can be distressing; the tension in your chest may cause shortness of breath or rib pain, and it may make your chest or breasts tender or numb. Pains in the muscular tissues of the neck and back can cause the blood vessels and nerves to become restricted; this can cause headaches or migraine but can also cause the head to feel tender or painful.
It is possible for your face or scalp to feel numb or dead, this can affect sensations around your eye, in your cheek, face and jaw and can even affect the sensations in your mouth. This is caused by muscular tension causing restriction around the nerves and blood vessels in my neck. When I first experienced this, I was very scared as are many of my clients. AGAIN, another symptom of panic attacks and anxiety which causes the sufferer unnecessary worry but is completely harmless. Massaging the neck releases much of the tension and thus relieves the sensations; this works for most people.
This tension can cause feelings of numbness in the arms (usually the left), and also the legs. Don't be alarmed if this happens to you.
You must understand that the nervous system is found in every inch of your body. There are nerve endings literally everywhere, around every organ, muscle and over every square millimetre of your skin so the symptoms of panic attacks and anxiety can be experienced anywhere! Tension can be responsible for many of the sensations experienced during anxiety.
Symptoms of panic attacks are EXACTLY what the name suggests, a symptom of the disorder not of another condition. These symptoms should be ignored, they have no importance or relevance to you, or your life.
Do not allow these unpleasant panic attack symptoms and sensations to get the better of you, after all that is all they are. The nerves tell the brain what it should be feeling under certain conditions and the brain responds. If tired and anxious nerve signals become confused, the brain may interpret the feeling of ice against the skin as burning, or the eyes might send a confused signal to the brain that makes you see a smooth surface ripple like water. Perceived sensations never have and never can, hurt any one. All symptoms of panic attacks and anxiety are caused by confused bodily sensations and nerve impulses, you may feel like the end is in sight, but it most certainly is not.

Can panic attack symptoms harm me?
No! Panic attacks symptoms have never harmed anyone. Although they feel horrific and scary, panic attack symptoms are harmless and are simply exaggerated experiences of normal bodily sensations and reactions. Of all the people that I have spoken to about their own panic attack symptoms, none, including myself, ever came to any harm during the, literally thousands, of panic attacks we experienced.

Do I have to put up with panic attack symptoms?
No, you do not. Panic attacks are, like all anxiety disorders, caused by an imbalance in the organ responsible for the anxiety response called the Amygdala. This organ acts like an anxiety switch. Normally, the switch is in the OFF position and only gets activated when it's appropriate to feel anxious. In anxiety disorders this switch gets stuck in the ON position...it's that simple!
So, if an anxiety disorder is to be eliminated completely, it is this imbalanced anxious response which needs to be addressed directly. The Linden Method does exactly that!

What is the solution to panic attack symptoms?
There are no other programs of recovery for anxiety sufferers that resemble this method but past program members consider it to be THE conclusive treatment for anxiety disorders such as: Panic disorder, Phobias, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
With tens of thousands of Linden Method users, the method is the most effective drug free treatment available. The method is psychologist and medically endorsed and very easy, fast and permanent.
The Linden Method is also equally effective for treating panic attacks in children and senior people too. I have children as young as seven years and a gentleman of 87 using the method currently. Some sufferers think that my method is a means of managing panic attack symptoms, it's not, it's a way of eradicating them from your life completely. Panic attack symptoms whilst pregnant are also very common and the Linden Method will show you that these can be effectively reduced and eliminated too.
Anxiety and panic attacks are simply accentuated versions of natural reactions, remember, they CAN NOT harm you in any way. I will show you how panic anxiety attacks, phobias and all your fearful sensations and emotions can be calmed and erased. Whether you suffer from anxiety panic attacks or phobias, you can and will be symptom free again... that's a promise.

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