Questions & Answers
Panic
Anxiety Education
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Questions and Answers 4
Marijuana
and night panic attacks
Q.
Question
I was so glad to see that others
have developed anxiety attacks as a result of marijuana use
nearly a year ago. People in general have not understood my
attacks, why I have them and how to deal with them. I had a
smoke after a year of not smoking marijuana and did not
sleep for 3 days afterwards with the fear that I would never
wake up - this is when my anxiety attacks began. I truly
believed that I was going to die. I had attacks at least
once a day for 4 months afterwards and could not function
properly. I couldn't relax, work , or go out, I had attacks
in the middle of the night , while watching videos, at pubs
etc etc. I was also diagnosed with a sleep disorder not long
afterwards as my attacks often occurred in the middle of the
night and I had a fear of falling asleep. Although the
attacks have decreased I often feel one coming on- and I am
wondering! how I can prevent one from occurring without
taking chemical medication?
A.
It is not so much preventing them, it is learning to lose
your fear of them. Even though they can feel very violent
they will not hurt you. The nocturnal panic attacks happen
on the change in consciousness...as you are going to sleep
or moving from REM to deep sleep, or deep sleep back to REM.
They have nothing to do with dreams or nightmares but happen
as we said on the change of consciousness. Many people with
Panic Disorder have the nocturnal attacks. It is not so much
a sleep disorder per se.
I will still occasionally have
nocturnal panic attacks, but because I am not frightened of
them anymore I just roll over and go back to sleep. So
What!!
We can refer you to a Cognitive Behavioral
therapist if you wish. A therapist can teach you how to lose
your fear of them and how to turn of the 'What if' thinking.
If you would like a referral can you advise us of the name
of the Country/State/City/Town you live in? |
Am
I too young to be having anxiety attacks ...
Q. I'm
16 years old. I think I've been having anxiety attacks. At first I
thought I was feeling like this because I'm hypoglycemic because I
would feel worse was after drinking coffee or eating sugar. I told
my doctor and they said to contact them if it gets worse. I've been
feeling really anxious lately and I'm not sure if I've been having
"anxiety attacks." I read your website and I can relate to
a lot of the symptoms. It's pretty scary, and my parents just think
I'm stressed with being a senior with all it's responsibilities.
Sometimes it gets so bad I can't do anything.. and I feel like I'm
going to die and I can't breathe. I feel like I have no control over
my body, like I'm separate from it. Do you think I'm too young to be
having anxiety attacks? And are there any things I can do for myself
to relax when the feeling comes over me? How long do most attacks
occur? And can people have anxiety attacks without knowing why
exactly they're anxious? If you could help me out that would be
great.
A. You
are not too young. Children as young as 8 years old can experience
panic attacks. Have you spoken with your parents and doctor and told
then you are becoming worse. If not we do advise you to do so asap.
Panic/anxiety attacks can last anywhere
from 30 seconds to 90 minutes. Even after it is over people may then
only just drop back into high anxiety. Many of us initially don't
understand why the panic/anxiety attacks occurs, but the more
knowledge you have about the panic / anxiety attacks the more you
become aware of why they are happening. Some people actually
dissociate first and then panic (see the dissociation page on our
website) while other people begin to become aware of how their
thoughts trigger the panic/anxiety attacks.
All of us need to learn how they are being
triggered. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can teach you how to do
this. You my also want to read the article on our home page 'So What
is so good about CBT'. This may help you. Can you speak with your
parents and even show them some of the information on our website.
This will help them understand exactly what you maybe experiencing.
We can refer you onto a CBT therapist if you wish. To do so we need
to know the name of the Country/State/City/Town you live in.
Prevention
...
Q.
About a week ago I think I had my first panic attack. It happened so
suddenly. I had a flash through my body and it felt like someone
gave me a bear hug, which caused my heart to beat very fast and I
could hardly breathe. The doctor told me I had a hypoglycemic
reaction which caused me to hyperventilate but my blood sugar wasn't
very low at all and I am not diabetic. Since the first episode I
have had three more in one week. I am very glad I read your website
because I really thought I was going crazy and was going to die. All
the information on your site has made me feel better about what is
happening to me and I feel like I can get this to end soon.
One question, how long can the panic
attacks last and can being so wound up cause someone to get sick.
A. They
can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 minutes. Some people will
remain highly anxious afterwards. As to why we feel so sick. We do.
This is part of it all unfortunately, but the anxiety about your
symptoms only makes it worse. Understanding and managing
panic/anxiety producing thoughts is prevention in action!
Can you speak with your doctor again to
confirm you are experiencing panic/anxiety? Once your doctor has
confirmed you are experiencing panic/anxiety you are in an ideal
position to prevent so much of the suffering that can accompany
panic attacks. Read, as you are doing, as much as you can about the
subject. The secret of it is to lose the fear of the panic attacks.
Even though the panic attacks can feel very violent they do not hurt
us. It is the fear of them which creates the disabilities associated
to them. Can you read part one of the article on our site, 'So What
is so good about CBT?'. This may assist you in helping to manage
them.
If you need to, we can refer you onto a
Cognitive Behavioral Therapist who can help you do this. To do so we
need to know the name of the Country/State/City/Town you live in.
Meditation
/ seeing colors...?
Q. I am
confused about what is supposed to happen during meditation. Could
you let me know what I should expect at each stage of meditation. I
have heard/read people see colors. Where does this
"sensation" occur during meditation?
I have tried meditating or at least sitting
quietly for a few minutes. Doing that helps a lot in relaxing. I
need relaxation for the tension I have in my neck and shoulders. I
think a lot of my anxiety actually comes from being so tense. The
more uncomfortable they are, the more I tend to tighten them to get
rid of it. (I know it is a strange way of getting rid of it.) My
shoulders stay hunched. My husband will say, "Lower your
shoulders." I realize I am walking around with them up around
my ears.
A. Only
25% of people who meditate see colors. The other 75% don't so there
is no need to worry if you don't see them. It is difficult to advise
you of what you may or may not experience at the various levels of
meditation. It is very individual. Some people can have an
experience as being as 'light as a feather' or feelings of
heaviness, some people may reach the thought free state. There can
be numerous experiences across the whole spectrum of meditation BUT
some people never have any. And that is ok. We use meditation simply
as a relaxation technique and if you relax which is usually
indicated by your breath slowly down naturally, then this is all
that matters.
You do need to spend more than a few
minutes meditating. We recommend people meditate for 20 minutes at
least once a day, preferably twice a day.
Your tension is coming from the way you are
thinking. The way you think creates the tension and anxiety and the
more you worry about how tense you are the more anxious you become.
Besides meditating, are you working on your thinking by using a
Cognitive Technique? Meditation can assist you in increasing your
cognitive skills. This is the way to permanent recovery.
Nocturnal
Panic Attacks and trips to A & E !
Q. I
awoke this evening to yet another of my nightly panic
attacks....your web site is very informative and makes for good
reading when one is waiting for their heart rate to return to
normal!
I have had a serious problem with panic
attacks for 3 years now. Although I am taking medication and have
somewhat learned to live with it, I still wish I could find a way to
not have to get up in the middle of the night 2-3 times a week,
drive over to the nearest hospital and sit in the parking lot
"just in case" this time its real. I have found that the
quickest way for me to stop the attack is to get up, get dressed,
and drive somewhere, whether that be driving over to the hospital
parking lot, or just aimlessly around town. I would LOVE any other
ideas or tips of exercises I could perform to help stop the panic
attack as quickly as possible.
A. The
secret of recovery is to lose your fear of the panic attacks. It is
quite common for people to spend the night in the car parks of
public hospitals, 'just in case'. The reality is though, no matter
how violent the panic attacks feel they will not hurt you in any
way. We all wait for the 'big one', but it simply doesn't happen. It
is the fear which creates all the ongoing problems including the
disabilities such as Agoraphobia, prescribed drug addiction etc.
Nocturnal attacks were part of my own panic
disorder, so I do understand what they feel like. Now that have lost
my fear of them I don't care if I have one or not. 'So What!' I may
still have one if I am tired or stressed and when they wake me up
all I need say to myself is, 'an attack' and I roll over and go back
to sleep. So What!
The research on the nocturnal attacks show
they happen on the change of consciousness as we are going to sleep
or from REM to deep sleep or deep sleep back to REM or as we wake
up. The research also shows they have nothing to do with dreams or
nightmares. It is simply an effect of the change of consciousness.
Recovery means understanding exactly what
is happening to you and understanding and accepting that your panic
attacks will not hurt you. You are living breathing proof of this
along with other people throughout the world...including me!
Recovery also means not buying into the fear and the anxiety
producing thoughts and letting the panic attacks happen. This means
total non resistance to them. It is the fear and the resistance
which keeps it all going. Once you can simply let the panic attacks
happen they disappear as quickly as they come. Instead of 'what if'
it becomes 'So what'! - This is simplified of course and most of us
use Cognitive Behavioral Skills to help us reach this point.
If you go to our website and check these
pages : 1. 'About Anxiety Disorders - Dissociation' 2. 'Research -
An analysis of an uncured panic attack' 3. Questions and Answers -
'D' for Dissociation, these pages can help you understand your
experience.
We can refer you onto a CBT therapist if
you wish. We will need to know the name of the
Country/State/City/Town you live in.
Panic
Disorder & OCD.
Q. When
I first developed anxiety it took a week or so before anybody knew
what was wrong with me. I was scared to death that I was going
insane. I ought to know better, but even now this is what frequently
triggers my anxieties - the fear of losing control of myself.
When I feel nervous I feel like I'm coming
unhinged, and I worry about what might happen to me, which of course
makes me more nervous. When I read in the paper about what happened
in Colorado or a story like that, I get so nervous and wonder if
that could happen to me.
I get easily annoyed when I'm nervous, but
I've never been an even remotely violent person, or done anything
violent in my life, so I don't know why I should be scared of that.
But that's what happens. When I get nervous I start to think about
how I'm "crazy" for having this problem, and wonder, could
"crazy" lead to "psychotic"? Do any other people
react in this way, or am I genuinely nuts?
Is my fear of going nuts general anxiety,
or is it a specific phobia?
A. The
fear of going insane, of losing control are two of the major fears associated
to Panic Disorder. You are not 'nuts' and no, it will not lead you
into a psychotic episode. In Panic Disorder, the fear of losing
control is 'generic' in so far as people don't qualify it in terms
of losing control and hurting other people.
The fear of losing control and hurting
other people is a recognized form of the Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder spectrum. and is a very common fear. People don't talk
about it because they are frightened they maybe committed to a
psychiatric facility or reported to the police. This does not
happen. The thought is of course frightening and this is what gives
it the power to scare you.
Many people with panic disorder (the fear
of having a panic attack) can have symptoms from the other anxiety
disorders, OCD, social anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.
People whose primary diagnosis of an
Anxiety Disorder are very passive people and are not violent. This
is also true of the majority of people who have a psychotic illness
such as schizophrenia. Community perceptions of the major mental
illness group is incorrect and demonstrates the extraordinary lack
of understanding about these illnesses. And it is this lack of
understanding which fuels so much of the ongoing stigma and shame
associated to all mental health problems. It is a tragedy in itself.
Can we suggest we refer you onto a
Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. They will be able to make a full
assessment of your primary anxiety disorder and symptoms of the
other disorders. They would then be able to offer you treatment in
the form of CBT. This is the most effective treatment in the long
term for panic disorder. It is important you tell the therapist
about your fear that you may lose control and hurt someone/people so
that they can help you learn to manage the thought so it does not
generate ongoing anxiety. If you would like a referral can you let
us know the name of the Country/State/City/Town you live in.
The
Big One...!
Q. I am
a 34 year old woman and have had panic attacks and anxiety for about
15 years. They are usually very well controlled except during some
times of extreme stress. I have trained myself in how to handle them
when they come on so I can usually short-circuit them before they
get too bad. When I first started with them, sleep was an escape.
Now, however, my situation is changing. Since I was pregnant with my
first child I now have occasional attacks at night which awaken me
and I am in a full blown attack. These are harder to control because
they are so developed by the time I wake up. I have them about every
6 months but am fearful about waking up with one all the time. I am
most fearful when my husband is out of town and I am alone. I am
anxious all day long and then am afraid to go to sleep. I am afraid
that I will awaken with one of these attacks and won't be able to
handle it alone, it will be "The Big One". Also, the
technique that I use to handle the attacks during the day is to keep
very busy and when I lay down to sleep, I am not capable of using
that technique to ward off attacks. I feel that overall I handle my
anxiety very well, but this problem is getting worse and I don't
know how to handle it. Is it common for people with panic to live
their lives in fear of the "Big One"? I have also read
that panic "burns out" with age and that I will have these
less as I age. Is this true? I am very fearful of what will happen
to me when I get older and perhaps won't have my parents/husband to
support me. Any suggestions you may have would be greatly
appreciated.
A. The
secret of recovery is to lose the fear of your attacks. We all think
'what if the next one is going to be 'the big one'! It won't be. No
matter how violent our attacks feel nothing happens to us. Actually
this is the irony. It is our fear/s which lead to the perpetuation
of our experience and to the secondary conditions such as
Agoraphobia, depression etc. It is not the attacks or anxiety as
such.
Trying to keep busy, although it can help,
is a distraction 'technique' and is why you haven't fully recovered.
It hasn't taught you to lose your fear of the expereince. Once you
can lose your fear of your experience, you will be able to do as I
do now, that is roll over and go back to sleep!!
It is difficult to say if the panic attacks
become less as we get older. We have never seen any research which
shows this. We would guess it is not so much a 'natural' easing, but
more of a reduction in fear. Once people lose the fear of their
experience, the attacks do become less and less but they may occasionally
happen during times of stress. But with the loss of the fear, it is
more of an attitude of 'So What' and the occasional attack does not
impact on peoples' lives.
The research on the nocturnal attacks show
they happen on the change of consciousness as we are going to sleep
or from REM to deep sleep or deep sleep back to REM or as we wake
up. The research also shows they have nothing to do with dreams or
nightmares. It is simply the magnitude of the change in consciousness.
For those of us who have the nocturnal
attacks we usually also have the ability to dissociate. This can
happen during the day or evening before we go to bed. In many cases
the ability to dissociate can lead to feelings of panic/anxiety.
Dissociation is also known as 'self induced trance state/s and one
of the easiest ways to induce these states is by staring. Either
into space, at a traffic light, the road, the car in front, the tv,
computer, book etc. Research shows those of us who have this ability
can induce a trance state within a split second and not be aware we
are doing so. Fluroscent lights can also induce these states.
Dissociation is on a scale (e.g zero to
ten) and from our own research people who have spontaneous 'attacks'
are at about the four and half to five on the scale.
Recovery means for us : understanding how
we are dissociating during the day, breaking our stare, not buying
into the fear and the anxiety producing thoughts and letting the
symptoms happen. This means total non resistance to them. It is the
fear and the resistance which keeps it all going. Once you can
simply let the symptoms happen they disappear as quickly as they
come. This also applies in part to the nocturnal panic attacks. If
you are woken from sleep, let the attack happen no matter how
violent it feels and don't buy into the anxiety producing thoughts.
Learn to develop an attitude from 'what if' to 'So what'! - This is
simplified of course and most of us use Cognitive Behavioral Skills
to help us reach this point.
If you go to our website and check these
pages : 1. 'About Anxiety Disorders - Dissociation' 2. 'Research -
An analysis of an uncured panic attack' 3. Questions and Answers -
'D' for Dissociation, these pages may help you understand your
overall experience.
We can refer you to a Cognitive Behavioral
therapist. A therapist would be able to teach you how to lose your
fear. To refer you we do need to know the name of the
Country/State/City/Town you live in.
How
can I help my 8 year old son...?
Q. A
few months ago my 8 year old son started becoming hyper about
situations with no warning. I would walk him to a friends house and
go to leave and he would panic and insist I stay. If I did not stay,
he would cry and become hysterical and then leave with me. This was
a complete personality reversal in a very outgoing boy.
This panic comes whenever a change is
introduced and there is no time for him to adjust. How can I better
get him to cope. This behavior is effecting his stomach. The doctor
believes he is working on an ulcer. It has not as yet been confirmed
by upper GI. But the symptoms are constant. He lives on Tums once
the panic starts.
What can I do for him? What is the best
form of counseling if there is some avenue? I have a very
intelligent child, very athletic, usually very friendly, who is now
starting to become a momma's boy or worse a recluse.
A. Can
we suggest you find a Cognitive Behavioral psychologist who specializes
in Anxiety disorders in children. We have an article on our website
http://www.paems.com.au/newsletter/news/int2.html with Ron Rapee
which may be of help for you. Ron is one of the leading Child AD
specialists here in Australia. If you are in the USA you may wish to
visit the website http://www.cognitivetherapy.com They have a list
of CBT therapists in the USA and you may be able to find one in your
State and/or you could email the webmaster of the site and they may
also be able to assist you.
We have also included a list of websites
which deal with childhood anxiety.
http://www.klis.com/chandler/pamphlet/panic/part1.htm
http://www.psych.med.umich.edu/web/aacap/factsFam/anxious.htm
http://www.aacap.org/factsFam/panic.htm
http://www.mentalhealth.com/p20-grp.html#Mood
http://www.pacificcoast.net/~kstrong/school.html
http://www.algy.com/anxiety/NEWS//review9.html
http://www.algy.com/anxiety/children.html
Biofeedback
does it work...?
Q. I'm
looking for a bit of information. I've a panic /anxiety disorder
which I've been trying to deal with for a number of years. I've
recently seen a therapist that is advising that EEG Biofeedback
Training is the way to go. Have you heard of it? Is it successful?
A. It
may help you learn to bring your breathing and heart rate down, but
it is not going to go to the cause and that is the way you think.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the only therapy which has been
demonstrated to be the most effective in the long term for panic
disorder. This is how we and many of our clients have recovered.
If you would like a referral to a CBT
therapist can you advise the name of the country/state/city/town you
live in.
CBT
vs Graded Exposure..
Q. What
is the difference between CBT and say graded exposure desensitization)
to things that make a person anxious/panic such as in social phobia?
A. CBT
teaches you how to manage your panic/anxiety producing thoughts and
then you go back into situations and places that you have been
avoiding to develop your cognitive skills.
Graded Exposure means you go back into
situations and places that you have been avoiding without the
benefit of Cognitive Retraining. You simply go back into the avoided
situation/s/place/s and stay there until you feel better.
How
can we help our 35 year old son...
Q. Our
35 year old son has had several 'attacks' over a number of years
which we believe are anxiety attacks. However, he does not see any
real problem. He has had heart stress tests done recently following
one episode. These revealed nothing abnormal, but he was admitted
with an irregular heart beat. He also drinks too much. How can we
encourage him to seek treatment for his disability? We are afraid
for his well being as he has spoken of suicide on occasions. He is
single, has a girlfriend, and has his own home. We, his parents, are
become depressed thinking about him and being unable to help.
A. There
is not much you can do to help your son. If he feels he hasn't got a
problem then he may not want to listen. Many men don't want to admit
to an anxiety disorder. They find it very embarrassing. This may be
the problem.
You can perhaps tell him you are both
worried about him, his drinking and his thoughts of suicide, and you
were looking on the Net and found our site and after reading it
wondered if he may be having panic attacks. You could perhaps print
of some of the information about the Disorders/symptoms and ask him
to read it.
You could also have a quiet word to his
girlfriend and give her the information. She could speak with him
and/or leave it leave it on the table etc.
We realize it is very difficult for you,
but he does need to admit to himself he has a problem and needs
treatment before much can be done in the way of helping him.
The Big One...!
Q. I am
a 34 year old woman and have had panic attacks and anxiety for about
15 years. They are usually very well controlled except during some
times of extreme stress. I have trained myself in how to handle them
when they come on so I can usually short-circuit them before they
get too bad. When I first started with them, sleep was an escape.
Now, however, my situation is changing. Since I was pregnant with my
first child I now have occasional attacks at night which awaken me
and I am in a full blown attack. These are harder to control because
they are so developed by the time I wake up. I have them about every
6 months but am fearful about waking up with one all the time. I am
most fearful when my husband is out of town and I am alone. I am
anxious all day long and then am afraid to go to sleep. I am afraid
that I will awaken with one of these attacks and won't be able to
handle it alone, it will be "The Big One". Also, the
technique that I use to handle the attacks during the day is to keep
very busy and when I lay down to sleep, I am not capable of using
that technique to ward off attacks. I feel that overall I handle my
anxiety very well, but this problem is getting worse and I don't
know how to handle it. Is it common for people with panic to live
their lives in fear of the "Big One"? I have also read
that panic "burns out" with age and that I will have these
less as I age. Is this true? I am very fearful of what will happen
to me when I get older and perhaps won't have my parents/husband to
support me. Any suggestions you may have would be greatly
appreciated.
A. The
secret of recovery is to lose the fear of your attacks. We all think
'what if the next one is going to be 'the big one'! It won't be. No
matter how violent our attacks feel nothing happens to us. Actually
this is the irony. It is our fear/s which lead to the perpetuation
of our experience and to the secondary conditions such as
Agoraphobia, depression etc. It is not the attacks or anxiety as
such.
Trying to keep busy, although it can help,
is a distraction 'technique' and is why you haven't fully recovered.
It hasn't taught you to lose your fear of the experience. Once you
can lose your fear of your experience, you will be able to do as I
do now, that is roll over and go back to sleep!!
It is difficult to say if the panic attacks
become less as we get older. We have never seen any research which
shows this. We would guess it is not so much a 'natural' easing, but
more of a reduction in fear. Once people lose the fear of their
experience, the attacks do become less and less but they may occasionally
happen during times of stress. But with the loss of the fear, it is
more of an attitude of 'So What' and the occasional attack does not
impact on peoples' lives.
The research on the nocturnal attacks show
they happen on the change of consciousness as we are going to sleep
or from REM to deep sleep or deep sleep back to REM or as we wake
up. The research also shows they have nothing to do with dreams or
nightmares. It is simply the magnitude of the change in consciousness.
For those of us who have the nocturnal
attacks we usually also have the ability to dissociate. This can
happen during the day or evening before we go to bed. In many cases
the ability to dissociate can lead to feelings of panic/anxiety.
Dissociation is also known as 'self induced trance state/s and one
of the easiest ways to induce these states is by staring. Either
into space, at a traffic light, the road, the car in front, the tv,
computer, book etc. Research shows those of us who have this ability
can induce a trance state within a split second and not be aware we
are doing so. Fluorescent lights can also induce these states.
Dissociation is on a scale (e.g zero to
ten) and from our own research people who have spontaneous 'attacks'
are at about the four and half to five on the scale.
Recovery means for us : understanding how
we are dissociating during the day, breaking our stare, not buying
into the fear and the anxiety producing thoughts and letting the
symptoms happen. This means total non resistance to them. It is the
fear and the resistance which keeps it all going. Once you can
simply let the symptoms happen they disappear as quickly as they
come. This also applies in part to the nocturnal panic attacks. If
you are woken from sleep, let the attack happen no matter how
violent it feels and don't buy into the anxiety producing thoughts.
Learn to develop an attitude from 'what if' to 'So what'! - This is
simplified of course and most of us use Cognitive Behavioral Skills
to help us reach this point.
If you go to our website and check these
pages : 1. 'About Anxiety Disorders - Dissociation' 2. 'Research -
An analysis of an uncured panic attack' 3. Questions and Answers -
'D' for Dissociation, these pages may help you understand your
overall experience.
We can refer you to a Cognitive Behavioral
therapist. A therapist would be able to teach you how to lose your
fear. To refer you we do need to know the name of the
Country/State/City/Town you live in.
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