You don't HAVE to panic ...

Panic and anxiety disorders affect quite a large percentage of the worlds population. The figures vary according to the source, but it's certainly a figure between 3% and 6%. Globally, that's a huge number of people who will fall foul of this mind related issue at some stage of their life. In my hometown alone (pop approx 45,000), that could equate to some 2700 persons, or more, who will be afflicted now, or into the future.

So, what is panic, and what is anxiety. They are in fact two separate entities with similar physiological sensations. They both play havoc with the body's autonomic nervous system and create a plethora of frightening symptoms. These manifestations can be some, or all, of the following: rapid heart beat, tightness in the chest, dizziness, faintness, feeling 'distant', fearful and the belief that one could lose control or even die on the spot. What a ghastly set of symptoms to be lumbered with! The final irony is that when a sufferer tries to explain these feelings to a non sufferer, it's quite often misunderstood or even disbelieved. One can only postulate that this is because, to the observer, the afflicted person appears to be quite well. But, make no mistake, to the anxious person, these sensations are not in the mind, they are very, very physical indeed.

As I said, panic and anxiety are two separate entities, sometimes they are confusingly thought to be the same, but are not. It's simple really; panic "comes out of nowhere". It descends on the hapless victim like a smothering wet blanket. Anxiety, on the other hand, tends to lurk there in the background at all times. There is a feeling, a sensation which never really disappears, but instead peaks according to the situation at hand. These disorders can be termed as either mild or severe. The most severe manifestations may even cause people to become housebound; we would term this as agoraphobia.

So, the big question is, what causes these disorders? I really like the explanation given by the psychologist Martin E.P. Seligman. It makes sense, and sums it up neatly in one sentence (well almost!). Panic for instance, he says, is simply "the catastrophic misinterpretation of a bodily sensation". In other words, to those prone to it, a sensation of any of the symptoms which I mentioned before can very rapidly crash out of control, influence the autonomic nervous system, and there you have it. PANIC. Following on with that line of thought then, we can easily believe that by halting that "catastrophic" thought in midstream, we can bolt the door on panic and anxiety.

After consulting a GP, many people are prescribed medication to suit this issue, and that's just fine. Whatever is required to get you into a more stable state will assist you to move onto the next phase of recovery. Seligman himself believes, as do I, that some form of cognitive therapy, can alleviate your panic and/or anxiety. Of course, my modality of cognitive therapy is Hypnotherapy, the modern term for Clinical Hypnosis.

The bottom line is that sufferers need to know that it is not a life sentence. It may require determination and a deal of effort, but panic and anxiety can be either controlled to the point where they are a non issue, or, they can be completely eradicated.

I really do know which path seems to be the more promising. Good luck.