Agoraphobia and Panic Attacks

There is phobia that is linked to the experience of panic attacks, and that is agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places such as shopping markets. It is a fear associated with leaving a safe zone, such as the home.
Because of a feeling of being vulnerable, people who experience this fear often suffer from panic attacks in these “open” situations. It is true to say many people who have regular panic attacks experience different degrees of agoraphobia. Some have a lingering background anxiety about being away from home should they experience a panic attack. Other people are so immobilized by this fear that they find it very difficult to leave their home for even a short period.
The thinking behind agoraphobia usually follows the line that were a panic attack to occur, who would look after the person, how would he or she get the assistance and reassurance they needed? The vulnerability grows from the feeling that once victims of agoraphobia are caught in the anxiety, they are suddenly unable to look after themselves and are therefore at the mercy of the place they find themselves in and the strangers around them. In its extreme form, agoraphobia and panic attacks can lead to a situation where people become housebound for numerous years. Please note, this is by no means a hopeless situation, and I always need to reinforce the fact that something only becomes hopeless once the person really believes that to be the case.
To begin with, the primary issue that needs to be addressed is the belief in the safe zone. To clarify, when I talk about safe zone, I am referring to the zone where the person believes panic attacks do not occur, or at least occur infrequently. As comfort is found there, it is where the person tends to spend more and more time. The safe zone of anxiety is a myth sustained by the mind. The mind has developed a habit of thinking that dictates that being inside the safe zone is the only place to feel secure and avoid agoraphobia and panic attacks. If agoraphobia is an issue for you, watch as your mind comes up with reasons why it believes only a certain area is safe and another is not. Those reasons range from being near the phone or people you trust to having familiar physical surroundings to reassure you.
The reality of anxiety is that there is no such thing as a safe zone. There is nothing life threatening about a panic attack, and therefore sitting at home is the same as sitting under the stars on a desert island. Of course, your mind will immediately rush to tell you that a desert island is a ridiculous place to be as there are no hospitals, no tranquillisers, no doctors, NO SAFETY.
You need to review your previous experiences of panic attacks. Aren’t you still here, alive and well, after all those attacks during which you were convinced you were going to die?
It may be that on occasions you have been driven to the hospital where they did medicate you to calm you down, but do you really believe that you would not have survived were it not for the drugs? You would have. If the same bout of anxiety had occurred on this desert island, it too would have passed, even if you were all alone. Yes, when it comes to conditions that need medical attention such as asthma, diabetes, and a whole litany or other conditions, then having medical aid nearby is a big asset, but no doctor in the world would tell someone with anxiety that there are only specific safe zones in which she or he can move.
As I know more than anyone how terrifying it can feel to move out of your safe zone as the feeling of fear is welling up inside, I do not wish to sound harsh. This course is not about chastising people for their behaviours. It is a way of looking together at solutions and seeing through the myths that form prison walls. The goal is to enable you to return to a richer and more meaningful life and ultimately defeat your agoraphobia and panic attacks. I also realize that people around you cannot understand why a trip to shops would cause you such discomfort. You will have to forgive them and try not to be upset by their lack of understanding of your problem.
If an individual such as a partner or family member has not had a similar anxiety issue, that person may often find it hard to understand and empathize with what you are going through. I am sure you have been dragged out of the house numerous times against your will, kicking and screaming. This can then lead to tensions and arguments and is upsetting as it can make you feel less understood by those around you. People around agoraphobics are often simply trying what they feel is best. If you can see that their intentions are well meaning (although often misguided), then you will be able to relate to them better and help sooth any potential conflicts.
There is one thing I am sure you will agree with, and that is that the only person who will get you out of agoraphobic thinking is yourself. These are your thoughts, and only you can begin to change that pattern. Dealing with long term agoraphobia and panic attacks is a slow process to begin with, but once the results start happening, it moves faster and faster until you reach a point where you will find it hard to believe that going out was such a difficult task.

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:
NOTE TO AFFILIATES : You may reprint this article for your web site blog or ezine. It must be reprinted in its entirety without alteration. Add your affiliate link at the bottom. Agoraphobia and Panic Attacks There is phobia that is linked to the experience of panic attacks, and that is agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places such as shopping markets. It is a fear associated with leaving a safe zone, such as the home.
Because of a feeling of being vulnerable, people who experience this fear often suffer from panic attacks in these “open” situations. It is true to say many people who have regular panic attacks experience different degrees of agoraphobia. Some have a lingering background anxiety about being away from home should they experience a panic attack. Other people are so immobilized by this fear that they find it very difficult to leave their home for even a short period.
The thinking behind agoraphobia usually follows the line that were a panic attack to occur, who would look after the person, how would he or she get the assistance and reassurance they needed? The vulnerability grows from the feeling that once victims of agoraphobia are caught in the anxiety, they are suddenly unable to look after themselves and are therefore at the mercy of the place they find themselves in and the strangers around them. In its extreme form, agoraphobia and panic attacks can lead to a situation where people become housebound for numerous years. Please note, this is by no means a hopeless situation, and I always need to reinforce the fact that something only becomes hopeless once the person really believes that to be the case.
To begin with, the primary issue that needs to be addressed is the belief in the safe zone. To clarify, when I talk about safe zone, I am referring to the zone where the person believes panic attacks do not occur, or at least occur infrequently. As comfort is found there, it is where the person tends to spend more and more time. The safe zone of anxiety is a myth sustained by the mind. The mind has developed a habit of thinking that dictates that being inside the safe zone is the only place to feel secure and avoid agoraphobia and panic attacks. If agoraphobia is an issue for you, watch as your mind comes up with reasons why it believes only a certain area is safe and another is not. Those reasons range from being near the phone or people you trust to having familiar physical surroundings to reassure you.
The reality of anxiety is that there is no such thing as a safe zone. There is nothing life threatening about a panic attack, and therefore sitting at home is the same as sitting under the stars on a desert island. Of course, your mind will immediately rush to tell you that a desert island is a ridiculous place to be as there are no hospitals, no tranquillisers, no doctors, NO SAFETY.
You need to review your previous experiences of panic attacks. Aren’t you still here, alive and well, after all those attacks during which you were convinced you were going to die?
It may be that on occasions you have been driven to the hospital where they did medicate you to calm you down, but do you really believe that you would not have survived were it not for the drugs? You would have. If the same bout of anxiety had occurred on this desert island, it too would have passed, even if you were all alone. Yes, when it comes to conditions that need medical attention such as asthma, diabetes, and a whole litany or other conditions, then having medical aid nearby is a big asset, but no doctor in the world would tell someone with anxiety that there are only specific safe zones in which she or he can move.
As I know more than anyone how terrifying it can feel to move out of your safe zone as the feeling of fear is welling up inside, I do not wish to sound harsh. This course is not about chastising people for their behaviours. It is a way of looking together at solutions and seeing through the myths that form prison walls. The goal is to enable you to return to a richer and more meaningful life and ultimately defeat your agoraphobia and panic attacks. I also realize that people around you cannot understand why a trip to shops would cause you such discomfort. You will have to forgive them and try not to be upset by their lack of understanding of your problem.
If an individual such as a partner or family member has not had a similar anxiety issue, that person may often find it hard to understand and empathize with what you are going through. I am sure you have been dragged out of the house numerous times against your will, kicking and screaming. This can then lead to tensions and arguments and is upsetting as it can make you feel less understood by those around you. People around agoraphobics are often simply trying what they feel is best. If you can see that their intentions are well meaning (although often misguided), then you will be able to relate to them better and help sooth any potential conflicts.
There is one thing I am sure you will agree with, and that is that the only person who will get you out of agoraphobic thinking is yourself. These are your thoughts, and only you can begin to change that pattern. Dealing with long term agoraphobia and panic attacks is a slow process to begin with, but once the results start happening, it moves faster and faster until you reach a point where you will find it hard to believe that going out was such a difficult task.
Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here: VISIT HERE NOW!!!
This article is copywritten material@

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Public Speaking and Panic Attacks

It is often observed that many people’s top ranking fear is not death but having to speak in public. The joke is that these people would rather be lying in the casket at the funeral than giving the eulogy. Public speaking for people who suffer from panic attacks or general anxiety often becomes a major source of worry weeks or even months before the speaking event is to occur.
These speaking engagements do not necessarily have to be the traditional "on a podium" events but can be as simple as an office meeting where the individual is expected to express an opinion or give verbal feedback. The fear of public speaking and panic attacks in this case centers on having an attack while speaking. The individual fears being incapacitated by the anxiety and hence unable to complete what he or she is saying. The person imagines fleeing the spotlight and having to make all kinds of excuses later for their undignified departure out the office window….
This differs slightly from the majority of people who fear public speaking because their fear tends to revolve around going blank while speaking or feeling uncomfortable under the spotlight of their peers. The jitters or nerves of speaking in public are of course a problem for this group as well, but they are unfamiliar with that debilitating threat which is the panic attack, as they most likely have not experienced one before.
So how should a person with an anxiety issue tackle public speaking?
Stage one is accepting that all these bizarre and quite frankly unnerving sensations are not going to go away overnight. In fact, you are not even going to concern yourself with getting rid of them for your next talk. When they arrive during a speech/meeting, you are going to approach them in a new manner. What we need to do is build your confidence back to where it used to be before any of these sensations ever occurred. This time you will approach it in a unique, empowering manner, allowing you to feel your confidence again. It is said that most of the top speakers are riddled with anxiety before speaking, but they somehow use this nervousness to enhance their speech. I am going to show you exactly how to do this, although I know that right now if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks you may find it difficult to believe you can ever overcome it.
My first point is this and it is important. The average healthy person can experience an extreme array of anxiety and very uncomfortable sensations while giving a speech and is in no danger of ever losing control, or even appearing slightly anxious to the audience. No matter how tough it gets, you will always finish your piece, even if at the outset it feels very uncomfortable to go on. You will not become incapacitated in any way.
The real breakthrough for if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks happens when you fully believe that you are not in danger and that the sensations will pass.
"I realize you (the anxiety) hold no threat over me.”
What keeps a panic attack coming again and again is the fear of the fear—the fear that the next one will really knock your socks off and you feel you were lucky to have made it past the last one unscathed. As they were so unnerving and scary, it is your confidence that has been damaged by previous anxiety episodes. Once you fully understand you are not under any threat, then you can have a new response to the anxiety as it arises while speaking.
Defeating public speaking and panic attacks...
There is always a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety into a panic attack, and that happens with public speaking when you think to yourself:
"I won't be able to handle this in front of these people."
That split second of self-doubt leads to a rush of adrenaline, and the extreme anxiety arrives in a wave like format. If, however, when you feel the initial anxiety and you react with confidence that this is not a threat to you, you will move out of the anxiety rapidly. Using this new approach is a powerful ally because it means it is okay to feel scared and feel the anxiety when speaking–that is fine; you are going to feel it and move with and through the sensations in your body and out the other side. Because he or she is feeling very anxious, often before the talk has begun, that person may feel they have already let themselves down. Now, you can relax on that point. It is perfectly natural to feel the anxiety. Take for example the worst of the sensations you have ever experienced in this situation—be it general unease to loss of breath. You will have an initial automatic reaction that says:
"Danger–I'm going to have an episode of anxiety here and I really can’t afford that to happen.”
At this point most people react to that idea and confirm it must be true because of all of the unusual feelings they are experiencing. This is where your thinking can lead you down a train of thought that creates a cycle of anxiety that produces a negative impact on your overall presenting skills.
So let that initial “oh dear, not now” thought pass by, and follow it up immediately with the attitude of:
"There you are–I've been wondering when you would arrive. I’ve been expecting you to show up—by the way, I am not in the least threatened by any of the strange sensations you are creating—I am completely safe here.”
The key to controlling your fear of public speaking and panic attacks is that instead of pushing the emotional energy and excitement down into your stomach, you are moving out through it. Your body is in a slightly excited state, exactly as it should be while giving a speech, so release that energy in your self-expression. Push it out through your presentation not down into your stomach. You push it out by expressing yourself more forcefully. In this way you turn the anxiety to your advantage by using it to deliver a speech where you come across more alive, energetic and in the present moment. When you notice the anxiety drop as it does when you willingly move into it. Fire a quick thought off when you get a momentary break (as I am sure you have between pieces), asking it for “more.” You want more of its intense feelings as you are interested in them and are absolutely not threatened by them.
It seems like a lot of things to be thinking about while talking to a group of people, but it is not really. You’d be amazed how many different non-related thoughts you can have while speaking. This approach is about adopting a new attitude of confidence to what you might have deemed a serious threat up until now. This tactic will truly help you with fear of public speaking and panic attacks you have associated with them.
If your predominant fear of the speaking engagement is driven by a feeling of being trapped, then I would suggest factoring in some mental releases that can be prepared before the event. For example, some meetings/speeches allow for you to turn the attention back to the room to get feedback etc. from the group.
If possible, you might want to prepare such opportunities in your own mind before the engagements. This is not to say you have to ever use them, but people in this situation often remark that just having small opportunities where attention can be diverted for the briefest of moments can make the task seem less daunting. It my even be something as simple as having people introduce themselves or opening the floor to questions. I realize these diversions are not always possible and depend on the situation, but anything you can factor in that makes you feel less trapped or under the spotlight is worth the effort and can help alleviate fear of public speaking and panic attacks.
Learn more
http://www.panicportal.com/
Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:
NOTE TO AFFILIATES : You may reprint this article for your web site blog or ezine. It must be reprinted in its entirety without alteration. Add your affiliate link at the bottom. Public Speaking and Panic Attacks It is often observed that many people’s top ranking fear is not death but having to speak in public. The joke is that these people would rather be lying in the casket at the funeral than giving the eulogy. Public speaking for people who suffer from panic attacks or general anxiety often becomes a major source of worry weeks or even months before the speaking event is to occur.
These speaking engagements do not necessarily have to be the traditional "on a podium" events but can be as simple as an office meeting where the individual is expected to express an opinion or give verbal feedback. The fear of public speaking and panic attacks in this case centers on having an attack while speaking. The individual fears being incapacitated by the anxiety and hence unable to complete what he or she is saying. The person imagines fleeing the spotlight and having to make all kinds of excuses later for their undignified departure out the office window….
This differs slightly from the majority of people who fear public speaking because their fear tends to revolve around going blank while speaking or feeling uncomfortable under the spotlight of their peers. The jitters or nerves of speaking in public are of course a problem for this group as well, but they are unfamiliar with that debilitating threat which is the panic attack, as they most likely have not experienced one before.
So how should a person with an anxiety issue tackle public speaking?
Stage one is accepting that all these bizarre and quite frankly unnerving sensations are not going to go away overnight. In fact, you are not even going to concern yourself with getting rid of them for your next talk. When they arrive during a speech/meeting, you are going to approach them in a new manner. What we need to do is build your confidence back to where it used to be before any of these sensations ever occurred. This time you will approach it in a unique, empowering manner, allowing you to feel your confidence again. It is said that most of the top speakers are riddled with anxiety before speaking, but they somehow use this nervousness to enhance their speech. I am going to show you exactly how to do this, although I know that right now if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks you may find it difficult to believe you can ever overcome it.
My first point is this and it is important. The average healthy person can experience an extreme array of anxiety and very uncomfortable sensations while giving a speech and is in no danger of ever losing control, or even appearing slightly anxious to the audience. No matter how tough it gets, you will always finish your piece, even if at the outset it feels very uncomfortable to go on. You will not become incapacitated in any way.
The real breakthrough for if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks happens when you fully believe that you are not in danger and that the sensations will pass.
"I realize you (the anxiety) hold no threat over me.”
What keeps a panic attack coming again and again is the fear of the fear—the fear that the next one will really knock your socks off and you feel you were lucky to have made it past the last one unscathed. As they were so unnerving and scary, it is your confidence that has been damaged by previous anxiety episodes. Once you fully understand you are not under any threat, then you can have a new response to the anxiety as it arises while speaking.
Defeating public speaking and panic attacks...
There is always a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety into a panic attack, and that happens with public speaking when you think to yourself:
"I won't be able to handle this in front of these people."
That split second of self-doubt leads to a rush of adrenaline, and the extreme anxiety arrives in a wave like format. If, however, when you feel the initial anxiety and you react with confidence that this is not a threat to you, you will move out of the anxiety rapidly. Using this new approach is a powerful ally because it means it is okay to feel scared and feel the anxiety when speaking–that is fine; you are going to feel it and move with and through the sensations in your body and out the other side. Because he or she is feeling very anxious, often before the talk has begun, that person may feel they have already let themselves down. Now, you can relax on that point. It is perfectly natural to feel the anxiety. Take for example the worst of the sensations you have ever experienced in this situation—be it general unease to loss of breath. You will have an initial automatic reaction that says:
"Danger–I'm going to have an episode of anxiety here and I really can’t afford that to happen.”
At this point most people react to that idea and confirm it must be true because of all of the unusual feelings they are experiencing. This is where your thinking can lead you down a train of thought that creates a cycle of anxiety that produces a negative impact on your overall presenting skills.
So let that initial “oh dear, not now” thought pass by, and follow it up immediately with the attitude of:
"There you are–I've been wondering when you would arrive. I’ve been expecting you to show up—by the way, I am not in the least threatened by any of the strange sensations you are creating—I am completely safe here.”
The key to controlling your fear of public speaking and panic attacks is that instead of pushing the emotional energy and excitement down into your stomach, you are moving out through it. Your body is in a slightly excited state, exactly as it should be while giving a speech, so release that energy in your self-expression. Push it out through your presentation not down into your stomach. You push it out by expressing yourself more forcefully. In this way you turn the anxiety to your advantage by using it to deliver a speech where you come across more alive, energetic and in the present moment. When you notice the anxiety drop as it does when you willingly move into it. Fire a quick thought off when you get a momentary break (as I am sure you have between pieces), asking it for “more.” You want more of its intense feelings as you are interested in them and are absolutely not threatened by them.
It seems like a lot of things to be thinking about while talking to a group of people, but it is not really. You’d be amazed how many different non-related thoughts you can have while speaking. This approach is about adopting a new attitude of confidence to what you might have deemed a serious threat up until now. This tactic will truly help you with fear of public speaking and panic attacks you have associated with them.
If your predominant fear of the speaking engagement is driven by a feeling of being trapped, then I would suggest factoring in some mental releases that can be prepared before the event. For example, some meetings/speeches allow for you to turn the attention back to the room to get feedback etc. from the group.
If possible, you might want to prepare such opportunities in your own mind before the engagements. This is not to say you have to ever use them, but people in this situation often remark that just having small opportunities where attention can be diverted for the briefest of moments can make the task seem less daunting. It my even be something as simple as having people introduce themselves or opening the floor to questions. I realize these diversions are not always possible and depend on the situation, but anything you can factor in that makes you feel less trapped or under the spotlight is worth the effort and can help alleviate fear of public speaking and panic attacks.
Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:
NOTE TO AFFILIATES : You may reprint this article for your web site blog or ezine. It must be reprinted in its entirety without alteration. Add your affiliate link at the bottom. Public Speaking and Panic Attacks It is often observed that many people’s top ranking fear is not death but having to speak in public. The joke is that these people would rather be lying in the casket at the funeral than giving the eulogy. Public speaking for people who suffer from panic attacks or general anxiety often becomes a major source of worry weeks or even months before the speaking event is to occur.
These speaking engagements do not necessarily have to be the traditional "on a podium" events but can be as simple as an office meeting where the individual is expected to express an opinion or give verbal feedback. The fear of public speaking and panic attacks in this case centers on having an attack while speaking. The individual fears being incapacitated by the anxiety and hence unable to complete what he or she is saying. The person imagines fleeing the spotlight and having to make all kinds of excuses later for their undignified departure out the office window….
This differs slightly from the majority of people who fear public speaking because their fear tends to revolve around going blank while speaking or feeling uncomfortable under the spotlight of their peers. The jitters or nerves of speaking in public are of course a problem for this group as well, but they are unfamiliar with that debilitating threat which is the panic attack, as they most likely have not experienced one before.
So how should a person with an anxiety issue tackle public speaking?
Stage one is accepting that all these bizarre and quite frankly unnerving sensations are not going to go away overnight. In fact, you are not even going to concern yourself with getting rid of them for your next talk. When they arrive during a speech/meeting, you are going to approach them in a new manner. What we need to do is build your confidence back to where it used to be before any of these sensations ever occurred. This time you will approach it in a unique, empowering manner, allowing you to feel your confidence again. It is said that most of the top speakers are riddled with anxiety before speaking, but they somehow use this nervousness to enhance their speech. I am going to show you exactly how to do this, although I know that right now if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks you may find it difficult to believe you can ever overcome it.
My first point is this and it is important. The average healthy person can experience an extreme array of anxiety and very uncomfortable sensations while giving a speech and is in no danger of ever losing control, or even appearing slightly anxious to the audience. No matter how tough it gets, you will always finish your piece, even if at the outset it feels very uncomfortable to go on. You will not become incapacitated in any way.
The real breakthrough for if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks happens when you fully believe that you are not in danger and that the sensations will pass.
"I realize you (the anxiety) hold no threat over me.”
What keeps a panic attack coming again and again is the fear of the fear—the fear that the next one will really knock your socks off and you feel you were lucky to have made it past the last one unscathed. As they were so unnerving and scary, it is your confidence that has been damaged by previous anxiety episodes. Once you fully understand you are not under any threat, then you can have a new response to the anxiety as it arises while speaking.
Defeating public speaking and panic attacks...
There is always a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety into a panic attack, and that happens with public speaking when you think to yourself:
"I won't be able to handle this in front of these people."
That split second of self-doubt leads to a rush of adrenaline, and the extreme anxiety arrives in a wave like format. If, however, when you feel the initial anxiety and you react with confidence that this is not a threat to you, you will move out of the anxiety rapidly. Using this new approach is a powerful ally because it means it is okay to feel scared and feel the anxiety when speaking–that is fine; you are going to feel it and move with and through the sensations in your body and out the other side. Because he or she is feeling very anxious, often before the talk has begun, that person may feel they have already let themselves down. Now, you can relax on that point. It is perfectly natural to feel the anxiety. Take for example the worst of the sensations you have ever experienced in this situation—be it general unease to loss of breath. You will have an initial automatic reaction that says:
"Danger–I'm going to have an episode of anxiety here and I really can’t afford that to happen.”
At this point most people react to that idea and confirm it must be true because of all of the unusual feelings they are experiencing. This is where your thinking can lead you down a train of thought that creates a cycle of anxiety that produces a negative impact on your overall presenting skills.
So let that initial “oh dear, not now” thought pass by, and follow it up immediately with the attitude of:
"There you are–I've been wondering when you would arrive. I’ve been expecting you to show up—by the way, I am not in the least threatened by any of the strange sensations you are creating—I am completely safe here.”
The key to controlling your fear of public speaking and panic attacks is that instead of pushing the emotional energy and excitement down into your stomach, you are moving out through it. Your body is in a slightly excited state, exactly as it should be while giving a speech, so release that energy in your self-expression. Push it out through your presentation not down into your stomach. You push it out by expressing yourself more forcefully. In this way you turn the anxiety to your advantage by using it to deliver a speech where you come across more alive, energetic and in the present moment. When you notice the anxiety drop as it does when you willingly move into it. Fire a quick thought off when you get a momentary break (as I am sure you have between pieces), asking it for “more.” You want more of its intense feelings as you are interested in them and are absolutely not threatened by them.
It seems like a lot of things to be thinking about while talking to a group of people, but it is not really. You’d be amazed how many different non-related thoughts you can have while speaking. This approach is about adopting a new attitude of confidence to what you might have deemed a serious threat up until now. This tactic will truly help you with fear of public speaking and panic attacks you have associated with them.
If your predominant fear of the speaking engagement is driven by a feeling of being trapped, then I would suggest factoring in some mental releases that can be prepared before the event. For example, some meetings/speeches allow for you to turn the attention back to the room to get feedback etc. from the group.
If possible, you might want to prepare such opportunities in your own mind before the engagements. This is not to say you have to ever use them, but people in this situation often remark that just having small opportunities where attention can be diverted for the briefest of moments can make the task seem less daunting. It my even be something as simple as having people introduce themselves or opening the floor to questions. I realize these diversions are not always possible and depend on the situation, but anything you can factor in that makes you feel less trapped or under the spotlight is worth the effort and can help alleviate fear of public speaking and panic attacks.
Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here: VISIT HERE NOW!!!
This article is copywritten material@

Cause of Panic Attacks

The short and obvious answer: panic attacks are caused by high
anxiety. But, what exactly is anxiety? Understanding how anxiety
crops up will help you defeat panic attacks.
One of the biggest myths surrounding anxiety is that it is
harmful and can lead to a number of various life-threatening
conditions.
Definition of Anxiety
Anxiety is defined as a state of apprehension or fear resulting
from the anticipation of a real or imagined threat, event, or
situation. It is one of the most common human emotions
experienced by people at some point in their lives.
However, most people who have never experienced a panic attack,
or extreme anxiety, fail to realize the terrifying nature of the
experience. Extreme dizziness, blurred vision, tingling and
feelings of breathlessness—and that’s just the tip of the
iceberg!
When these sensations occur and people do not understand why,
they feel they have contracted an illness, or a serious mental
condition. The threat of losing complete control seems very real
and naturally very terrifying.
Fight/Flight Response: One of the root causes of panic attacks?
I am sure most of you have heard of the fight/flight response as
an explanation for one of the root causes of panic attacks. Have
you made the connection between this response and the unusual
sensations you experience during and after a panic attack
episode?
Anxiety is a response to a danger or threat. It is so named
because all of its effects are aimed toward either fighting or
fleeing from the danger. Thus, the sole purpose of anxiety is to
protect the individual from harm. This may seem ironic given
that you no doubt feel your anxiety is actually causing you
great harm...perhaps the most significant of all the causes of
panic attacks.
However, the anxiety that the fight/flight response created was
vital in the daily survival of our ancient ancestors—when faced
with some danger, an automatic response would take over that
propelled them to take immediate action such as attack or run.
Even in today's hectic world, this is still a necessary
mechanism. It comes in useful when you must respond to a real
threat within a split second.
Anxiety is a built-in mechanism to protect us from danger.
Interestingly, it is a mechanism that protects but does not harm
—an important point that will be elaborated upon later.
The Physical Manifestations of a Panic Attack: Other pieces of
the puzzle to understand the causes of panic attacks.
Nervousness and Chemical Effects...
When confronted with danger, the brain sends signals to a
section of the nervous system. It is this system that is
responsible for gearing the body up for action and also calms
the body down and restores equilibrium. To carry out these two
vital functions, the autonomic nervous system has two
subsections, the sympathetic nervous system and the
parasympathetic nervous system.
Although I don't want to become too "scientific," having a basic
understanding of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous
system will help you understand the causes of panic attacks.
The sympathetic nervous system is the one we tend to know all
too much about because it primes our body for action, readies us
for the “fight or flight” response, while the parasympathetic
nervous system is the one we love dearly as it serves as our
restoring system, which returns the body to its normal state.
When either of these systems is activated, they stimulate the
whole body, which has an “all or nothing” effect. This explains
why when a panic attack occurs, the individual often feels a
number of different sensations throughout the body.
The sympathetic system is responsible for releasing the
adrenaline from the adrenal glands on the kidneys. These are
small glands located just above the kidneys. Less known,
however, is that the adrenal glands also release adrenaline,
which functions as the body’s chemical messengers to keep the
activity going. When a panic attack begins, it does not switch
off as easily as it is turned on. There is always a period of
what would seem increased or continued anxiety, as these
messengers travel throughout the body. Think of them as one of
the physiological causes of panic attacks, if you will.
After a period of time, the parasympathetic nervous system gets
called into action. Its role is to return the body to normal
functioning once the perceived danger is gone. The
parasympathetic system is the system we all know and love,
because it returns us to a calm relaxed state.
When we engage in a coping strategy that we have learned, for
example, a relaxation technique, we are in fact willing the
parasympathetic nervous system into action. A good thing to
remember is that this system will be brought into action at some
stage whether we will it or not. The body cannot continue in an
ever-increasing spiral of anxiety. It reaches a point where it
simply must kick in, relaxing the body. This is one of the many
built-in protection systems our bodies have for survival.
You can do your best with worrying thoughts, keeping the
sympathetic nervous system going, but eventually it stops. In
time, it becomes a little smarter than us, and realizes that
there really is no danger. Our bodies are incredibly intelligent
—modern science is always discovering amazing patterns of
intelligence that run throughout the cells of our body. Our body
seems to have infinite ways of dealing with the most complicated
array of functions we take for granted. Rest assured that your
body’s primary goal is to keep you alive and well.
Not so convinced?
Try holding your breath for as long as you can. No matter how
strong your mental will is, it can never override the will of
the body. This is good news—no matter how hard you try to
convince yourself that you are gong to die from a panic attack,
you won’t. Your body will override that fear and search for a
state of balance. There has never been a reported incident of
someone dying from a panic attack.
Remember this next time you have a panic attack; he causes of
panic attacks cannot do you any physical harm. Your mind may
make the sensations continue longer than the body intended, but
eventually everything will return to a state of balance. In
fact, balance (homeostasis) is what our body continually strives
for.
The interference for your body is nothing more than the
sensations of doing rigorous exercise. Our body is not alarmed
by these symptoms. Why should it be? It knows its own
capability. It’s our thinking minds that panic, which overreact
and scream in sheer terror! We tend to fear the worst and
exaggerate our own sensations. A quickened heart beat becomes a
heart attack. An overactive mind seems like a close shave with
schizophrenia. Is it our fault? Not really—we are simply
diagnosing from poor information.
Cardiovascular Effects Activity in the sympathetic nervous
system increases our heartbeat rate, speeds up the blood flow
throughout the body, ensures all areas are well supplied with
oxygen and that waste products are removed. This happens in
order to prime the body for action.
A fascinating feature of the “fight or flight” mechanism is that
blood (which is channelled from areas where it is currently not
needed by a tightening of the blood vessels) is brought to areas
where it is urgently needed.
For example, should there be a physical attack, blood drains
from the skin, fingers, and toes so that less blood is lost, and
is moved to “active areas” such as the thighs and biceps to help
the body prepare for action.
This is why many feel numbness and tingling during a panic
attack-often misinterpreted as some serious health risk-such as
the precursor to a heart attack. Interestingly, most people who
suffer from anxiety often feel they have heart problems. If you
are really worried that such is the case with your situation,
visit your doctor and have it checked out. At least then you can
put your mind at rest.
Respiratory Effects
One of the scariest effects of a panic attack is the fear of
suffocating or smothering. It is very common during a panic
attack to feel tightness in the chest and throat. I’m sure
everyone can relate to some fear of losing control of your
breathing. From personal experience, anxiety grows from the fear
that your breathing itself would cease and you would be unable
to recover. Can a panic attack stop our breathing? No.
A panic attack is associated with an increase in the speed and
depth of breathing. This has obvious importance for the defense
of the body since the tissues need to get more oxygen to prepare
for action. The feelings produced by this increase in breathing,
however, can include breathlessness, hyperventilation,
sensations of choking or smothering, and even pains or tightness
in the chest. The real problem is that these sensations are
alien to us, and they feel unnatural.
Having experienced extreme panic attacks myself, I remember that
on many occasions, I would have this feeling that I couldn’t
trust my body to do the breathing for me, so I would have to
manually take over and tell myself when to breathe in and when
to breathe out. Of course, this didn’t suit my body’s
requirement of oxygen and so the sensations would intensify—
along with the anxiety. It was only when I employed the
technique I will describe for you later, did I let the body
continue doing what it does best—running the whole show.
Importantly, a side-effect of increased breathing, (especially
if no actual activity occurs) is that the blood supply to the
head is actually decreased. While such a decrease is only a
small amount and is not at all dangerous, it produces a variety
of unpleasant but harmless symptoms that include dizziness,
blurred vision, confusion, sense of unreality, and hot flushes.
Other Physical Effects of Panic Attacks:
Now that we've discussed some of the primary physiological
causes of panic attacks, there are a number of other effects
that are produced by the activation of the sympathetic nervous
system, none of which are in any way harmful.
For example, the pupils widen to let in more light, which may
result in blurred vision, or “seeing” stars, etc. There is a
decrease in salivation, resulting in dry mouth. There is
decreased activity in the digestive system, which often produces
nausea, a heavy feeling in the stomach, and even constipation.
Finally, many of the muscle groups tense up in preparation for “
fight or flight” and this results in subjective feelings of
tension, sometimes extending to actual aches and pains, as well
as trembling and shaking.
Overall, the fight/flight response results in a general
activation of the whole bodily metabolism. Thus, one often feels
hot and flushed and, because this process takes a lot of energy,
the person generally feels tired and drained.
Mental Manifestations: Are the causes of panic attacks all in my
head? is a question many people wonder to themselves.
The goal of the fight/flight response is making the individual
aware of the potential danger that may be present. Therefore,
when activated, the mental priority is placed upon searching the
surroundings for potential threats. In this state one is highly
-strung, so to speak. It is very difficult to concentrate on any
one activity, as the mind has been trained to seek all potential
threats and not to give up until the threat has been identified.
As soon as the panic hits, many people look for the quick and
easiest exit from their current surroundings, such as by simply
leaving the bank queue and walking outside. Sometimes the
anxiety can heighten, if we perceive that leaving will cause
some sort of social embarrassment.
If you have a panic attack while at the workplace but feel you
must press on with whatever task it is you are doing, it is
quite understandable that you would find it very hard to
concentrate. It is quite common to become agitated and generally
restless in such a situation. Many individuals I have worked
with who have suffered from panic attacks over the years
indicated that artificial light—such as that which comes from
computer monitors and televisions screens—can can be one of the
causes of panic attacks by triggering them or worsen a panic
attack, particularly if the person is feeling tired or run down.
This is worth bearing in mind if you work for long periods of
time on a computer. Regular break reminders should be set up on
your computer to remind you to get up from the desk and get some
fresh air when possible.
In other situations, when during a panic attack an outside
threat cannot normally be found, the mind turns inwards and
begins to contemplate the possible illness the body or mind
could be suffering from. This ranges from thinking it might have
been something you ate at lunch, to the possibility of an
oncoming cardiac arrest.
The burning question is: Why is the fight/flight response
activated during a panic attack even when there is apparently
nothing to be frightened of?
Upon closer examination of the causes of panic attacks, it would
appear that what we are afraid of are the sensations themselves—
we are afraid of the body losing control. These unexpected
physical symptoms create the fear or panic that something is
terribly wrong. Why do you experience the physical symptoms of
the fight/flight response if you are not frightened to begin
with? There are many ways these symptoms can manifest
themselves, not just through fear.
For example, it may be that you have become generally stressed
for some reason in your life, and this stress results in an
increase in the production of adrenaline and other chemicals,
which from time to time, would produce symptoms....and which you
perceive as the causes of panic attacks.
This increased adrenaline can be maintained chemically in the
body, even after the stress has long gone. Another possibility
is diet, which directly affects our level of stress. Excess
caffeine, alcohol, or sugar is known for causing stress in the
body, and is believed to be one of the contributing factors of
the causes of panic attacks (Chapter 5 gives a full discussion
on diet and its importance).
Unresolved emotions are often pointed to as possible trigger of
panic attacks, but it is important to point out that eliminating
panic attacks from your life does not necessarily mean analyzing
your psyche and digging into your subconscious. The “One Move”
technique will teach you to deal with the present moment and
defuse the attack along with removing the underlying anxiety
that sparks the initial anxiety.

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His
informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety
attacks can be found here: VISIT HERE NOW!!!
This article is copywritten material@