Many experts and researchers describe the panic attacks and panic disorders as a (very real) trap in two basic key areas. To overcome panic attacks requires effort, strength and dedication. The first trap is linked to that person who, struggling with a crisis, trusts that whatever he is doing is risky (ie, he will get a heart attack, he will faint, he will lose the reason, he will lose the control) when, in actuality, a panic attack does not pose any danger by any means to him. Secondly, those affected by a panic attack will fall into the trap of carrying out anything that they believe will help them to avoid crisis when what they actually do is to deteriorate their situation on how to overcome panic attacks. Such actions comprse behaviors of evasion, as well as trying to control/overcome panic attacks, fight them, fall into superstitions and rituals to avoid panic attacks and attain self-protection. That is, what is done to deal with panic attacks ends up locking them in, in most cases (Carbonell, 2004).

According to Giorgio Nardone and Federica Cagnoni (Arezzo), an initial experience, either real or unreal, can bring into the person’s mind a new possibility of perceptual reaction: the fear. From that experience, everything that is carried out is done to defend himself from the real or imaginary danger. However, this response does not work; on the contrary, it just confirms the threat, which worsens the outcomes and produces a classic situation of panic reaction, both in terms of fear generalization in the psyche as well as in the behavioral response, thus making it harder to overcome panic attacks.
In particular, there have been recognized three representative solutions that attempt to overcome panic attacks: 1) avoidance, 2) request for help and 3) attempt to control.

Avoidance. The effect of avoiding, in fact, represents a confirmation to the person of the threat of the prevented situation which, in turns, prepares subsequent evasive behaviors. In consequence, not only the fear increases but it also grows the person’s skepticism to overcome panic attacks with their own resources, thus boosting up the phobia and the reactions. As a consequence, the disorder turns out to be more disabling and limiting.

Request for help. Once the vicious circle of avoidance is turned on, the person often uses a second “strategy” that turns out to be counterproductive: the request for assistance, that is, the need to always be accompanied and comforted by someone who is willing to intervene in a crisis in order to provide assistance to the affected person to overcome panic attacks. The provision of help assists the person to calm down, but gradually it leads to an increased fear situation. As a matter of fact, the possibility of having someone or something (a substance or drug) to quickly intervene in the provision of help, ends up reassuring the person that he/she is unable of confronting the feared situation all by him/herself.

Attempt to control. The control of physiological and behavioral reactions allows for a perceptual cycle that helps the person face his fear. However, in an attempt to maintain control at all costs on the body itself and on its psychiatric functions a paradoxical situation raises: when the person focus his attention on physiological responses (heart rate, breathing, balance, etc..), it inevitably leads to a change in some of this same functions, causing a fear that creates more changes and puts the person further away from the position to overcome panic attacks.

If you want to learn more on how to overcome panic attacks, anxiety disorders, or simply understand their symptoms, so that you can help yourself or your beloved ones, go to http://www.eovercomepaniattack.com where you will find information and solutions related to overcoming panic attacks.

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