Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The PanicTrick

So I bought this book "Panic Attacks Workbook: A Guided Program for Beating the Panic Trick." Its by David Carbonell. I found the book through a website that David Carbonell has called www.anxietycoach.com . If you believe in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) it's a really good book and a good website to check out.

I really like how he refers to Panic as a "trick." Understanding that all the symptoms you experience during a panic attack are just that - symptoms - that are a reaction to the panic trick. You aren't in real danger - you're body is just acting like you are. You may not be able to control those symptoms at first but you can control how you react to them. It's powerful stuff -- and it has been working for me.

By no means do I think I'll never have another panic attack -- and I have panicked. But recognizing my dizziness and rapid heart beat as symptoms helps me defuse the situation and allows me to prevent myself from reacting in a way that would re-enforce those fears aka fleeing or jumping up and running away.

And I know it's working because by all rights I should've had multiple panic attacks today. I only had 3 hours of sleep last night. My support person - my husband - was out of town today. I had many "triggers" occur today - but no panic. I will celebrate this as a victory for me on this day.

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