In our UK practice of hypno-psychotherapy, we are increasingly seeing clients presenting with symptoms of extreme anxiety and panic attacks. Such feelings can and do have a significant effect on the life of a person, often severely affecting his or her ability to function normally in his or her family , work or social life.

But what, in fact, is anxiety and how does it lead to panic?

Okay, anxiety itself is merely a symptom created in response to a fear. This is focused on the fear that something bad is going to happen, and this activates the release of the adrenaline hormone in the body, eliciting a response of 'fight or flight.'

Because of this, the body produces a variety of responses that may include elevated heart rate, sweating, muscle tension, rapid respiration, churning stomach and even nausea.

Anxiety can very quickly turn into panic feelings when the anxiety symptoms are so acute that they are allowed to overwhelm the person, causing increased feelings of lack of control. As symptoms are experienced, they appear to feed the fear, thereby enhancing it and-hey presto, panic!

A clear example of this is hyperventilation, or too rapid breathing, which causes us to breathe in a shallow manner causing us to exhale too much carbon dioxide, which in effect creates its own symptoms, ranging from pins and needles to muscle rigidity, dizziness and sometimes even spasm.

It's as if the patient is caught in a vicious loop, with fear triggering more fear, symptoms feeding on additional symptoms, and an overwhelming feeling of being stuck and falling rapidly into an inexorable downward spiral.

Needless to say, the individual who is forced to endure such experiences can be filled with terror.

Perhaps the first thing to do when you're really having a panic attack is to slow things down and concentrate on breathing calmly. A paper bag can be easily inflated and placed onto the nose and mouth if necessary, allowing the person to breathe in and out a few times, thereby raising the level of carbon dioxide in the blood and slowing down the breathing.

It's important to note, above all, that you won't die because you're having a panic attack. Perhaps it is the fear of uncertainty that drives and magnifies the experience. Only take the time to practice, remember to concentrate on breathing deeply and slowly; learn to gradually relax your muscles, the whole process will be over and you'll be able to pick yourself up and start. Yet there's a way to live your life even easier than trying to treat symptoms all the time. It would be a bit like living in your living room with an elephant-well, maybe you might learn to cope with it being there, but how much easier it would actually be if you simply removed the elephant.

The reality is that there really is no excuse that you will continue to suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, or someone you care for.

Now, at the subconscious level of the mind, feelings of fear and panic are triggered — because the subconscious is the engine of all emotions — and this part of the mind has latched on to the mistaken impression that the person is in very real danger. Now, the subconscious mind actually can not tell the difference between a real event and an imaginary one, so it responds as though the circumstance and the thought prompting the attack were indeed harmful. The anxiety and panic sensations are in fact symptoms of this cycle.

Through the transformational hypnotherapy process, we are able to consciously interact with the subconscious mind and re-program its values in line with the truth. When the root of his flawed thinking has been discovered, we are motivated to correct and neutralize it. That leaves the person free to move on with his or her life, free from this utterly crippling and restrictive condition.

No-one was born to live in perpetual fear and anxiety. You can put these states behind you, with the right treatment. You should just move on.

In short, you will get your own life back-and back on track with successful transformational hypnotherapyPsychology Posts.

Check https://www.integratedholistictherapies.com for more details.