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Cure Panic Attacks - Interoceptive Exposure Treatment

by Trevor Sinclair

People that suffer from panic attacks can have them appear out of nowhere, and cause them to be stressed and extremely afraid. They can become so frightened of having an attack, they will begin to avoid doing the things they enjoy. To cure panic attacks is a very real dream to most people who experience them.

Typical signs of a panic attack include increased heart rate, dizziness, sweating and shallow breathing. These symptoms are often accompanied by an overwhelming sense of disaster, or a feeling that you are going to die. These signs often lead a person to believe that something is physically wrong - it is common for people experiencing a panic attack to mistake the symptoms for a heart attack.

Having panic attacks can start a cycle that is difficult to stop. This begins when a person becomes anxious when they experience even one typical symptom. For example, a person may begin to become fearful as soon as they start exercising because they feel their heart rate becoming faster. Your body will then react to your anxiety you will begin to experience more symptoms. This will cause more anxiety, which in turn causes more symptoms. This cycle can lead to more frequent attacks, and makes it difficult to stop panic attacks and prevent panic attacks from happening in the future.

There is good news, however. Treatments that are designed help stop the cycle and cure panic attacks are available. A method that requires a person to experience the physical symptoms of a panic attack, purposely in a controlled environment is known as Interoceptive Exposure. The patient will try to create the sensations, sometimes by breathing through a small straw for a little while. Many things will occur that help prevent panic attacks from causing a disturbance in your life when the issues are repeatedly and consciously confronted without hesitation.

When you continually force yourself to experience the sensations that you fear, the first thing you find is that you will become less and less anxious about them. Facing your fears in a controlled situation teaches you over time that there is no reason for you to feel your irrational fear, and the cycle of anxiety which controls you can finally disappear.

As the Interoceptive Treatment continues, your panic attacks will become milder and less common. The symptoms related to such attacks are not inherently hazardous and can be successfully treated. Such treatment is often used to cure panic attacks and to prevent their recurrence in the future, allowing you to take control of your life.

The racing heart, dizziness, and shallow breathing that characterize panic attacks mean that people often mistake them for heart attacks. Everyone who suffers has prayed for a way to cure panic attacks, which create a cycle of anxiety. A sufferer may panic when they start to exercise because they feel their heart rate increasing, which triggers anxiety and other symptoms. Thankfully, "Interoceptive Exposure" can stop panic attacks by having sufferers experience their physical symptoms in a safe environment. Living through these symptoms and finding that you can control them gives you control over your fear, which allows you to prevent panic attacks before they start.

Published April 19th, 2008

Filed in Health