Panic Disorder 411

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If a tiger is springing from its rear haunches toward you, the fight or flight response will instantly provide you with the energy you need to either grab your rifle and shoot him or to climb a tree faster than a monkey to the safety of the high branches. During a panic attack, the same fight or flight mechanism that protects us from danger is evoked spontaneously. The flow of energy increases; the heart beats faster to pump blood to the muscles; and certain systems, like digestion, shut down to focus all of the body's energy to fight or to run. However, there's nothing to fight or any danger in the environment at all. The stimulus is not a tiger, but, rather, the spontaneous fear response itself.

You can learn how to control your reaction to panic attacks by using deep breathing, progressive relaxation, and visualization. There is hope. There's treatment. Begin your journey by talking to your family doctor or a local mental health clinic.

Visit this website that explains the physiology of panic disorder in depth. What Happens in the Brain During a Panic Attack?

My book The Road To Fort Worth and this website contain the kind of information that would have been a tremendous help to me in the early days of my illness as I searched for solutions for the panic disorder, agoraphobia, and alcoholism that incapacitated me. My book is the story of my journey into recovery.