Panic Attacks
Therefore learning to manage panic attacks would be both a mental advantage and physical advantage to any one going through this regularly. As the mind plays an important role in all of this, the focus should ideally start there.
What and how the individual thinks and interprets situations that bring on the panic can affect the level of panic suffered. If the person perceives the panic attack to be intense, then the situation in the mind’s eye will be manifested as just that – intense.
However if the individual is taught to practice simple relaxation techniques to address the panic attack immediately, then the mind will also follow suit and start to visualize the panic decreasing as the corresponding elements are brought under control.
These techniques include a mental visualization of the functions of the body to influence the physiology of the body. With meditation one is then taught to “influence” the changes needed to induce the better blood flow, heart rate, immune system and thus effectively addressing the state that bring on the panic attack.
As panic attacks are usually brought on by perceptions, meditation teaches the mind to attain a level of mindfulness. The technique involves accepting, acknowledging and letting go of the immediate and focusing instead on the individual consciousness. Breathing deeply and slowly, while all the time being conscious of this exercise, takes the focus away from the panic and settles the body and mind.