What does EMLI Stand for?

You may have heard the acronym EMLI in relation to panic attacks or anxiety attacks as some people call them. But what does it stand for and what does it actually mean?

Anyone can suffer a panic attack and when they happen they can be very frightening indeed. The fight or flight reaction that happens can be particularly overwhelming and can even lead to you stopping doing things because you worry that you will get into a cycle and have another panic attack.

 SO What does EMLI mean then ?

E is for Event

The ‘E’ stands for Event, something that happened to you that triggered this reaction. Something has happened which effectively traumatised you. This can be a single event like a car accident or a result of a growing feeling of stress and anxiety when perhaps things are difficult at work and at home.

M is for Meaning

The ‘M’ is the Meaning in that event. You perhaps tell yourself that going into a supermarket makes you have a panic attack, or the noise of a car backfiring. For people who have P.T.S.D, noise can often trigger that reaction.  

L is for Landscape

The ‘L’ is about the Landscape of your mind and body. During an anxiety attack your body is flooding itself with adrenaline and cortisol. It is the classic fight or flight reaction, however sometimes there wasn’t a real threat, just an imagined one. This means that a panic attack can chang the landscape of your brain. The part of the brain called the amygdala, sees what happens and then regulates all of our emotions, based on the response we have. After the first attack it will be checking for an event that might be like the first one. Because we act and think in patterns when you hear a noise or see something that reminds you it can trigger another attack.

I is for Inescapability

Finally the ‘I’ is the feeling of Inescapability. After a panic attack or when the feeling returns you feel trapped, you can’t escape the place or the feeling. It can happen so quickly that you just don’t know where it is coming from.

The good news is that with the right help you can learn to let go of the panic attacks, reduce the stress and anxiety and deal with them in a way that means you can stop them from happening. If you are looking for help please do drop me and email and I can let you know how I may be able to help. You can contact me on [email protected]