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  1. What is a Panic Attack?

     How can I stop having Panic Attacks

    Panic attacks can affect anybody. You don’t need to have had a lifetime of anxiety to experience them. In fact they often start after one bad experience.

    Not all Anxiety is bad for us. You may not have thought about it this way but of course those anxious feelings can be something we all experience from time to time.

     

    You can probably remember feeling nervous and tense, even fearful at the thought of taking your driving test, sitting an exam, or starting a new job.

     

    Did you know that short term Anxiety can be useful ?

     

    It’s not all bad because feeling nervous before an exam can make you feel more alert and enhance your performance. I remember how focussed I was when I took my driving test and it helped me through it. I also experienced a great release once it was over and I was told that I had passed. However, if those feelings of anxiety remain and become more permanent they can overwhelm you and cause a panic attack.

     

    What is fight or flight and why does it happen?

    That feeling you experience is designed to protect you from danger. When the time is appropriate your anxiety and fear trigger the release of hormones, such as adrenalin. This sudden rush of adrenalin makes your heart to beat faster to carry blood where it's most needed. Your breath accelerates to provide the extra oxygen required to give you enough energy to run away. You can feel yourself sweating to help cool you down and prevent overheating. Even your mouth can feel dryer when your natural digestive system slows down to allow more blood to be pumped to your muscles. This sudden rush means that all of our senses become heightened and we are so much more alert. We are ready for fighting or running away in an instant.

    This is known as the 'fight or flight' reflex.

    After we have either run away or fought then we find that other hormones are released, these can even cause you to shake as your muscles start to relax. You can feel dizzy with the lack of oxygen that happened in the initial response.

    Because we evolved to have this reaction to a real threat and yet our lives have changed immeasurably we still have not evolved a way to stop these things happening unless we get some help and find out how to break that pattern.

    Even though what can be causing the stress and anxiety may be only in your mind, the fact that the body does not understand the difference between real and imagined means that you may well suffer a panic attack. Once you have suffered one you may find the biggest problem is the fear that you will have another one.

    How long does a Panic Attack Last?

     How long does a panic attack last

    Everyone is different although there are lots of things that panic attack sufferers have in common. Your panic attack can last for between two minutes, five or even 20 minutes.  You may never have another, and many people feel that they are dying or having a heart attack. They don’t just happen during the day either.

    Panic attacks can happen during the night and wake you up sweating and with your heart beating very fast. Often these coincide with periods of intense stress where you have not been able to calm down enough and let go of that stress.

    What can I do to stop a panic attack?

    The good news is that with a little help you can learn how to end your panic attacks. You can take back control of the stress and anxiety in your life and I even help people to break the cycle of panic attacks so that you would even struggle to make yourself have on again.

    If you would like to ask for help you can contact me on [email protected]

    You can also find a FREE How to Stop a Panic Attack Download in my shop which gives you lots more information on how things work.

  2. CBT on Skype? Counselling on Skype? Hypnotherapy on Skype? How do these work and do they work?

    Back in 2012 I first started working on Skype to help people who were looking for help and searching for a way to deal with stress and anxiety, it meant that I was able to work with people from all over the world and you can watch a short video all about how that works here:

    Sometimes it can be hard to know the diffence between different types of talking therapy and you may not be sure what type of therapy would be best for you so here is a few ways of explaining in simple terms what you could find and how these could help you..

    Different types of talking therapy and how we can use them via SKYPE

    Whilst I am a clinical hypnotherapist I also use many different techniques which you can find in counselling, psychotherapy and CBT. Being able to utilise many different tools means that you do not need to feel stuck in a rigid way fo working.

    Counselling and Psychotherapy...

    I see a great deal of people who have already undertaken one kind of talking therapy and are looking for another solution. You may have spoken to a counsellor and had some sessions of counselling that have helped you, but not quite solved your problem. Perhaps you may feel that you are unable to move forward with a counsellor. One of the things that clients tell me about their counselling sessions is that they feel they are often looking back at what has happened and that they are feeling they want to move forward rather than looking to the past. This is not to say that counselling does not work. For many people the chance to talk to someone about their worries and concerns may really help. That's why an important part of what I offer is that chance to speak about what worries you in a safe and confidential environment. There are some excellent counsellors so do make sure that if you seek to go down that route you use a counsellor who is registered with the appropriate professional body.

    CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)

    CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy seeks to help you to manage your problems by looking at the way that you think and behave. It tends to focus on your current situation and how you feel about the problems that you have now. Again this therapy can be very effective.

    I do find that sometimes clients who visit me after undertaking CBT found that they were unable to let go of some of the issues from the past that still cause problems. Part of this can be that you may find yourself filling in a lot of forms about how you feel and that just talking about how you shouldn't feel that way doesn't always get you to where you want to be. This isn't to say that this may not be a good option for you. It is the reason that I use elements of CBT in my work. The difference is that we would most likely talk them through rather than asking you to fill in forms during your session. The NHS website explains that you may have up to 20 sessions of CBT. This is far in excess of what most clients could ever consider needing with hypnotherapy. Again this is not a reason to discount this option. Everyone has different needs. I use some CBT techniques in what I do alongside many other techniques and interventions.

    If you feel that working to help deal with stress and anxiety and let go of the past on Skype is something that you would like to find out more about then you can drop me and email by clicking here: EMAIL ME with no obligation