Anxiety attacks are not fun. Most people describe them as uncomfortable, even acutely painful, even though usually there are no obvious physical traumas. There are very definite physical symptoms: rapid breathing, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, even fainting.



Anxiety attacks come without warning to a great majority of people.

This is what makes them so baffling. They are not rational in the sense

that what caused them does not seem to be related to what is going on

in the moment. This produces a feeling of panic, which is why anxiety

attacks are often referred to as panic attacks. Then fear of losing

control or having an anxiety attack becomes just as worrisome as the attack

itself. Psychologists call this secondary anxiety; that is, worrying that

an anxiety attack will occur no matter what and that one has not control

over that, either.

If there is a specific experience or item (a thing or object) or situation more or less consistently associated with these anxiety attacks, the panic attack is called something different--a phobia. This is just a panic attack that has developed a little further. It is nonetheless just as

painful and can occur just as often and be caused by the same dynamics

described above.

What causes these things to happen? The short answer is that anxiety is about fear of loss of control. Losing control of what? Most people do

not realize it but the fear is of losing control of their feelings first,

thoughts second. It is usually the environment that triggers this

"dynamic." There is something in the environment that triggers the

response, which is usually very far out of awareness. So most of us think

it is the environment that is the problem. This is not true. The

environment acts to remind us of feelings, associations and thoughts that

are lurking in the back of our awareness. The triggering of these things

produces the anxiety. Subjectively, anxiety surges, seemingly without a

cause. But there is always a cause. It is just out of awareness, and

usually the feared object is some aspect of self, symbolized by something

and associated to something in the environment that set off the reaction.

This is more complicated than what appears on the surface, and the subject of many a book on anxiety. This author has written a very thorough ebook on Ho w To Diagnose Your Anxiety. In it are listed the thirty-three

symptoms that characterize anxiety attacks. The reader can rate their

symptoms according to frequency and severity, then plot the results on one

of three charts. This will quickly tell the reader whether the symptoms

add up to much and whether or not to seek professional help. Usually by

the time a reader seeks out help, anxiety has reached a peak and is

unmanageable.

More importantly, it is vital that the reader understand the genesis of

anxiety/panic attacks. The reasons this dynamic develops are well

understood and the treatments follow from the understanding of their

beginnings. Some treatments promise instant or nearly instant cures,

while others are more thorough and tend to be more permanent. The most

successful treatments are those that combine insight into the causes with

specific cognitive/behavioral techniques.

Dr. Griggs