I have come up with a theory for my constant physical symptoms and panic-FEAR OF FEAR

[Thistooshallpass]

Yesterday I found the website panicend.com and felt my self welling up as I read the words. There was nothing wrong with me-I just have a fear of my own panic and anxiety. I didn't realise until now that ever since a bad panic attack 2 years ago whilst driving when I called an ambulance and felt like I had gone insane. Ever since then I have had mild symptoms of panic every day despite making changes in my life and wondered why I was still feeling anxious everyday despite fighting off panic attacks.

I have now put it down to my fear of panic attacks-despite not having many since my first few. Since finding these words 'without the fear of them panic attacks can't exist' I have been trying to actively bring on a panic attack and 'take off the boxing gloves' as it were. I so far have found this very hard to do but I am trying. The advice Jeff gives on panicend.com is to try and make the panic worse and MEAN it (something I am struggling with)! This is due to the fact that I am still scared/fearful of all the sensations I have when I panic (especially the feeling I am going insane and going to lose control).

Has anybody else just gone into a panic attack and not feared it at all? Said sod it and realised there is infact nothing to fear but fear itself?

On the motorway today I had a mini one and at one point it was really overwhelming (band round head, depersonalisation) but after about 10 minutes it passed :yahoo: I think all my thoughts about panic over the last few days is bringing them on. I just don't know whether to carry on with this method or to try what I have always done-fight my anxiety. It seems the first method will work best and stop my constant worry about panic.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks

[Emz]

I've certainly tried it, not bringing on a panic attack but telling myself when I feel one coming 'right sod it BRING ON YOUR WORST' but I usually still end up a quivering wreck a few minutes later.

For me I think that I have a strong belief in my fear. Whilst I'm feeling normal or I'm over a panic attack my belief in the fear diminishes but whilst I panic my belief in what is happening to me is completely valied and I believe that I am about to die.

[baileys]

Yesterday I found the website panicend.com and felt my self welling up as I read the words. There was nothing wrong with me-I just have a fear of my own panic and anxiety. I didn't realise until now that ever since a bad panic attack 2 years ago whilst driving when I called an ambulance and felt like I had gone insane. Ever since then I have had mild symptoms of panic every day despite making changes in my life and wondered why I was still feeling anxious everyday despite fighting off panic attacks.

I have now put it down to my fear of panic attacks-despite not having many since my first few. Since finding these words 'without the fear of them panic attacks can't exist' I have been trying to actively bring on a panic attack and 'take off the boxing gloves' as it were. I so far have found this very hard to do but I am trying. The advice Jeff gives on panicend.com is to try and make the panic worse and MEAN it (something I am struggling with)! This is due to the fact that I am still scared/fearful of all the sensations I have when I panic (especially the feeling I am going insane and going to lose control).

Has anybody else just gone into a panic attack and not feared it at all? Said sod it and realised there is infact nothing to fear but fear itself?

On the motorway today I had a mini one and at one point it was really overwhelming (band round head, depersonalisation) but after about 10 minutes it passed :yahoo: I think all my thoughts about panic over the last few days is bringing them on. I just don't know whether to carry on with this method or to try what I have always done-fight my anxiety. It seems the first method will work best and stop my constant worry about panic.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks
im with you on this one. I dont have full blown panic attacks anymore because if i feel one building up i just tell it to come if it wants too, if it does and i need to be scooped up off of the floor, then so be it, thats what i tell myself..... it always goes away then.
It is a fear of having one that keeps us in this anxiety state but i still fear them....... a bit.

[Edward78]

For me having a PA is the most terrifying painful experience ever. And therefore it seams logical that I should and will fear it. There is a saying 'what you resist persists', and yes I reacon that the only way to overcome PA's is not to fear them, not to avoid them, not to use techniques to prevent them (cos prevention is reinforcing the believe that they are bad), and to face them head on and come out the other side. But I wonder whether this is really possible bcos for me as I said a PA is the most terrifying thing, therefore its rational to fear and not be able to cope with it.

I want to try dealing with one head on, but occassionally when I've had mini ones the experience has been soo intense that I cant rationalise and I quickly run back to safety back to my confort zone.

I know what situations will give rise to a PA in me, I could experiment with myself like this tomorrow, eg I could get on a plane / boat. But if I had a full PA in a situation like this where theres no turning back... I dont know what the outcome might be... It like theres no intermediate step when using the 'face it' method, like throwing oneself off the edge of a cliff, and natural instincts prevent us from doing this.

[Thistooshallpass]

The thing with me is that I don't believe I will die-I worry about losing control of myself and fear the fear symptoms themselves because they upset me alot and are designed to fill you with absolute doom and panic. One of the thoughts I had whilst suffering today on the motorway was 'This will pass' over and over again and tried to reinforce the fact that it was a false signal to my body and I wasn't going to lose it. This seemed to help me. I must admit thought I struggled with letting the panic take over because I feared what would happen if I did. So until I can do that I am stumped with really testing the theory:mad:

[baileys]

For me having a PA is the most terrifying painful experience ever. And therefore it seams logical that I should and will fear it. There is a saying 'what you resist persists', and yes I reacon that the only way to overcome PA's is not to fear them, not to avoid them, not to use techniques to prevent them (cos prevention is reinforcing the believe that they are bad), and to face them head on and come out the other side. But I wonder whether this is really possible bcos for me as I said a PA is the most terrifying thing, therefore its rational to fear and not be able to cope with it.

I want to try dealing with one head on, but occassionally when I've had mini ones the experience has been soo intense that I cant rationalise and I quickly run back to safety back to my confort zone.

I know what situations will give rise to a PA in me, I could experiment with myself like this tomorrow, eg I could get on a plane / boat. But if I had a full PA in a situation like this where theres no turning back... I dont know what the outcome might be... It like theres no intermediate step when using the 'face it' method, like throwing oneself off the edge of a cliff, and natural instincts prevent us from doing this.
I suppose it depend why you fear a PA.
For me it was more the feeling of fainting and looking an idiot in public places, so by telling myself i didnt care anymore makes it easier to control them.

[Thistooshallpass]

I suppose it depend why you fear a PA.
For me it was more the feeling of fainting and looking an idiot in public places, so by telling myself i didnt care anymore makes it easier to control them.

I agree with this-like if I had a panic attack at work I would worry about looking a fool infront of others especially when I try so hard to keep it together at work. I think you have to just say SOD it to yourself and think what is the worst that could happen by going through a panic attack? Because it nearly always doesn't happen. When having a panic attack I just try to say that my brain is lying to me, it is confused and it is up to me to try and let it know there is nothing to fear and tell myself that I have no reason to fear what adrenaline is doing to me (no matter how bad it gets)!!

[Edward78]

:shrug:
........I must admit thought I struggled with letting the panic take over because I feared what would happen if I did. So until I can do that I am stumped with really testing the theory:mad:

Yes this my problem as well. Solution needed :shrug:

[Going home]

Well I think the theory has been well docmented on the forum, and alot of us have read the books written by Dr. Claire Weekes who also talks about fear of fear. But its good that you've come to the same conclusion, as it does help with recovery for sure.

Anna xx

[Edward78]

I suppose it depend why you fear a PA.
For me it was more the feeling of fainting and looking an idiot in public places, so by telling myself i didnt care anymore makes it easier to control them.

For me I fear them bcos the experience of PA is terrifying and painful. I'm not scared that I'm gonna have a heart attack or anything like that, I know whats happening is simply a PA. Also I'm not scared of looking a fool in public. I just know that PA's for me are awlful to go through.

[Thistooshallpass]

Well I think the theory has been well docmented on the forum, and alot of us have read the books written by Dr. Claire Weekes who also talks about fear of fear. But its good that you've come to the same conclusion, as it does help with recovery for sure.

Anna xx

I am 100 percent sure that it is the only way of me to stop fearing fear. Like now I have a warm pain in my chest so I am going to try and intensify it and say bring it on and stop trying to scare me!

[baileys]

:shrug:

Yes this my problem as well. Solution needed :shrug:

It takes a lot of practice to be able to control the panic before it controls you.
I dont let the panic take over, i tell it i dont care what it does to me before it gets the chance to take over, youve got to mean it though.
Im still in fear of them but i feel more in control than i used to be so although i still suffer from GAD the panics are not so bad.

[Edward78]

It takes a lot of practice to be able to control the panic before it controls you.
I dont let the panic take over, i tell it i dont care what it does to me before it gets the chance to take over, youve got to mean it though.
Im still in fear of them but i feel more in control than i used to be so although i still suffer from GAD the panics are not so bad.

But this is the thing. The technique isnt about controlling a PA, or not fearing it so it doesnt take over, its the opposite! Its about not controlling it, letting it take you over and do its worst to you. But at the same time being able to take its wrath, an experience you can cope with, but that u dont try to avoid or control.

Yet this means that you need to be prepared experience the worst PA you've ever had, you need to be prepared to put yourself in a situation which will invoke such a PA.

I dont believe anyone will overcome their PA problems by simply 'controlling' them or by simply 'not fearing them'. They may improve their condition (as I have) but not eliminate PAs IMO IMO. People need to take the ultimate step, and as I said I have not been able to take that step and I dont yet know how.

[baileys]

But this is the thing. The technique isnt about controlling a PA, or not fearing it so it doesnt take over, its the opposite! Its about not controlling it, letting it take you over and do its worst to you. But at the same time being able to take its wrath, an experience you can cope with, but that u dont try to avoid or control.

Yet this means that you need to be prepared experience the worst PA you've ever had, you need to be prepared to put yourself in a situation which will invoke such a PA.

I dont believe anyone will overcome their PA problems by simply 'controlling' them or by simply 'not fearing them'. They may improve their condition (as I have) but not eliminate PAs IMO IMO. People need to take the ultimate step, and as I said I have not been able to take that step and I dont yet know how.
I just know what works for me. Im not very good at explaining it.
I just try to take control of the situation before it controls me, i cant ignore it because i know what it can do but i wont let it take hold.
Im doing my best but im not good at explaining things.

[Edward78]

I just know what works for me. Im not very good at explaining it.
I just try to take control of the situation before it controls me, i cant ignore it because i know what it can do but i wont let it take hold.
Im doing my best but im not good at explaining things.

You've explained things fine. But like you've admitted although you are doing quite well with your problems, you havent eliminated them. I'm suggesting to eliminate maybe one needs to do things slightly differently.

[baileys]

You've explains things fine. But like you've admitted although you are doing quite well with your problems, you havent eliminated them. I'm suggesting to eliminate maybe one needs to do things slightly differently.
You are right, i need to do something different to eliminate the fear of having a PA, although i control them im still fearful of them.
Maybe i need to compleatly ignore them, but thats so hard to do.

[ladybird64]

Baileys, to tell the panic that it can come regardless is the way to eliminate them..you are doing it the best way. :)

It is a process of elimination that can take come time and practice like all things, the more you disregard it the less powerful it will be.

Panic doesn't have to be challenged nor does it have to be invited, if it comes it comes, if it doesn't, well so much the better!

Maybe elimination is something that comes with time Edward. :) The intensity of panics get less and less until they start to no longer matter and then they move away.

There are people who have used this site who have eliminated panic all together, I'm not sure if I have managed that but can't remember the last time I had a full blown PA so I seem to be on my way.

Time will tell :)