Flooding panic to prove fears unfounded/

[mikeyb]

Hi all, I'm Mike I'm 33 and live in Surrey. I've had anxiety for 20 years with panic disorder. I've had CBT and counselling during the last 18 months which has helped me unblock negative feelings and improve my esteem.

However the flipside of this has been that my panic attacks have got worse and my agoraphobia has been the worst its been since i was a teenager. I've put this down to me sticking with the sensations, monitoring my thoughts and realising I had several safety strategies in place to allow me to "escape" the panic.

I've spent so long trying to prevent the panics that I'm now wondering whether the next step is to try to flood and feed the panic so that I can prove to myself that I can survive, I don't lose control and that its simply repressed emotions from my past.

I was wondering if anyone has tried this approach and what they think about it? Naturally I'm scared stiff about doing this as its the opposite behaviour to what I've fought off for so long. I'm also concerned whether this'll make me feel even worse. Help please?

[Meltdown]

Yes, I think the "bring it on" approach can be very beneficial (but it takes some courage to do it!)

Half the time, it is the avoidance of situations and thoughts which bring on panic which make the panic worse!

[Stav_98]

I'm with the bring it on approach but only when you're mind is set.

I struggled to get to the local shops for several years and last November I went to Germany to see a band and tour some guitar shops. A significant achievement for me as the trip was everything I hate...other than guitars...they were GREAT.

[Captain Caveman]

I was wondering if anyone has tried this approach and what they think about it? Naturally I'm scared stiff about doing this as its the opposite behaviour to what I've fought off for so long. I'm also concerned whether this'll make me feel even worse. Help please?

Yes mikey indeed go for it. You will feel worse initially when you start
facing your fears, but then things settle down. It's like getting in to cold water. Initially you feel freezing, but then in time it becomes to feels like warm.

It's nice that people on this website are trying to help each other with constant reassurance, but that and continuous distraction and avoidance is just pro-longing things for sufferers. Easier said than done, but you gotta face your fears.

This article discusses the type of aggressive approach you are talking about. http://www.panicend.com/

[WendyNZ]

Hi Mikey

I have flooded panic in a fairly big way I guess, by travelling overseas for 6 weeks when I have travel panic attacks! I never thought I would be able to do it (see the world) and right up to the day I left with my husband and daughter I kept saying I wasn't going to go...

Anyway, I went, survived and came home feeling enormously proud of myself. I did have some panic attacks while away, but they were no worse than usual and I dealt with them with valium, deep breathing, returning to my hotel room for some quiet etc.

I still have AWFUL anticipatory anxiety before travelling but I know that it is an illusion and it won't stop me travelling anymore (like it did in the past).

Good luck with whatever you decide to do :)

Wendy

[Nigel]

Hi mikeyb,
:welcome: to NMP!
Some people do find the ‘flooding’ technique helps but you’ve gotta do it in the right way. It’s no use forcing yourself into a situation that scares you, only to come away feeling absolutely awful and terrified. Yes, you might’ve gotten through it, but the message your mind will take away from it is that it really was an awful and terrible experience. Something to be avoided, and it’ll respond with that same fear response the next time.

The secret is to face that scary situation in a calm and reassured way. Calmness is the exact opposite of panic. If you’re feeling calm in that situation, it proves to your subconscious mind that there’s nothing to be scared of, and it’ll soon learn to respond with calmness instead.

Another approach is not so much to deliberately bring on and welcome panicky situations, but to not care about them if they should ever happen. Use what you’ve learnt from your counselling and CBT sessions to reassure yourself that nothing bad is going to happen. It’s just an unpleasant sensation caused by your mind mistaking the situation for something dangerous. And you can use things like breathing techniques to quickly diffuse the panic attack before it takes hold.

Best of luck :)
Nigel