Stacking.

[Davit]

This is a technique similar to CBT in that it is a reliable coping skill based on fact. It is based on the fact that we can only hold so many thoughts at one time. The average is six so I will use six. During a really bad panic attack you might have six symptoms you are focussing on so can't add anything else. If you do you lose something and can often get very scared looking for it. Clumping is putting things that are similar together so they become one instead of many. A phone number is ten numbers 987 654 3210. Try to remember it as ten numbers and you can.t but you can as three clumps of numbers. My technique makes use of this. CBT says change negative thought to positive and this is very well except every positive has a negative and you can open it again. Stacking uses neutral thoughts with no relationship to the trigger or the symptoms of the panic attack. Keep in mind this is a coping skill not a cure, Changing negative thought is. So when you are about to panic or already have you take all the panic thoughts and clump them under one. That thought is "I'm having a panic attack". Instead of six or more negative thoughts you now have only one. There is now room for other thoughts. Before you can open that clump of negative thought you start stacking neutral ones. I start with horses. I think of all the kinds of horses I can think of till I start to lose the first horse thoughts. Then I put all these horse thoughts in a clump and set them aside. Now I think about boats, Different kinds of boats while keeping an eye on my horses. When I have enough boat thoughts I clump them and set them aside and think about flowers. By now because the original thought causing the panic is not related to any of these thoughts it is fading. Keep thinking the neutral thoughts and it will go completely. It usually takes less than 15 minutes.
This is the short version without the technical reason that it works. People that do this say it works for them. Feel free to ask any questions.

Davit.

[PanicAttackGurl]

I've used Stacking and it works for me. I start with Dogs. Really big dogs and work my way down to tiny dogs. Then Flowers with the largest and work down to the smallest flower I know. I even used trees, houses, different types of balls (example, Basketball, football, baseball, bowling ball, soccer ball) It has worked to stop a panic attack and has worked to prevent an overblown anxiety attack.

I'm glad you shared this Davit. Thank you

[MyNameIsTerry]

I can't remember trying this but it makes sense because it is an attempt to refocus the conscious mind on something non judgemental, or neutral as you say. Something I leanred in CBT was how the linkage between thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc will become a very fast & vicious circle when you start to panic and you need to stop focussing on it to let it go or you end up making it a lot worse.

I know you are not a fan of Claire Weekes Davit, and I view her work as out of date from the pieces I have read (which it will be given how old it all is) but she also discussed this as 'second wave' or the point where you have the choice to prevent the panic attack developing before it tips over the edge and nothing stops it. Using stacking, or other techniques, to focus the mind away from that feedback loop can work.

Whilst I haven't used this, I have used distraction at times of panic and it would work for me. I only had problems with it when the GAD became so constant that I was needing them more & more and they lost their strength.

[Davit]

Like I said it is not a cure it is only to stop the cycling so the panic can fade from focus and as that it works. It won't stop you from picking at your triggers so you could end up doing it more than once. Searching for the negative is learned and that takes cognitive restructuring to change. Coping skills are stop gaps on the road to recovery.

If you accept that a person can only focus on a limited number of thoughts, and if you accept that during a panic attack you keep adding and losing thoughts you can not shut down the fight or flight because it won't till it has answers. It can't get answers because none of the thoughts stays constant long enough to answer. Clumping them under one heading and focussing on that heading makes them one and then you can focus on the one and give fight or flight the answer it needs to shut down. Always after it shut down I was left with the thought "why did that bother me".

During real bad panic attacks I tried to write my thoughts and actions but couldn't, Fingers worked but the confusion was too strong, I jumped from one half thought to another so fast. Even after I could write what happened but it was still fuzzy. The one constant was fear.

On the subject of journalling, I found writing in the air with my finger helped while I was pacing up and down the driveway. I wrote my thoughts and the illogical fact of them in the air and this reduced the after effects, it also brought the fact they were illogical up during the next attack.

[Sam123]

Very interesting and makes a lot of sense. Will be trying this

[Carnation]

That's really interesting Davit.

I use the word game when travelling in the car.

And, when I have an attack when walking, I divert my thoughts to my surroundings.
(Looking at the trees, plants, buildings, sky, people and cars).
It works every time.

[Davit]

Anything will work as long as it is neutral and not related to the trigger.

[Davit]

bump

[Sam123]

Bump

[MyNameIsTerry]

A useful bump.