June 1st, 2009 
Zoe Collins Many people believe that there is no way to prevent panic attacks. They have suffered for years and believe they have tried everything. Psychiatric therapy and drugs have not worked for them. To prevent panic attacks, a new approach is required.
What is the cause of panic attacks? It may be a chemical imbalance, but there is no recognized way to test for this chemical imbalance, so it remains no more than a theory.
Other experts like to blame panic attacks on repressed emotions but all of us probably have repressed emotions at one time or another. We don’t all suffer from debilitating panic attacks though.
It could also be caused by exhaustion. The exhaustion could be caused by mental, physical or emotional conditions, that lead to a state of general anxiety. This could leave us more sensitive to potential triggers. A strange bodily sensation or a dark thought may also cause us to spiral towards panic.
We only feel worse when it is given a label called “Anxiety Disorder”. Anxiety Disorder just confirms that there really is something we need to worry about.
Eventually, you go into a full panic attack. Your blood is suffused with oxygen and adrenaline and prepares itself to deal with oncoming threats. This may cause strange sensations but it is just the body’s way of protecting yourself.
It is out of your control, but why do you need to control it? You are able to breathe without having to think about it. Everything is fine but it doesn’t feel like that. You have the urge to fight this feeling, but fighting it only makes it seem worse.
In trying to end your panic attacks by fighting them, you are trying to control what can’t be controlled and giving energy to it. But there is no need to control it. As terrible as it feels, it can’t hurt you, any more than your blood pumping in your veins can hurt you. In normal circumstances, once the perceived danger is past, a second automatic system kicks in to restore everything to normal. It is just a question of waiting for that to happen.
If you want to prevent panic attacks, a different mental approach is needed when you feel the early signs. Then you have to deal with the underlying anxiety. And you have to make the change permanent. There may be setbacks but they are a necessary part of the healing process. Anyone can prevent their panic attacks with some simple techniques.
The first part of this plan seems totally counter intuitive. It involves embracing your panic attacks rather than fighting them. Approaching them with interest and exploring them. It takes work but it is not at all difficult to do. And you will be surprised how quickly that fear of another attack falls away. An end to panic attacks is possible for anyone.
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