For information call  077 860 12137

New group course available: £50.00 per session

Call or email now for details on our group therapy course for people suffering from anxiety and panic attacks.

Panic attacks

One in three people will suffer a panic attack at some point in their lives (National Phobics Society 2001).  Anxiety disorders are common affecting five percent of the population at any one time (Royal College of Psychiatrists 2000). 

Here is a  description of the symptoms of panic attacks, causes and cure. 

The person usually develops a severe sense of fear that peaks within ten minutes.  During this period, four or more of the following symptoms occur:

Chest pain and discomfort

Chills or hot flushes

Racing heart or heart skips beats

Fear of dying

Nausea or other abdominal discomfort

Numbness or tingling in fingers and hands

Sweating

Trembling

Shortness of breath and smothering sensation

Fear of loss of control

Fear of going insane

Dizziness, light-headed, faint or unsteadiness

Depersonalisation (feeling detached from oneself), derealization (feeling unreal)

Fear of the fear of having panic attack

The fight or flight response is a natural reaction to a perceived threat.   It is present in humans and animals alike.  When triggered, hormones are released into the bloodstream to enable a person to either fight (defend oneself) or fly (run away) from a potentially dangerous situation.  The effects of the fight or flight response include an increase in the heart rate to pump blood faster to the brain; improved senses for better awareness of potential dangers and altered breathing patterns to speed up the hormonal distribution process.  Once triggered, the brain creates a template for panic attacks causing the panic conditioned response to fire off inappropriately and ever more frequently.

Other factors that encourage panic attacks are lifestyle, thinking style, eating habits, consumption of alcohol, stress and living conditions.

Much research has been conducted on various forms of therapy for panic attacks. Statistics have shown that the most effective form of treatment is a combination of cognitive-behaviour therapy and clinical hypnosis. 

Solution-focussed, cognitive-behaviour therapy involves a thorough appraisal of the lifestyle of the individual as well as an assessment of the panic attacks and its triggers.  Tasks may be assigned such as keeping a diary of when the attacks occur, the circumstances and intensity. Once obtained, this information gives a clear indication of physiological triggers such as excessive caffeine intake or allergies to certain pharmaceuticals and psychological triggers including stress and situations.  Any prevalent distorted thinking patterns (fearful thoughts causing anxiety before the attack has started) also become evident.  Armed with this knowledge, the therapist can begin the next stage of prevention and cure.

This stage is composed of relaxation techniques including breathing and visualisation exercises, panic management strategies and desensitisation processes (gradual exposure to the panic producing triggers).  NLP and clinical hypnosis can also be used to de-condition the fear aspect of the panic attacks as well as creating a new healthy mental template based on positive and creative use of the imagination of each individual. 

Therapy is driven by the needs of the individual; their circumstances and situation so that the skills learned and adopted can continue after the therapeutic process is complete thereby preventing relapse. The individual completes therapy feeling reassured, empowered and confident they are able to control both their mind and body.

Visit this page to see more details about the therapy psychotherapy

Call now to book an appointment with our psychotherapists and life coaches.  Tel 077 860 12137

All sessions of one hour are 128.00 pounds. 

You can book by paying in advance with a cheque or bank transfer.

The psychotherapy practice hours are as follows:

Mon to Friday from 10.00 to 14.00 and from 17.00 to 21.00

Sat and Sun from 09.00 to 14.00 and from 15.00 to 17.00

Mon to Sat from 09.00 to 21.00