Having a Panic Attack? The Anti-Struggle Technique -A Guided Walkthrough to Stop a Panic Attack

Having a Panic Attack? The Anti-Struggle Technique -A Guided Walkthrough to Stop a Panic Attack



Stop panic attacks with the Anti-Struggle Technique. Learn to manage anxiety symptoms through acceptance and mindfulness for improved mental health.
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So, you’re having a panic attack?
If you’re right in the middle of a panic attack, this video is for you. For many people, a panic attack feels like a lot of intense physical symptoms. Maybe your heart is pounding, you feel faint or tingly, you’re afraid that you’re going to pass out or have a heart attack. In this video we’ll walk you through how to know if it’s anxiety causing those symptoms and some practical steps to stop the panic cycle. Because you’re going to be ok. You are safe.
These sensations feel scary but they’re not going to hurt you.
First let’s try this experiment- does moving around make it better or worse? If walking around makes you feel a little better, that’s one indicator that this is anxiety, not a physical condition. Panic Attacks are the physical sensations of the FFF response going into overdrive, not a heart attack. Panic attacks are caused by being afraid of the FFF symptoms.
These symptoms feel really uncomfortable, they feel really scary, but Anxiety and panic won’t harm you- they usually resolve within 5-10 minutes. And by dropping the struggle against them, you may be able to help them resolve faster. Now there are two approaches to dealing with anxiety attacks and panic attacks, this one is the “Roll with it” method and the other one is the calm down method- after watching this video, check out my other video to try the other technique too and see which one works for your situation.
The real problem is not the anxiety or the sensations, – it’s the belief that they are dangerous- So if you’re struggling to calm your body down, you might think “I can’t feel this way. I have to breathe slower, I Have to calm down”- you’re essentially telling your brain that these feelings are dangerous. This heightens the anxiety cycle.
Let’s stop the cycle of panic attacks by showing your brain that anxiety is not dangerous, you can feel anxiety and still be 100% safe.
So say this:
“This is uncomfortable but not dangerous.”
“Even though this is uncomfortable, I am safe.”
Say “I can handle feeling this” “this will pass” Emotions and sensations come and go like waves, this will too.”

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

So you're having a panic attack. If you're 
right in the middle of a panic attack, this video is for you. For many people, a 
panic attack feels like a lot of intense physical symptoms. Maybe your heart is 
pounding, you might feel faint or tingly, or you're afraid that you're going to pass out 
or have a heart attack. In this video I'll walk you through how to know if it's anxiety 
causing those symptoms and some practical steps to stop the panic cycle. Because 
you're going to be okay. You are safe. [Music] [Music] They feel scary, but they're not going to hurt 
you. So first let's try this experiment. Does moving around make your symptoms feel slightly 
better or slightly worse? If walking around makes you feel a little better, that's one indicator 
that this is anxiety, not a physical condition. Panic attacks are the physical sensations of the 
fight/flight/freeze response going into overdrive, not a heart attack. Panic attacks are caused by 
being afraid of the fight/flight/freeze symptoms. These symptoms feel really uncomfortable. They 
they feel really scary, But anxiety and panic won't harm you. They usually resolve within five 
to ten minutes, and by dropping the struggle against them you may be able to resolve them 
faster. Now, there are two approaches to dealing with anxiety attacks and panic attacks. This one 
is the roll-with-it method, and the other one is the calm-down method. So after watching this 
video, check out my other video to try the other technique too and see which one works for your 
situation. The real problem is not the anxiety you're having or the sensations that you're having 
– that fast heartbeat, that rapid breathing, or the tingly or faint sensation. The real problem 
is the belief that these sensations are dangerous. So if you're struggling to calm your body down, 
you might think, “I can't feel this way. I have to breathe slower. I have to calm down.” If you're 
thinking these things, you're essentially telling your brain that these feelings are dangerous, 
and this heightens the anxiety cycle. So you can learn to stop the cycle of panic attacks by 
showing your brain that anxiety is not dangerous, that you can feel anxiety and still be 100% 
safe. So say this: “This feels uncomfortable, but it's not dangerous.” Or “Even 
though this is painful, I am safe.” You can say, “I can handle feeling this. This will 
pass.” Emotions and sensations, they come and they go like waves, and this will too. Now, let's make 
some space for these physical sensations. Your instinct is to try to force yourself to calm down 
or to believe that these sensations mean something terrible is about to happen. So instead we flip 
the script. We send the opposite message. Open up to your sensations. Get super curious. Say, “Oh, 
I wonder what it feels like to breathe this fast.” Now, you really can allow yourself to feel these 
feelings. You can make space for these sensations. There's a few ways to practice doing this. You 
could imagine that you're a curious scientist making observations about what anxiety and panic 
feel like. Can you be curious? Can you explore? Instead of labeling these feelings as bad or 
dangerous, just describe them as they are .”Oh, I feel faint. What does faint feel like? Can you be really curious about the other 
sensations you're having?” Or you can try this experiment. Say, “Fear, bring it on. Go 
ahead, make me as anxious as possible.” And say, “I can feel the fear and do it anyway.” Say, 
“Panic, let's go. Let's have the biggest, strongest panic attack of my life.” This is the 
paradox. Right? It's impossible to make yourself have a panic attack, because trying to have one 
sends the message to your brain that anxiety is safe. So instead, try to open up a little space 
for your feelings. Get back into your body and in the present moment. Notice what you're feeling 
and allow it to be there, and then watch as it passes and you're okay. Be really compassionate 
to your feelings and sensations. This this sounds counter-intuitive. But for example, you could say, 
“Oh, hello upset stomach. It's okay. You can keep being upset if if you need to do that.” Or you 
say, “Hello, jiggle legs. What do you feel like right now?” You can even exaggerate that sensation 
if you want. You can tense your muscles tighter. You can try to breathe faster. You can try to 
make your heart pound harder. You can jiggle your legs faster just to show yourself that you 
can feel this and you're still okay. So instead of trying to calm your body, say, “It's okay to 
have a fast heartbeat. It's okay to breathe this way.” Just create some awareness. You don't need 
to force anything. Because you can allow yourself to feel these sensations, you can also expand your 
awareness to sensations that might not be as loud. So what else can you see in your environment? What 
else can you hear? What's one thing that you can touch? What does it feel like? You can allow 
both feelings to be there at the same time. “I can notice that I'm hearing something, and I can 
notice that I'm feeling something in my body.” You can do this. You got this. When you make space 
for these sensations and feelings, you can stop the cycle of being afraid of fear. This here panic 
attack that you're having is an opportunity to explore and try new things. So let's be curious. 
Also, be really gentle with yourself. You don't have to get it right the first try. You don't have 
to make your anxiety or panic symptoms go away, at least not right away. Right? You're okay. 
By learning this technique you'll help yourself have less panic attacks and less severe 
panic attacks. At least one-third of people have a panic attack in their lifetime. It's a 
pretty normal experience. It's human. And as you keep practicing, you can learn to stop 
the chronic panic attacks from coming over and over again. So just tell yourself, “It's 
okay. I can feel my feelings and be okay.” Send yourself some love and gentleness. Imagine 
your best friend talking to you and just saying, “It's okay that you feel this way. Some of these 
things scare you. Some of these sensations you're having probably scare you. You could still send 
them love, even if you don't like them.” Okay. So open up some space to be right where you are. 
Because you are safe. You don't need to force anything to change. Your body knows what to do to 
calm down when you stop struggling against your feelings. It's going to naturally relax when you 
realize that these sensations aren't dangerous. Learning to let go of the struggle against your 
sensations is a skill that you can develop. You can do this. You are safe. Keep 
practicing. It will get better. Thank you for watching, and take care. [Music]

#Panic #Attack #AntiStruggle #Technique #Guided #Walkthrough #Stop #Panic #Attack

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