PTSD, Panic Attacks, Anxiety Disorder

Hi,
Thanks for sharing. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an effective form of therapy as well as anti-anxiety medications. Support groups like NA can also be helpful if you can handle being in a group. I suggest finding a therapist in your area so you can begin to heal and work on your fears.
Take Care,

Anti-anxiety drugs can help but some are addicting.
Anti- depressants are also helpful.

Self talk, hypnosis can do wonders.

Self talk involves telling yourself as many times as needed that you ARE ok, and the panic/symptoms will subside. Along with slow deep breathing exersizes.
Self talk can take some time before you notice the effects, but it does help.

Things to say for self talk:
" these symptoms I'm experiencing are not going to hurt me, I will be ok"
" breath, and relax "
" I'm only having a panic attack, and these feelings are only temporary "

* repeat the phrases over and over inside your mind until you begin to relax.

Most panic attacks peak after 10 min or so, than begin to disappear.

Keep yourself busy when having one, keep your mind off the panic and symptoms, focusing on the panic can make the symptoms worse.

Good luck

i've bin there lakeman77.you arrive at a traffic light on stop and feel trapped and get stressed cos your not moving.You have to wait in a queue at the shops and start to think your going to fall over and collapse and the few minutes wait is like an eternity.Setting off in a plane 'WoW' its hell cos your not in control.Travelling on a train feeling out of control and want to get off all the time having to grit your stomach to keep control.Learning I wasn't the only one was my first step to recovery.I call it the silent illness because if your friends and family don't understand you tend to keep quiet about it and become silent.Look into 'Reike' .lakeman. It worked for me.

My panic attacks are horrible, but after about 10 minutes they do seem to let up. I have tried self-talk, but sometimes I'm scared of my own voice when having an attack.

I think movement does help, but when I feel trapped, like in a car or plane, I'm still panicky. Trying to be busy does seem to help.

Anti-anxiety drugs have helped some, but doesn't take the attack away.

Thank you.

I have done counseling and support groups. They have helped some, but haven't taken the attacks away. Maybe I just need to stick with it more.

That does sound like me. How have you dealt with it? Also, what is 'Reike"?

I know how scary panic attacks can be. One literally feels like ones throat closes and breathing becomes so difficult. Even eating was difficult for me once. Anti-anxiety medications are addicting but they help. Another medication used for anxiety is a beta-blocker because it slows down a racing heart. I'm not a doctor so I would suggest talking to your precriber. I just know of a couple of people who were able to get off benzo's once they started using beta-blockers. I know the attacks are very scary but remember, that i know of, no one has died from a panic attack even though the impending doom is so real.
God Bless & try to enjoy the holiday season

I don't do highways at all....CBT is good for this type of phobia because the doctor walks you through the experience. It takes time I'll admit.

hi lakeman.My mistake 'reiki' . apologies. Having suffered the symptoms for 15 or so years in the 80's 90's when I couldn't get advice or help because doctors didn't want to know and most peoples reaction was that I should pull myself together and get on with it I just accepted it and lived with it.I went into myself and just carried on.It was hell.I carried on working and needed immense determination and character to get through every day and treated every day as a fresh start.

'Reiki'. While living in Scotland in the mid 90's I met a person who recommended it to me and because everything else I tried failed I gave it a go.Its a hands on treatment to transfer universal energy into your body through the body of the healer.It takes about an hour.During the session I felt all sorts of sensations but most of all total relaxation (for the first time in 20 years).There are so many people that practise reiki now I am sure you will be able to find one.I personally believe its a loving healing energy from god.I decided to take a couple of weekend courses and learn reiki 1 and 2 myself.The master who taught me was a buddhist so its up to each person to make up their own mind as to where it comes from.Since that time I have treated myself every night before going to sleep and never looked back.So please give it a go lakeman and hopefully it will work for you.

i find saying; time will not stop, why are you in a rush. relax by completely dropping your shoulders and go into the experience of feeling the tension leaving the area.