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When I write blog entries I like to use topics that are commonly searched for. One that often comes up is managing panic attacks. I don’t understand why this is so highly searched. Bear with me, I know you will be thinking of course people want to know how to manage panic attacks! But, why not search ‘overcome panic attacks’. Set the bar higher. Let’s not manage it, let’s get rid of it!

Lets not put up with, lets eliminate it!

The ambition of anyone that has panic attacks should be simple, to stop them happening. Not managing panic attacks, putting an end to them!

This made me wonder if people realise they are actually able to overcome them. That they are not something that they have to put up with and manage! Maybe it is within our culture, that we don’t seek solutions, we seek, how to make the best of it. I’m not sure why, but what I am sure about is, managing panic attacks isn’t how to deal with them.

What I have just said is quite a bold statement and is one that I believe. So what is the solution to panic attacks? Well, there are likely to be many. I am aware of 2, and trained to a high standard in both to provide the best possible outcome of success. 

For the record, this post isn’t just about driving traffic to my door. If you are local or want to work via Skype, then please, get in touch here. This blog is also here to provide information for those that aren’t local or use Skype. There are solutions to your problems and these could be them.

The three types of therapy I use are BWRT,Hypnoanalysis and Educational Therapy. Let’s take a look at why a panic attack happens and how each therapy can help.

Panic Attacks

Panic attacks usually originate in the formative years of childhood and take two distinct forms. Random, which can happen without a recognisable trigger. Triggered, where the sufferer is aware of what will cause one to happen.

The symptoms can include: dizziness, sweating, hot flushes, fast heart rate, fast breathing, and feelings of impending doom, legs and arms turning to jelly, trembling, shaking, vomiting, and feelings of Fear itself!

There is a conflict between the psyche of the subconscious and conscious aspects of the brain. The conscious aspect of our brain knows we are safe, but the subconscious believes we aren’t. Because it is the duty of the subconscious to keep us safe it always overrides what we want to do. Even when we know we are safe!!

What causes someone to suffer from Panic Disorder?

The foundation of suffering of this condition usually occurs in the childhood years. Hypnoanalysis is a powerful tool that can eradicate Panic Disorder and also gives the reason behind it. What is found when undertaking hypnoanalysis is usually a repressed emotion(s).

A repressed emotion

Repression happens when we experience an event, but are so overwhelmed the event is removed from conscious thought. This means that we forget it has happened. At that moment we were unable to deal with the overpowering emotion so we stored it subconsciously, but out of reach from consciousness. This means that we have a record of it happening in case we need to react to it again, but we don’t have to think about it again. This is a clever way that we protect ourselves. We use experiences to create templates on ways to react. But because this was so traumatic we don’t want to have to relive it again.

Unfortunately a repressed event creates an incorrect belief in our psyche about something. This is because they happen in childhood and we mistake a traumatic event as life or death. So often, these events are nothing more than childhood pranks gone wrong. We were just too young to know better at the time, that they weren’t as bad as we initially believed. Even if the event was traumatic by anyone’s standards, they still shouldn’t have the hold over us as adults as they do.

The time bomb.

The created repression will stay dormant until a similar event happens. The symptoms will only appear if life presents something similar. This means that the repression can stay dormant for an unlimited amount of time. If the experience was a common event, then it may well be released days or weeks after. If, for example, it was related to a plane and you didn’t fly on one again for 40 years, it could stay dormant for decades. In some cases, if you never flew again, it may never be released!

The repression may or may not have anything to do with your presenting issues, but it is the catalyst! The release of the repression will then associate itself with whatever is happening at that moment. For instance, if you are in a busy crowd you will likely develop agoraphobia, if you are flying, aerophobia.  Once the repression is released and attaches to something in your life you will start feeling anxious. The natural response is to attempt to avoid that situation. But Anxiety has a knack of morphine from one thing to another. This is because the body is required to release the emotion, but if you are avoiding the trigger it will then stick to another event or situation.

A case Study

This is a case study of a client I successfully treated to a full recovery who suffered Panic Disorder.

At the age of 29 the client suffered a panic attack on an aeroplane, the exact moment of the release of the repression. He immediately stopped flying as he believed he would have another one if he did. Because the repression had now come to life whilst flying the clients presenting issue was fear of flying. As commonly done, the client then avoided flying. But because he avoided flying the anxiety needed to attach to something else. The client then started to feel discomfort on trains, then buses, then taxis. As he avoided each form of travel it just moved on to the next. All the way to the point where the only form of travel he could do was driving himself.

Morphing

The anxiety, then morphed across to small spaces. You can probably see why, as all forms of transport are usually limited in space. He then couldn’t use lifts or then be in meetings at work in small rooms. Off the back of this, a social anxiety was born because he was worried about showing his anxiety at work or in front of friends. So he started to avoid social interaction as best he could. Then there was another wave of morphing towards the client on his health.

This client developed Generalised Anxiety Disorder as well as having a Panic Disorder. The problem with panic attacks is that once you have one, you are likely to worry about having another. This worry in itself is then enough to have a panic attack. You then get stuck in a cycle of avoiding and worrying and often still having panic attacks.

The Repression

The repression coming to life doesn’t always have to be as obvious as this example on the plane. People can’t always put their finger on when their anxiety started as it can be more gradual after the release of the repression.

It is the release of the original repression that can cause Panic Disorder to start. The repression itself could have been anything and often has little or no resemblance to the presenting problems. After taking this client through analysis we actually found the root cause of the repression. As an 11 year old they were caught in a fight and got cornered and unable to get out. This repression was activated on the aeroplane as the body at that point felt the same as he felt in that moment.

This is the interesting aspect of the way the brain works. What started off as a fight as a child, ended with the adult suffering panic disorder!

Now we know how and why – The Treatment!

Hypnotherapy – Hypnoanalysis

Firstly, Hypnoanalysis, which is an advanced form of Hypnotherapy. The analysis allows the client to be regressed to the point of the first trigger. This trigger is then brought into consciousness and reframed by the client. This then allows the child’s take on it to be replaced by the adults. At this point catharsis will happen and the client will start to get better. This can take between 6 and 12 sessions to complete. For more information on Hypnoanalysis click here.

BWRT

Secondly, BWRT, which stands for Brain Working Recursive Therapy. BWRT doesn’t work on finding the original trigger like analysis does. It works on changing the responses that are created when the triggers are activated. So when you feel panicky you would decide to feel calm instead. When the trigger is then next fired you don’t panic you feel calm. BWRT can be a quicker therapy than analysis depending on how many triggers we are working on. For more information on BWRT click here

Educational Therapy

Thirdly, Educational therapy. The above two are my successful tools for eliminating panic. But, I do provide support on educating someone on what is happening behind the scenes. Understanding panic disorder is half the battle but, it is not a truly preventative measure. Understanding that no actual harm can come to you and this is due to your Fight or Flight response is powerful in removing the fear. If you can minimise the fear of a panic attack you stand a good chance of not having another one. Or, if you do, at least being able to deal with it better.

To book a free 30 minute consultation contact me here.

No more managing panic attacks, lets eliminate them.

Anxiety itself is a result of not being able to respond, for whatever reason, to a threat associated with survival. Survival is our priority and the underlying behaviours will do whatever it is that is required to ensure this happens. The level of anxiety is higher the closer we are to immediate physical danger. Unfortunately, what our mind believes to be a threat are not always threats to our survival. These are erroneous beliefs we have learnt as we have grown.

Fight or Flight response

We have a built in instinctive response to danger and this is the ‘fight or flight’ response. Freeze is also associated with this response. Once activated, for our survival, we will either, run, fight or freeze.  The problem with our makeup is that it has not evolved efficiently to reflect the world that we live in. This was fine thousands or years ago when we were under constant threats. But, in today’s world, we don’t require to live by survival of the fittest. All of this was true, but our surroundings have simply evolved quicker than our brains.

Our mind has ‘false beliefs’ that we are in danger, but because we don’t discharge these emotions we feel anxiety as a result.  When our instinctive response is able to respond we don’t suffer the anxiety. Which is fine if you find yourself in danger and you react. The issue though is when the threat is false. Your instinctive response still kicks in but it doesn’t have an outlet. For example, if you are about to board a bus and your instinctive response kicks in. You aren’t likely to fight, or run away from the bus. You are likely to stay in that position and just feels the symptoms of anxiety. Your conscious mind doesn’t have the need to fight or run.  This conflict between what you want to do and what you instinctively need to do is where anxiety is felt.  

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalised Anxiety Disorder is one of the most common forms of anxiety being diagnosed. The reason I am mentioning GAD is that unfortunately many people with free floating anxiety are diagnosed with GAD. They are very different. GAD is where the person is able to associate a threat with their symptom pattern. It is obvious to the person that doing ‘A’ causes ‘B’. Within GAD, there will likely be multiple triggers. When asking someone with GAD, they will likely be able to list of a whole host things that make them anxious. A different treatment is required to successfully resolve Free Floating Anxiety. For someone with GAD they have the benefit of understanding when their instinctive drive is being triggered, for the sufferer of the free floating anxiety this is not the case.

Free Floating Anxiety

Free floating anxiety is where the person is unable to identify specific triggers that cause strong physical sensations. The person that suffers free floating anxiety will unlikely be able to give you an example of what causes them anxiety. For them, it is as if almost everything in life needs to be perceived as dangerous.  When working with GAD we can work at the known triggers. But if we use the same approach with Free Floating Anxiety we will simply get nowhere. This is because the object that caused the anxiety isn’t actually the trigger. So what may have been the cause of an issue today won’t necessarily be the same thing that causes an issue tomorrow. If you go after triggers you will be in therapy for an infinite amount of time, basically chasing your tail!

To Clarify.

GAD and Free floating anxiety (FFA) all too often get mixed up, or likely the person with FFA will be told they have GAD. A wrong diagnosis of this condition severely impacts the effectiveness of the therapy as what may work for GAD won’t necessarily work for FFA.

The person with GAD will give a long list of specific issues that cause them anxiety. They will be very specific.

The person with FFA – Will likely say they get anxious all the time but unable to put their finger on why.

Symptoms

Free-floating anxiety can include multiple symptoms such as depression, irritability, chronic fatigue, sleep deprivation and/or a lack of focus. Many patients report feelings of chronic fear, apprehension and tension. Often a client will describe an overwhelming feeling of impending doom. Mood symptoms like exaggerated worry over imminent danger, losing people and ruining relationships and the inability to control this.

Behavioural Symptoms like persistent anxiety every day, avoidance of people or situations, constant procrastination and showing no interest in work, family or anything.

Physical Symptoms like unaccountable body pains, muscle tension, elevated heart rate, headaches dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, Sleeping problems, loss of appetite.

Cognitive Symptoms like decreased focus, attention issues, unrealistic viewpoint, memory problems, and constant worry about the safety of parents, relatives, yourself and friends.

Treatment of FFA.

BWRT

BWRT has a revolutionary new protocol that is designed for this exact issue called Abolishing Anxiety. What is known is that we all have a base driver that controls our instincts. There are 4 potential base drivers. We establish which one of the potential 4 base drivers a client has by asking a non-evasive questionnaire. Once the base driver is known a specific set of BWRT loops are carried out to eradicate the anxiety.

This therapy is usually completed in between 2 and 6 sessions. Click here for more information

Hypnoanalysis

This therapy, although it can take a little longer than BWRT to achieve a result is incredible at providing the root cause and eliminating it. Click here for more information

One example of how FFA can start is this. A child grows up in an environment where a parent is constantly telling them off or overly worrying about them. But, the telling off or worrying doesn’t give away to what will happen.

A child is told, don’t do go down that alley/park/road etc. – something terrible will happen. But, the something terrible is never explained or expanded on. This means the child makes up what it thinks the terrible thing is.  The child then starts to believe that the’ something terrible’ could happen at any time. At this point the child grows into an adult that is worried about many things but not really sure what may or may not happen.  For that person FFA develops because they find they are massively over sensitised to what may happen all the time!

Hypnoanalysis allows the client to trace back to those rules and then reframe them as an adult.  Analysis has a very high success rate of overcoming and not having FFA returning. 

This therapy is usually completed in between 5 and 12 sessions.

To book in for a free consultation contact me here

Although two very different conditions they appear together here as the root causes for both are similar. Also, the resolution i use for self-confidence and self-esteem is the same. Let’s take a look at each and see how they differ to identify which is which. It is worth noting it is possible to suffer one without the other or in some cases suffer both.

Self-confidence.

Self-confidence is linked to how you feel about your abilities to achieve a goal. It can be seen as having courage to believe in yourself and act upon your beliefs. It is when you value yourself, even if you make mistakes and regardless of the work you do. That you feel good about yourself, worthy, even though you may have imperfections. To have the courage to stand up for yourself and be assertive. Know that you are worthy of the respect of others and their friendships.

Self-confidence is about having a positive outlook on one’s self. About having the confidence to do something regardless of the outcome. The confidence to try juggling, but knowing it doesn’t matter if you drop every ball.

Lack of self-confidence.

Lack of self-confidence manifests itself as, self-doubt, unworthiness, inferior to others, apathy, loss of enjoyment, anxiety. The anxiety it creates is because we have a conflict in our psyche. We consciously want to do something and partake, but find a part of us holding us back.

Self-confidence is genuinely feeling positive about yourself whilst accepting that you have faults and weakness. Someone with Self-confidence will start a new job knowing that they won’t be immediately good at it. That they will learn over time and get better. Self-confidence is not linked with being good at something. It is linked to the fact you will try regardless.

Self–esteem.

Self-esteem is one’s own subjective evaluation of their own worth. It is your opinion of yourself. Not how well you can do something, but how you rate yourself as a person. Someone with high self-esteem will treat themselves with respect and be positive in who they are.

The belief you have about yourself determines who you are, what you can do and what you can become. Having low self-esteem can cause you to live a very restricted, unhappy life.

People that have low self-esteem have an increased chance of depression and anxiety. When someone suffers low self-esteem they don’t have a solid foundation to deal with what life may throw at them. It can leave them feeling anxious, upset or depressed.

We can be self-confident in some aspect of our lives and less in another. We may be good on drums but, not so on guitar. But having self-confidence as whole means this doesn’t matter. But Self-esteem is more of a constant across whatever we do. If we feel a failure, we may connect that to whatever it is we find ourselves doing. Even if we are good on the drums and guitar, subconsciously we believe we are still not good enough. You may have seen this in yourself or others where there is a need to self-sabotage.

Why do we suffer these conditions?

At the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that they both shared the same root cause. Here I will explain what that is.

When working using analytical therapy, we are able to find out the actual causes of a person’s presenting problem. Often, people will start therapy and tell me they know exactly why they are like they are. Sometimes they are close, but more often than not are wrong. This is because they have a conscious idea of what is the reason, but the actual reason is hidden in the subconscious. Regression techniques employed via hypnotherapy have a knack of uncovering and removing these root causes. More of this will be discussed later on. But, for now, let’s look at why we can suffer these symptoms.

Cumulative trauma.

Cumulative trauma is when there is a repetition of a similar negative event.  As a one off single event, it would not have caused any ill effect to the person. But, when it is repeated numerous times it can be taken on board and become a response pattern. Cumulative events are not normally repressed, although they may appear out of reach of conscious awareness. This is because they have become ‘normal’ and part of the client’s belief system.

Cumulative trauma is divided into two parts

If we imagine ourselves as a top trump card. I am sure you know what they are. Cards that have a score against traits. You are 5 years old and against confidence/esteem you have 100 out of 100. As you experience either of the above trauma types that number starts to decrease. It might not for the first few times, but after a while it starts to take on board the suggestions and this number falls. Once you get out of childhood these numbers may have dropped to 30.

Decreasing Self-confidence.

A child is around a father that never got any breaks. He under achieved throughout his life, so that is the way he see life. As a child you are eager to do things. But, rather than having a father that praises you every time you try he constantly puts you down. Regardless if you succeed or not. Whatever you accomplish he tells you it is a waste of time and it is rubbish. The first few times you hear this, you may just feel naturally upset. But, after many times of hearing the same thing you consciously switch off. Unfortunately your subconscious didn’t stop listening. It now has a belief that whatever you do is a waste of time and not worth doing. Your top trump card now shows 30 out of 100 for confidence.  

Because these things happen over and over the child becomes brainwashed and doesn’t even realise there is anything amiss with their belief system. They just know that when they attempt to do something there is a likely hood of being criticised for trying. So at this point, they stop doing things. Having confidence is having the assurance to try something. This is assurance has been removed.

Decreasing self-esteem.

As mentioned, self-esteem is how you look at your own self-worth. Very similar to the previous example in how your esteem can be undone. Mum is now 40 and jealous of her pretty daughter. Whenever the child does her makeup, or attempts to look pretty the mum shoots her down. She may make comments about her weight, appearance, hair, etc. This child grows up having issue with their appearance, weight….. Even though they are beautiful and a perfect weight. The subconscious took on board the suggestions from the mum and now the child is using them for the rest of their lives. Again their top trump card that was at 100 is now drastically decreased so self-esteem is now an issue.

Both confidence and esteem are easily hurt if you are bought up with these traumas. Just because you placed in these traumas doesn’t actually mean you had a sad and unhappy childhood though.  In regression, I see many occasions where a parent did what they believed to be best. They just didn’t realise the implications.

Pickup bad habits

A recent client I worked on had a very anxious mother. The mother would continually point out what could go wrong to try and make the child avoid any pitfalls. The child though started to believe that there was danger behind every door though so grew up to be an adult with very low self-confidence. The mother was just trying her best to keep her son safe. But without realising installed a belief that trouble is just around the corner.

My dad taught me to be streetwise. He gave me one or two hints on how to look after yourself when out about. Don’t walk down dark alleys, avoid walking through certain areas on your one. If in doubt cross the road to avoid a potentially dangerous liaison. I still live by these rules. They make sense to me but, they don’t overwhelm me to the point I don’t leave the house. They just kick in when they need to.

The client with the anxious mother would state all manner of things that could go wrong when you step out of the house. Be careful of groups of other youngsters, your bike might get stolen, you might get mugged, etc. It became over powering to the child. He started to believe that almost everything could be dangerous.  His self-confidence was dented and his adult life was severely impacted.

I will repeat this part again as it can’t be understated. It doesn’t mean you have to experience a bad childhood to suffer from either condition. It just means that you were repeatedly exposed to something that caused your psyche to take on an incorrect belief.

Treatment

My favourite methodology for treating confidence/esteem issues is hypnoanalysis.  Here is a link to another blog that I wrote specifically about analysis. In a nut shell Hypnoanalysis allows regression to those moments that are defining your current reactions. When you return to them you are able to let them go as they are out of date beliefs. You may see them as your parent’s truths and not yours. Or you simply see that they were there with good faith to protect you, but you don’t need them anyone. Once the rule is removed your top trump card stats will rise as does your confidence/esteem

For more information or to book a free consultation click here.

Every week I help countless people overcome Anxiety. In my experience it is something that, although not always easy to overcome, is very possible for full resolution.  I find it a little baffling that in the world we live in that more information is not available to overcome anxiety. This is why I decided to write this blog post. To share my experiences of helping deal with anxiety and panic disorders so those reading are able to try things they have not tried before. Or, have an understanding of why some of the things they have tried didn’t work. It’s so important to know that just because something doesn’t work, this doesn’t mean you are stuck with anxiety for life. It is just that what you tried wasn’t in line to deal with your problem

My choice of therapies are ones that are proactive in eliminating the root cause. This means anxiety doesn’t happen in the first place. My chosen therapies that enable this are BWRT and Hypnoanalysis via Hypnotherapy. I am based in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire but can also work via skype for those that choose BWRT.

Disclaimer

Everyone’s mileage will vary with therapy. One size does not fit all and that is especially true with Therapy. I was reading a David R Hawkins booked recently and he noted that there were at last count 1600 different approaches. What will work wonders for one person may not even scratch the surface for another. This is just my experiences and this is not to put anyone of pursuing avenues that they feel may benefit them. This blog post is not to dismiss any other therapies. It is simply my view of what I have seen work and not work.

My Clients

I am not sure of the percentage, but it is high, of the number of people that I see that have already had some sort therapy. The therapies that most have tried before they see me are hypnotherapy and CBT. Usually people had around 6 sessions of Hypnotherapy before giving up and up to 12 sessions of CBT.  Usually reporting in little or no improvement with their condition.

Coping Techniques Vs Root cause resolution.

For me, there is a time and place for coping techniques, but they shouldn’t be the only therapy on offer. Coping is like saying, ‘let’s live with this’, but deal with it better. This doesn’t sit well with me. I want people to overcome anxiety, not live with it. Would you want a mechanic to temporarily fix your car and to have to keep continually taking it back to the garage?  If you had a broken arm, would you want to learn to live with the pain or would you want the pain to go away? Resolution of the conflicts within the psyche needs to be pursued to enable a client to stand the best chance of getting better.

CBT

Let’s first take a look at CBT. CBT is a Cognitive behaviour therapy. This is, the most likely therapy someone will have tried before they see me. Doctor’s will refer a client for CBT, but unfortunately the waiting lists are usually in the months. This is not helpful for the anxious sufferer.

CBT works on the concept that our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations are all connected – which they are. CBT attempts to break down those connections so as to break their cycle. If you can change those negative patterns, you can change the cycle. If you can change the cycle, you can deal with your anxiety better. The benefits of CBT are that it works on your current issues, and has no requirement to delve into your past.

A+B+C = your issue. What CBT strives to do is make you feel differently about one of those letters and break the cycle. CBT is all about you changing your patterns. Although CBT has been successful for people I just feel there is too much emphasis on you the client to make changes. It means that the anxiety has to occur and then you have to do something different. I think the logic behind CBT is strong, but in practise it is difficult to apply.

Not to be dismissed!

It might sound like I am knocking CBT, but I’m not. It has been around a long time and has helped many people. It’s a coping strategy and I will never be a fan of them. This is a snippet from the NHS website. ‘CBT can’t cure the physical symptoms of these conditions, it can only help people cope with them better’.

If you are seeking out CBT or booked in or currently undergoing it…. Don’t be put it off. It might be exactly what you are looking for. This is just mine, one person’s view!

Hypnotherapy

I am trained in Clinical Hypnosis and use Hypnotherapy when applicable. Again, a number of my clients have already tried hypnotherapy, so why didn’t it work? Hypnotherapy has many different approaches, but the one used by your standard therapist will likely be Suggestion therapy.  Suggestion therapy is exactly what it sounds like. The therapist will suggest you for to act in a different way to how you currently act. For instance, if you were scared to ride the bus, the suggestion would be that you are calm and confident on the bus. But, and there is a big but, it depends how the subconscious holds that rule. Let’s have a quick look at how it does this.

Is it for survival?

The closer to survival our brain thinks a response is, the more resistant it is to change that response. This is a very important concept and one worth repeating. ‘The closer to survival our brain thinks a response is, the more resistant it is to change’. This is because of this. Your actions have led to your survival, which they have, because you are still here, so you better keep doing them. The suggestion has to be bigger, stronger more applicable than what is already there. This can be very difficult to achieve.

Smoking cessation is extremely effective when combined with Hypnosis. This is because the brain is aware that smoking is not linked to survival. It will release a pattern that it doesn’t believe is for its benefit. But, over eating, this is very tough to address with Hypnotherapy because we need to eat to survive. It is possible to do via hypnosis, but a lot harder to achieve.  

Survival v Suggestion

A lot of Hypnotherapists are only trained in suggestion therapy. When suggesting to the brain that something is actually ‘ok’ when the brain believes it’s a threat isn’t going to achieve anything.  What often happens is that the client feels better for the next few days and then reverts back. Although an extreme example, this was a story that made headlines a number of years ago.

A lady had a phobia of flying and sought hypnotherapy to address the issue. The therapist decided to use suggestion therapy to ‘suggest’ that the lady actually liked flying.  The lady flew out on holiday and had a pleasant flight. Everything was fine until she attempted to get back on the aeroplane to return. The lady had returned to her previous state where she was afraid to fly. She was then stuck abroad and ended up having to travel home by land.

This is an extreme example, but one that shows how the brain works. Imagine an anxious thought is the size of an Apple in your head. When suggesting, we then implant a thought the size of a raisin. These two then battle it out for which one we should listen to. Eventually the stronger thought (the bigger thought) wins through.  Recidivism is then experienced.

Suggestion therapy is still an extremely valid tool for helping certain situations. But those situations do need to be non-life threatening from the brain’s point of view. For example, it is great for one off occasions like exam nerves, dentists or driving tests.

My View.

In my experience suggestion therapy is a powerful tool in the therapist’s toolkit. This needs to be used at the right time, but all too often it is simply not. It is used because it may be all that particular therapist has available to them. Phobic and Panic responses generally don’t respond that well to suggestion therapy. There will always be exceptions to the rule but I have seen more than enough clients to know that this can be the case.

EFT

Branching out into what is seen as maybe a more left field therapy is EFT, Emotional Freedom Tapping. I am a master practitioner in this skill set but rarely, if ever, use it anymore. This isn’t as well-known, but still plenty of people have tried this with varying success. EFT is delivered by creating a mantra and tapping different parts of the body in a certain order. This disrupts the energy flow around the body and causes the body to reset the nervous system. Once the nervous system is reset the panic/anxiety ceases to be. It is a highly effective therapy but again it’s something to do once anxiety starts.

It’s a very good tool again for the client to know in case of attacks. It does have a big downside and that is, it isn’t practical to do in public. The nomad types of people may feel happy to do this in a crowded room but the majority wont. Having to talk out load and tap your body just isn’t something that is doable in many situations. For instance, you wouldn’t be able to do this in the middle of a board meeting.  

I am more than happy to teach this technique as can be extremely useful in certain situations. Rather than someone having a pill in their pocket in case of emergency this can be used.

Again though, EFT is a therapy that relies on the anxiety presenting itself then the sufferer reacting. It definitely has a time and place and can be learnt fairly quickly to do.  Ideally I don’t want to be teaching coping strategies when we could be dealing with the root cause!

Talking therapies

I had a client recently that had been through a lot of counselling and she summed up what a lot of people experience. She had a good understanding of why she was like she was. She had the logic to know why she acted like she did. But, she still acted like she did. It was some relief to her to have talked through her problems, but this provided no solution.

In the hands of a skilled therapist this can be extremely well worthwhile. If the therapist is able to reframe the Conscious thought patterns so the client can see another view, great progress can be made.  But all too often the conscious mind wants one thing to happen and the subconscious another. So even when you know something is silly and you don’t need to react like you have, you still might!

I am not against talking therapies at all, but they have to provide a resolution. Sometimes they become part of the problem because they just become outlets for a client to unload their issues without resolution.

This type of therapy definitely provides a lot of relief for certain issues. With anxiety though we are needing to deal with the conflict found in the psyche. This often doesn’t fully resolve this.

The interventions I use.

This blog may be read as a way of advertising what I do and saying what I do is better than everyone else. It is not that. This blog is about understanding the different approaches and using one that is best suited. Any therapy that gets the desired results is a successful therapy.

Everybody has a different set of goal posts. As mentioned numerous times already, I believe we should get rid of the root cause. That is my opinion and although it sounds like the logically approach to have, both clients and therapists may not see this as the be all and end all.

My opinion is that anxiety, be it 3 out of 10 or 8 out of ten is not wanted. Some people are happy for a reduction in their anxiety levels and that is enough for them. In my psyche though, I just wish for it to not exist at all. This is then reflected in how I treat my clients. With that in mind I sought to be trained in Therapies that could achieve removal of triggers. The two that I found to do this were BWRT, Brain Working Recursive Therapy and Hypnoanalysis via Hypnotherapy. Lets first take a look at Hypnoanalysis.

Hypnoanalysis

Hypnoanalysis is one of the best forms of treatment there is for Anxiety and Panic attacks.

It usually takes around 6-12 sessions to complete analysis. This is a fairly brief intervention when you consider how long people may have suffered their symptoms. People though, don’t always complete the course. This is because depending on the root cause, people don’t feel like anything is happening between sessions so quit.

When under taking analysis it is common to see no improvement in the symptoms until we reach the end. Catharsis often only happens when the root cause(s) are identified and removed. If this happens in session 6, you can see why no improvement was felt for the first five sessions, it can be seen as peeling an onion. Every session brings us closer to the root causes and once found, improvements will then be made in the client. The improvements often need to be seen to be believed as the change can be rapid. It is imperative to finish the course once started to experience the benefits.

Why is Hypnoanalysis so powerful?

The closer a problem is to our survival the harder it is to change. Knowing this simple concept can explain why so many other therapies fail. Our psyche has no interest in giving up what it believes is an instruction to keep you safe. Analysis works and is successful by discovering the original cause of your issues. Once this issue is discovered, your adult mind can re-evaluate it and realise that it is out of date. Once this has happened it can then be relinquished and removed.

Then once the trigger is removed, you can’t be triggered anymore! This also means that there is no requirement for further sessions. Once you have resolved your issue they won’t return. This is because it is very difficult to create these incorrect beliefs again as adults.

Anxiety

Beneath almost every emotional and physiological illness you will likely find anxiety. It may be that you don’t recognise the issue as anxiety but it will eventually lead there. You can read more about anxiety states here.

We rely on instinct to keep ourselves safe. We don’t want conscious thought to get in the way, as this would slow down any reaction time. It is when we try to override our instincts that have been directed from our subconscious, that our fight or fight response is activated. This response is then seen as physiological changes in the body. Everyone has their own set of symptoms, but usually have heart racing, sweating, shaking etc. to name just a few.

The sensitising event

This is usually created in the formative years of childhood. This happens when the child, believes that in a single moment, they are vulnerable or in some way at risk. The child, unable to cope with the overwhelming feeling, then represses the emotion into the subconscious.

From that point on, the emotion will work as an instinct designed to avoid repetition. The issue we have is that what the subconscious sees as similar can often be unfathomable to the conscious mind. What is often seen is that the presenting problem doesn’t actually match the original issue. For example a client i treated. She started to have panic attacks on aeroplanes to the point she had to stop flying. All subsequent therapy she had was working on the basis of claustrophobia or fear of flying. Consciously makes sense, right? But they never worked as they were not the actual issue!

But when she undertook analysis, she actually found she had repressed a childhood play fight. In this fight she was placed in a headlock by a child older and stronger than her. In that moment she was unable to get out and feared she would die. What had happened was that repressed original memory was triggered by being on the plane. In that moment, on the plane a number of similar feelings to the original event overlapped. She then developed claustrophobia due to being unable to get off the plane. Had those feelings appeared when she was in a busy market she may well have ended up with agoraphobia.

Once triggered, it requires intervention!

The repressed memory can stay dormant for weeks or even decades. But once it is live it can easily exist for that person for the rest of their lives. Anyone who has been on an anxiety forum will have seen that people have suffered for 20+ years etc. Without removing the original trigger it will likely always be problematic. Remember it believes it is keeping you safe so will constantly go off. Hypnoanalysis gets to that trigger!

Why Hypnoanalysis?

Unfortunately it is not possible for the conscious mind to talk directly to the subconscious. This is where the hypnotherapist comes in. We are in a unique position where we are able to directly communicate with the subconscious. It is once under hypnosis that the subconscious will release its incorrectly stored information.

Hypnoanalysis is a powerful technique to discover the underlying root cause and then releasing it. Once the root cause has been brought into the spot light the conscious mind can then make adult sense of it. It can then no longer have a negative effect over the client. When the root cause is found, both client and therapist will have an understanding of why they had the presenting problems. This in itself can be very therapeutic as our mind is logical and this provides an answer.

Who Hypnoanalysis is for?

It would actually be better to write who it wouldn’t work for as that list would be shorter 🙂

It is not possible to list them all but it is particular well suited to.

• Psycho-Sexual difficulties, panic attacks, unaccountable anxiety states, general stress, continual worrying, excessive timidity, fear of authority, sleeping difficulties, poor confidence/self-worth, relationship difficulties and almost all true phobia’s (not fears!), Jealousy, saractastic, excessive emotion, doormat syndrome, cannot say ‘no’, cant concentrate, cannot sleep well, philandering, always tired, always ill, blushing, sweaty palms, palpitations, irresponsible, perfectionist, always angry, never angry, often crying, never crying, image conscious, shy….

• Symptoms that are likely to have a physiological origin. IBS, Spontaneous vomiting, fainting fits, Hysteria, promiscuity.

How does Hypnoanalysis work?

Analysis works by seeking, finding and removing the original trigger. It doesn’t have to be a one shot trauma though. It can also be lots of similar events adding up. Each on their own not being an issue but when combining becoming an issue. These events may not be repressed or forgotten but simply invisible because they appear as ‘normal’. This can take two routes.

• Constant repetition of a negative idea over a period of time. Once heard enough times the subconscious stops listening and takes these on board. This can be found with people who have low self-confidence. A parent constantly telling their child they are stupid and wont amount to much. After a while they actually believe this. This is known as Simple Cumulative Trauma

• Strong feelings of vulnerability for the developing child. For instance, Child’s mother leaves. Father can’t cope so child is passed to relatives. Foster family move areas so school is upset. Bullying at next school. First job is made redundant. Low personal confidence then follows. This is Compound Cumulative Trauma.

Analysis works by allowing the collection or one shot trauma to become available to the conscious mind. It can then be reprogrammed and removed as necessary.

The ticking time bomb!

As mentioned already it can take many years for a repression to surface and this can be difficult to understand. When the initial sensitising event takes place its gets repressed. It will stay repressed, until we find ourselves, or what our subconscious believes to be a similar situation. If it is something that you are likely to come into contact again with soon then it can be reignited sooner rather than later. For instance, if it happened on a bus, and you travel on a bus everyday it might open straight away. But like in the example instance of being placed in a headlock. She wasn’t placed in a position she felt threatened with until she was on an aeroplane some 20 years later on!

What to expect when undergoing Hypnoanalysis.

A session in Hypnoanalysis last 60 minutes. The first session you will be placed under hypnosis and after around 30 mins of subconscious priming we will do a brief round of free association. This is where you get used to saying out load what it is you are thinking. Once you have mentioned everything around that event, allowing that memory to drift away. Once that has gone, moving on to the next thought.

Second session onward you will first be placed in hypnosis. Each week that passes you may find you fall into hypnosis quicker and quicker which will enable more time for the free association aspect of the session.
This is then repeated on average from about 6-12 sessions until we unravel and gain access to the root of the issue.

Session to session

It is important to understand that depending on the original cause will have different outlooks on how you feel from one session to another. I don’t want to say which is which as that could cause any one to attempt to lead themselves to a certain goal. But it is normal to feel better, maybe a little worse or no better at all after each session. It’s impossible to know which one you will be until after starting. But it is imperative to know that feeling worse or nothing doesn’t mean it’s not progressing.

In the early sessions the memory recalls are likely to be far removed from the presenting issues. This is normal. This is how the brain has matched up what it believes to be linked. Often these memories have very little consciously to the presenting problem. But as the sessions progress it will become obvious they are link to the presenting problem.

And, Finally

Catharsis in some instances can happen in seconds after reaching the root issue. But more often than not it’s a slow burn of feeling better. The coming days, weeks and months usually see massive shifts and symptomatic issues subside. Often the client doesn’t notice this themselves. The changes are usually seen in people close to you who can remember how you used to be.

To book a free initial consultation or learn more about Hypnoanalysis please contact me here.

For anyone reading that might like to learn this discipline click here for further information.

BWRT

BWRT®’ stands for ‘BrainWorking Recursive Therapy®’, a modern model of psychology and psychotherapy created by UK professional therapist, Terence Watts, MCGI. It uses a totally logical, practical and down-to-earth working method in which it’s not necessary for you to talk about anything you would rather not discuss – the practitioner only needs to know how you feel and how you would prefer to feel instead. BWRT® is unlike any other therapy you might have heard of or read about, using the latest discoveries in neuroscience coupled with your own unique brain processes to help you get better. Only Certified Practitioners have been trained to deliver BWRT® and all have to adhere to a strict ethical code. Find out more at http://www.bwrt.org

What to expect in a session

During a session of BWRT®, I will ask you a few questions about your background and what has brought you to see me – but I will not ask you to reveal any secrets or intimate details of your life. This is a totally private therapy in which you only have to be able to tell me how you feel and how you would like to feel instead. For instance, you might say something like: “Social situations scare me half to death!” and I would then ask if you can think how you would like to feel instead. If you can, I will then get straight to work; if you can’t, I will help you decide – and again you will never have to reveal any details you really don’t want to.

It really is that simple and that private!

BWRT® doesn’t use hypnosis or anything that might be considered to be mystical or unscientific – it is a science-based, totally grounded methodology that deals with uncomfortable emotional or psychological triggers before you are even aware of them. Most other therapies work on the response after it has been generated, requiring you to tell the practitioner what you’re thinking about – but with BWRT® the problem is dealt with ‘at source’, before it even gets to the conscious mind.

How it works 

I will explain fully how the process works and although, as in all work of this sort, you have a vital part to play in the process, it is a very easy part – in fact you will have to do very little more than keep focused on how you want to be when the work is complete… and that could be the same day you started!

Contact me here to learn how BWRT can change your life.

More about BWRT here

Claire Weekes, the 1960’s pioneer into anxiety and panic attacks, discovered that anxiety is 2 fold. First, the trigger that causes the chemical imbalance that produced the anxiety symptoms. Secondly, the fear produced when those symptoms are experienced. If the sufferer was not aware of the cause of the first fear they would often have increased secondary fears. This caused a viscous cycle that was often very hard for the sufferer to get out of.

In real life this looks like this. A person goes to get on a bus, but feels anxious. This is the first fear, the triggered response. But the feelings experienced at this point, create a secondary fear. The feelings/symptoms we experience are ones that are not pleasant. When we can’t get these feelings to stop straight away we then have an increase in the secondary fear. This reaction means the symptoms actually last longer, and what may have passed in minutes now goes on for a considerably longer time.

Understanding the first fear is key. As it allows a logically approach to what is happening. We don’t need at this point to understand why it is there. We just need to be aware that it is there and it’s doing a job. What causes anxiety? Well, Anxiety can be summed up by the following brief statement.

‘Anxiety happens when there is a conflict between two parts of your psyche’

This one line statement sums up perfectly what cause anxiety! Anxiety happens when the subconscious part of your brain believes you are some way in danger. This often goes against what you are experiencing from a conscious point of view.

Go back to the above bus example. You want to get on the bus, but an aspect of getting on the bus is triggering the subconscious into wrongly believing that this could be a threat to your survival. Your sub-conscious then creates symptoms in your body so you are aware of the threat. Those symptoms may then stop you from boarding the bus!

At the root of almost all mind related anxiety problems this conflict will be found. Let’s look closely at the different states of anxiety and how this applies.

• The feeling of being pulled in two or more directions at once. Not aware of what choice to make, along with fear of making the wrong decision.

The conflict here is that we are anxious in making the wrong decisions and then often don’t make any decision at all. Consciously we want to make a decisions but a part of our psyche is saying ‘last time you made a decision it didn’t end well, so best if we don’t do anything’.

• Work Load. Not having enough time to do everything and therefore working hastily and ineffectively.

The clash here being consciously you know you can only do what you can do in the time permitted. But believing you can.

• Demands too great for the level of skill possessed or perceived to be possessed.

The difference here being that consciously we know we can only do what we can do. But believing that this is not good enough, regardless. This is often linked to self-confidence.

• Excessively high expectations of self.

The contradiction here is that the psyche believes you should be achieving a higher level than you currently are. Consciously you are aware you have done your best. But the sub-conscious leaves you feeling like you have failed.

• Guilt.

The disagreement here is that you don’t deserve what you have got. Often the guilt is out of proportion to the ‘crime’.

• Any situation where you feel uncomfortable. The fight or flight is triggered.

Here your subconscious believes you are in danger. Your consciousness will say otherwise.

All these situations at the root have a fear behind them. It is this fear of rejection, pain, loss of integrity, looking foolish, being ‘caught out’, fear of punishment etc.

In context people can often see that the situation is ‘ok’. Because the sub-conscious wants to keep you safe it will always override your conscious thought. The sub-conscious needs to get its way because it believes you are in danger, which is incorrect. This can’t be changed easily though without intervention and we will talk about that later on.

The symptoms that can be felt can be linked to the situation that the sub-conscious is trying to get you to avoid. Below shows how clever it can be in work related issues.

You are about to give a talk – you lose your voice
The window cleaner gains a fear of heights
The house clearer develops a fear of spiders
The tube driver suffers claustrophobia

Sometimes it is not as obvious and may appear as part of an accident

The dancer sprains her ankle
You are about to give a talk and get a sore throat
A hand injury occurs before playing on stage with a band

Or it can be a response pattern that is continually repeated when in a situation.

Dry mouth
Shaking
Sweating
Rapid heart beat

This last group are closely link to the autonomic nervous system. They are started to allow maximum performance of the body if we were to face a threat.

Why is the subconscious mean to us!

The subconscious sounds like the bad guy in all of this but he isn’t. The subconscious is not a thinking part of the brain so it has not basis for believing or disbelieving. It behaves entirely from instinctual responses, a lot of which, are learned through the events of life. If the sub-conscious has learnt that something is bad and should be avoid, that is how it reacts. Even when that reaction is no longer valid in our life it will still be triggered.

When we are children we are extremely impressionable and this is also true of the sub-conscious. Unfortunately our adult life is shaped by what happens in the formative years. It is in these years that most conflicts are created. When they are created in our younger years they may well be valid. For instance, a child may avoid talking to a teacher that is constantly horrible to them. But this can translate into a fear of authority later on life.

The thing is, we forget consciously but our subconscious doesn’t. Because the subconscious doesn’t we are then governed by rules that were set from our childhood.

We know now why the first fear is triggered. A rule created, likely in childhood years is still having a say over us in adult life. The second fear is that we don’t like the way we are feeling. We know now those symptoms are purely there to get your attention. You don’t have to try and change these feeling, just acknowledge them and be aware why they are there.

Whatever issue you have right now try you know it will follow the below

‘Anxiety happens when there is a conflict between two parts of your psyche’

When we know the problem this also provides the solution. We are now aware that we have a conflict, so the solution is the opposite. Remove the conflict.

Treatment

This is where the two types of treatment I specialise in come into their own let take a look at Hypnoanalysis first.

Hypnoanalysis

• Hypnoanalysis is a regression technique designed to allow the adult mind relieve the childhood memories and reframe them. By seeing the rules that you have applied to yourself from your formative years you are able to release these so they no longer apply to your adult life. Read more about Hypnoanalysis here

BWRT

• BWRT understands that there is a conflict and you have a response that you would consciously not choose. Rather than looking for the original root cause of the issue like Hypnoanalysis it changes the emotional response. This means the conflict is nullified as the emotion response is now one that you want when the trigger is applied. Learn more about BWRT here

When I write blog entries I like to use topics that are commonly searched for. One that often comes up is managing panic attacks. I don’t understand why this is so highly searched. Bear with me, I know you will be thinking, of course people want to know how to manage panic attacks! But, why not search ‘overcome panic attacks’. Set the bar higher. Let’s not manage it, let’s get rid of it!

Lets not put up with, lets eliminate it!

The ambition of anyone that has panic attacks should be simple, to stop them happening. Not managing panic attacks, putting an end to them!

This made me wonder if people realise they are actually able to overcome them. That they are not something that they have to put up with and manage! Maybe it is within our culture, that we don’t seek solutions, we seek, how to make the best of it. I’m not sure why, but what I am sure about is, managing panic attacks isn’t how to deal with them.

What I have just said is quite a bold statement and is one that I believe. So what is the solution to panic attacks? Well, there are likely to be many. I am aware of 2, and trained to a high standard in both to provide the best possible outcome of success. 

For the record, this post isn’t just about driving traffic to my door. If you are local or want to work via Skype, then please, get in touch here. This blog is also here to provide information for those that aren’t local or use Skype. There are solutions to your problems and these could be them.

The three types of therapy I use are BWRT,Hypnoanalysis and Educational Therapy. Let’s take a look at why a panic attack happens and how each therapy can help.

Panic Attacks

Panic attacks usually originate in the formative years of childhood and take two distinct forms. Random, which can happen without a recognisable trigger. Triggered, where the sufferer is aware of what will cause one to happen.

The symptoms can include: dizziness, sweating, hot flushes, fast heart rate, fast breathing, and feelings of impending doom, legs and arms turning to jelly, trembling, shaking, vomiting, and feelings of Fear itself!

There is a conflict between the psyche of the subconscious and conscious aspects of the brain. The conscious aspect of our brain knows we are safe, but the subconscious believes we aren’t. Because it is the duty of the subconscious to keep us safe it always overrides what we want to do. Even when we know we are safe!!

What causes someone to suffer from Panic Disorder?

The foundation of suffering of this condition usually occurs in the childhood years. Hypnoanalysis is a powerful tool that can eradicate Panic Disorder and also gives the reason behind it. What is found when undertaking hypnoanalysis is usually a repressed emotion(s).

A repressed emotion

Repression happens when we experience an event, but are so overwhelmed the event is removed from conscious thought. This means that we forget it has happened. At that moment we were unable to deal with the overpowering emotion so we stored it subconsciously, but out of reach from consciousness. This means that we have a record of it happening in case we need to react to it again, but we don’t have to think about it again. This is a clever way that we protect ourselves. We use experiences to create templates on ways to react. But because this was so traumatic we don’t want to have to relive it again.

Unfortunately a repressed event creates an incorrect belief in our psyche about something. This is because they happen in childhood and we mistake a traumatic event as life or death. So often, these events are nothing more than childhood pranks gone wrong. We were just too young to know better at the time, that they weren’t as bad as we initially believed. Even if the event was traumatic by anyone’s standards, they still shouldn’t have the hold over us as adults as they do.

The time bomb.

The created repression will stay dormant until a similar event happens. The symptoms will only appear if life presents something similar. This means that the repression can stay dormant for an unlimited amount of time. If the experience was a common event, then it may well be released days or weeks after. If, for example, it was related to a plane and you didn’t fly on one again for 40 years, it could stay dormant for decades. In some cases, if you never flew again, it may never be released!

The repression may or may not have anything to do with your presenting issues, but it is the catalyst! The release of the repression will then associate itself with whatever is happening at that moment. For instance, if you are in a busy crowd you will likely develop agoraphobia, if you are flying, aerophobia.  Once the repression is released and attaches to something in your life you will start feeling anxious. The natural response is to attempt to avoid that situation. But Anxiety has a knack of morphine from one thing to another. This is because the body is required to release the emotion, but if you are avoiding the trigger it will then stick to another event or situation.

A case Study

This is a case study of a client I successfully treated to a full recovery who suffered Panic Disorder.

At the age of 29 the client suffered a panic attack on an aeroplane, the exact moment of the release of the repression. He immediately stopped flying as he believed he would have another one if he did. Because the repression had now come to life whilst flying the clients presenting issue was fear of flying. As commonly done, the client then avoided flying. But because he avoided flying the anxiety needed to attach to something else. The client then started to feel discomfort on trains, then buses, then taxis. As he avoided each form of travel it just moved on to the next. All the way to the point where the only form of travel he could do was driving himself.

Morphing

The anxiety, then morphed across to small spaces. You can probably see why, as all forms of transport are usually limited in space. He then couldn’t use lifts or then be in meetings at work in small rooms. Off the back of this, a social anxiety was born because he was worried about showing his anxiety at work or in front of friends. So he started to avoid social interaction as best he could. Then there was another wave of morphing towards the client on his health.

This client developed Generalised Anxiety Disorder as well as having a Panic Disorder. The problem with panic attacks is that once you have one, you are likely to worry about having another. This worry in itself is then enough to have a panic attack. You then get stuck in a cycle of avoiding and worrying and often still having panic attacks.

The Repression

The repression coming to life doesn’t always have to be as obvious as this example on the plane. People can’t always put their finger on when their anxiety started as it can be more gradual after the release of the repression.

It is the release of the original repression that can cause Panic Disorder to start. The repression itself could have been anything and often has little or no resemblance to the presenting problems. After taking this client through analysis we actually found the root cause of the repression. As an 11 year old they were caught in a fight and got cornered and unable to get out. This repression was activated on the aeroplane as the body at that point felt the same as he felt in that moment.

This is the interesting aspect of the way the brain works. What started off as a fight as a child, ended with the adult suffering panic disorder!

Now we know how and why – The Treatment!

Hypnotherapy – Hypnoanalysis

Firstly, Hypnoanalysis, which is an advanced form of Hypnotherapy. The analysis allows the client to be regressed to the point of the first trigger. This trigger is then brought into consciousness and reframed by the client. This then allows the child’s take on it to be replaced by the adults. At this point catharsis will happen and the client will start to get better. This can take between 6 and 12 sessions to complete. For more information on Hypnoanalysis click here.

BWRT

Secondly, BWRT, which stands for Brain Working Recursive Therapy. BWRT doesn’t work on finding the original trigger like analysis does. It works on changing the responses that are created when the triggers are activated. So when you feel panicky you would decide to feel calm instead. When the trigger is then next fired you don’t panic you feel calm. BWRT can be a quicker therapy than analysis depending on how many triggers we are working on. For more information on BWRT click here

Educational Therapy

Thirdly, Educational therapy. The above two are my successful tools for eliminating panic. But, I do provide support on educating someone on what is happening behind the scenes. Understanding panic disorder is half the battle but, it is not a truly preventative measure. Understanding that no actual harm can come to you and this is due to your Fight or Flight response is powerful in removing the fear. If you can minimise the fear of a panic attack you stand a good chance of not having another one. Or, if you do, at least being able to deal with it better.

To book a free 30 minute consultation contact me here.

No more managing panic attacks, lets eliminate them.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder is probably the most commonly diagnosed issue relating to anxiety. The sufferer will feel anxious about a wider range of situations and issues, rather than it being one specific event.

What causes someone to suffer Generalised Anxiety Disorder?

The foundation of suffering of this condition usually occurs in the childhood years. Hypnoanalysis is a powerful tool that can eradicate Generalised Anxiety Disorder and also gives the reason behind it. More about Hypnoanalysis here What is found when undertaking hypnoanalysis is one of the below two things.

• A repressed emotion
• A compound trauma of multiple incidents

Let’s take a look at each.

A repressed emotion

Repression happens when we experience an event, but are so overwhelmed the event is removed from conscious thought. This means that we forget it has happened. At that moment we were unable to deal with the overpowering emotion so we stored it subconsciously, but out of reach from consciousness. This means that we have a record of it happening in case we need to react to it again, but we don’t have to think about it again. This is a clever way that we protect ourselves. We use experiences to create templates on ways to react. But because this was so traumatic we don’t want to have to relive it again.

Unfortunately a repressed event creates an incorrect belief in our psyche about something. This is because they happen in childhood and we mistake a traumatic event as life or death. So often, these events are nothing more than childhood pranks gone wrong. We were just too young to know better at the time, that they weren’t as bad as we initially believed. Even if the event was traumatic by anyone’s standards, they still shouldn’t have the hold over us as adults as they do.

The time bomb.

The created repression will stay dormant until a similar event happens. The symptoms will only appear if life presents something similar. This means that the repression can stay dormant for an unlimited amount of time. If the experience was a common event, then it may well be released days or weeks after. If, for example, it was related to a plane and you didn’t fly on one again for 40 years, it could stay dormant for decades. In some cases, if you never flew again, it may never be released!

The repression may or may not have anything to do with your presenting issues, but it is the catalyst! The release of the repression will then associate itself with whatever is happening at that moment. For instance, if you are in a busy crowd you will likely develop agoraphobia, if you are flying, aerophobia.  Once the repression is released and attaches to something in your life you will start feeling anxious. The natural response is to attempt to avoid that situation. But Anxiety has a knack of morphine from one thing to another. This is because the body is required to release the emotion, but if you are avoiding the trigger it will then stick to another event or situation.

This is a case study of a client I successfully treated to a full recovery using Hyponanalysis.

A success story.

At the age of 29 the client suffered a panic attack on an aeroplane, the moment of the release of the repression. He immediately stopped flying as he believed he would have another one if he did. Because the repression had now come to life whilst flying the clients presenting issue was fear of flying. AS commonly done, the client then avoided flying. But because he avoided flying the anxiety needed to attach to something else. The client then started to feel discomfort on trains, then buses, then taxis. As he avoided each form of travel it just moved on to the next. All the way to the point where the only form of travel he could do was driving himself.

Anxiety tends to morph

The anxiety, then morphed across to small spaces. You can probably see why, as all forms of transport are usually limited in space. He then couldn’t use lifts or then be in meetings at work in small rooms. Off the back of this, a social anxiety was born because he was worried about showing his anxiety at work or in front of friends. So he started to avoid social interaction as best he could. Then there was another wave of morphing towards the client on his health.

What started off as a panic attack on a plane soon became Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Hopefully you can see how easily it can spread.

The repression coming to life doesn’t always have to be as obvious as this example on the plane. People can’t always put their finger on when anxiety started as it can be more gradual after the release of the repression.

It is the release of the original repression that can cause Generalised Anxiety Disorder to start. The repression itself could have been anything and often has little or no resemblance to the presenting problems. After taking this client through analysis we actually found the root cause of the repression. As an 11 year old they were caught in a fight and got cornered and unable to get out. This repression was activated on the aeroplane as the body at that point felt the same as he felt in that moment.

This is the interesting aspect of the way the brain works. What started off as a fight as a child ended up with the adult being scared of going to work in case he was in a small meeting room.

A compound trauma.

In our childhood we can be subjected to repeated negative ideas that we call compound trauma. We then end up living by these ideas as they are ingrained in our psyche. For example, if a parent continually tells the child they will amount to nothing they end up believing that as gospel. As an adult they can have loss of confidence and this can then led to anxiety in many areas of their life. Sometime this can be seen as Free Floating Anxiety, but it can also be responsible for Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

Treatment.

We have two extremely effective avenues to treat GAD

Firstly, Hypnoanalysis, as seen in the client study above. Analysis allowed the opportunity to find the originating trigger to all the problems and remove it. Once repression is exposed and dealt with usually the client returns to full health over the following weeks and months. This can take between 6 and 12 sessions to complete. For more information on Hypnoanalysis click here.

Secondly, BWRT. A specific protocol for working with GAD has been created. This is where we look at all the triggers and work at them one by one. Because many triggers overlap a list of 10 might easily fall to just 4 or 5 when worked through. Depending on the amount of triggers GAD can usually be treated in 2-4 sessions. For more information on BWRT click here

To book in for a 30 minute consultation please contact me here.

Random panic attacks are probably the worst symptom of anxiety that a person can suffer. I don’t think many people who have had one will disagree with that opening sentence. It can feel like you are about to die. It is responsible for many 999 calls for people falsely believing they are having a heart attack.

What could be worse than a Panic Attack? Well, Random Panic Attacks!

The triggered panic attack at least gives you some warning. That might be of little comfort, but you are at least able to employ avoidance techniques.

If we know why a Panic Attack happens, we can then further understand the Random Panic Attacks.

Panic attacks happen because your psyche believes that you are somehow in danger. At some point in your past, usually childhood, you have incorrectly believed you were in danger. From that moment on your brain was using that rule to attempt to keep you safe. The issue here is that, this rule is almost 100% likely to be incorrect. Consciously you go to do something. Subconsciously it believes it puts your survival at risk. To make sure you are aware that you are in danger, your brain release chemicals to change your physiological make up. These changes are then seen as the symptoms you experience i.e. heart racing. It is impossible to ignore these so you are primed to react. Unfortunately it was a false alarm and now you are left with these crippling symptoms.

If you ever find yourself in a real life or death situation these symptoms actually help you. But if they are present when it is a false alarm they are very unnerving.

Why do we pick up incorrect beliefs?

As children we have little frame of reference as we are still learning. In these years it’s easy for us to mix up real threats from perceived threats. These incorrect entries early on can then have devastating effects later on in life. We live adult lives, with adult wants and needs but these are governed by rules we created as children.

Are Random Panic Attacks, Random?

I believe they appear random from a conscious point of view. I once treated a lady that had one when driving home. She had to pull over and compose herself before being able to continue. Consciously she was unaware of why it had happened. She couldn’t put her finger on why it had happened.

When we create a belief it has many facets connected. It can have connections to Touch, Sight, Hearing, Smell and Taste. This means that anyone of those senses has the potential to trigger a panic attack. Going back to the lady who have a random panic attack in her car. One of those senses was triggered. Maybe she saw something that didn’t register. A shape or colour of a car was enough for her psyche to believe she was in danger so went off.

A hypnoanalysis case study.

Let’s look at another case. It was discovered via hypnoanalysis (more information here) so we know for sure the root issues. A soldier had returned from fighting abroad and had settled back to family life. Around a year after returning home he was in the shower. Following the same routine he had always done and suffered his first panic attack. Because he had a panic attack in the shower he then avoided the shower. He started to wash in a different bathroom and this time started to have baths. He then proceed to have a panic attack in the bath. So, he then stopped having baths and just used the sink, but again had a panic attacks. This made no sense to the man at all. He had fought in wars yet was now having panic attacks whilst using the bathroom and washing.

The solder undertook Analysis which unearthed the repression. The analysis had shown that when he joined the army at a young age he suffered a repression in regards to a bomb going off nearby when he was applying his deodorant. In that moment of the repression his psyche connected the smell off his deodorant with something bad happening. Fast forward a decade. He had been back enjoying family life for around a year when his wife changed shampoo brands. The new brand smelt exactly like his deodorant and was enough of a trigger to set off a panic attack. This incorrect entry in his subconscious believed he was once again in danger yet he was only in the shower.

My beliefs

My theory is that this is how random panic attacks occur. They are consciously random but subconsciously not. They follow a pattern, but this pattern is not available to us. A sense is triggered but we can’t join the dots up to its cause. Our minds are more likely to look at the situation than the potential of a sound/touch/smell. Random panic attacks are rarer to suffer from so there is the assumption that the other senses don’t get repressed and triggered as easy.

It could then be argued, most, if not all Panic Attacks start of random. Then we learn the trigger so they become triggered panic attacks. Random panic attacks are when we can’t fathom which sense is being triggered in a certain situation so appear random.

Treatment.

When treating panic attacks I have two highly effective solutions. Hypnoanalysis and BWRT.

My preference is to go with Hypnoanalysis because we are able to go to the root cause of the issue and flush it out. I have written a detail blog on Analysis here

Saying that, BWRT is not ineffective it just works in a different way. With BWRT we work on the feelings and known triggers. With BWRT we are not working on the root because we are working on the presenting problem. This means it is usually a quicker therapy.

For the sufferer of Random Panic Attacks I hope this give a small insight to your problem. That it helps you understand a little of what is going on behind the scenes and a solution to your problem.

To book an initial free consultation click here.

A trick we can use to help handle chronic worry is using the acronym AHA! This is going to incorporate two other blog posts I have written recently and consolidate this approach.

Acknowledge and accept – read more about living in the now here

Humour the worrisome thoughts as you would your nuisance neighbour – read more here

Activity – resume doing things that are important to you in your ‘external world’ and take the worries with you.

Acknowledge and accept.

When you are feeling anxious you need to acknowledge that you’re having worrisome thoughts or emotional reactions. Your initial response will likely be to pretend it’s not happening, but it is.

Imagine you had planned a day out at the beach, when you hear it’s likely to rain. You can attempt to pretend that you didn’t hear that. But you did, and the only option is to accept the rain.

Worrisome thoughts don’t add any value to your life as they are usually just repetitions of previous thoughts. Like spam emails filling up your inbox, you have unwanted thought filling up your mind.

Become aware

Acknowledging the issue is simple, you do this by being aware that it’s happening. We know we can’t ignore it, so just acknowledge it. It’s a thought that we don’t need and it will do its best to get you to worry more. The acknowledgment is just for yourself. This is a big first step, because most people drive straight into reacting/resisting the thought. Then they are worrying more and more which allows it to get out of control.

What you need to accept is that you are having a thought that you don’t like. You probably don’t like it when you get a headache, but you can acknowledge it until it passes. A headache is just there, it will go when it is ready.  Accepting isn’t about wanting to make the thought go away or to try to change it or judge it in anyway. Remember you don’t get to pick your thoughts, you can only choose your reaction to them. Your reaction at this stage is to just be aware you are having a thought that you don’t like.

You are no doubt going to want to know how to reply to yourself as it will be your nature to attempt some response. The best replies I have come up with that worked very well for me have been ‘Oh Well’. Remember you are the reader of the book not the author so you can’t change the event.

The start of the journey

This is a rather large first step. When you are dehydrated after playing sport you can instantly replenish yourself by having a big drink. But this is more like the process of learning to play the sport. It takes time to master and time for your body to start reacting the way you wish. You may not get instant results, but like anything it will come with time. You have to start becoming accustomed to this habit and using it as often as you can.

For some people the first step is the only step they require but they are likely in the minority. They acknowledge the worry is presenting itself and are aware of it they don’t fall for it to anymore. They simply say ‘Oh well’ and go on with what they were doing. But for the most people need to progress a little further as below.

Asking yourself these two questions

1. Is there a problem that exists now in the external world around you?
2. If there is, can you do something to change it now?

If the answer is anything other than two yes’s then you don’t have a problem in your external world and you are being baited by your worrying thoughts.

The problem you are facing is not the problem your thoughts have described to you.  The problem you face is the discomfort you experience in response to they worry and your inability to see that it shouldn’t be taken seriously. If you accept the discomfort and the baited worrisome thoughts then they soon pass. They are trolls and remember ‘don’t feed the trolls’

The conclusion

Lastly Activity. Just continue to do whatever is you are wanting to do. Your thoughts are just thoughts and you can go about your daily life. You choose if you continue or not. So, choose to continue with your life. Don’t let the worry stop you from your activities because it doesn’t need to.

So here we end the AHA! moment that you need to consistently use. Accept and acknowledge you are thinking about something you preferred you weren’t. Humour those thoughts like stated in this blog here. Continue with whatever activities you have planned.

For more information please get in touch here