A panic attack may appear to only occupy a short space of time - around two to six minutes usually, and it's easy to think that it's all over after that. However the reality is that there are a number of long-term effects that can linger for a great deal longer. One of the most common long-term effects is flashbacks. This involves the person having a flashback to when the panic attack took place, and often experiencing the same negative feelings all over again.

Another potential long-term effect is the use of drugs. These are often prescribed to reduce or eliminate the panic attacks when they first start to occur. The problem is that at some point the sufferer will need to be weaned off the drug, which can result in various reactions that might not be expected. It might even lead to further complications.

The problem with flashbacks is that they don't usually just occur once. Sufferers will often report that they experience the same panic attack over and over again, and are find that if a similar situation arises again, they instantly start to experience another panic attack. This makes it extremely difficult for people to control their reactions, with the flashbacks simply reminding them over and over again of the sensations and emotions they experienced the last time, making it easy to duplicate them again.

The other difficulty is that often the individual doesn't have any warning that one is about to occur. Doctors, however, do agree that there are certain events that are more likely to trigger a flashback. These include going back to the place where the original panic attack occurred, or using recreational drugs. Both of these may trigger flashbacks, although there's no conclusive evidence that this is definitely the case. Still, it does make it more difficult to avoid having a flashback.

Flashbacks don't always fade over time, either. Some individuals have reported suffering as many as five or ten years after the panic attack originally occurred. This can throw someone who in every other respect is a perfectly healthy individual, into a highly confusing state, can very scary, and for most people the flashbacks are unavoidable.

The use of drugs to reduce or remove the incidence of panic attacks can also be problematic. Many of these prescription drugs are quite potent, and as they are often used for extended periods of time, the sufferer’s body may become reliant upon them. So when the time comes to reduce or stop using the medication, there can be side effects. Often the patient experiences a gain in weight, or acne, but luckily these are fairly minor effects. Some patients, however, suffer drastic mood swings, seizures, feelings of depression, or even contemplate suicide.

Unfortunately these drugs alter the mind, and although they're no longer needed to combat panic attacks, the mind itself may struggle to cope without them. This leads to unexpected complications. Because many patients have experienced this in the past, doctors now generally recommend that the patient be weaned off the drugs gradually. This helps to ensure that the panic attacks don't start reoccurring, but also to give the mind and body time to adjust to existing without the drugs any longer.

I have a friend. His name is Ubastard. I named him that because that's what he calls me when I let him. He lives in my head and is the monkey on my own back. I suspect I have befriended him by now and give him a comfy place to live in there, but I wish he would go away.

Ubastard has an amazing ability to bridge the gap between my mind and my emotions. Once he starts his dialogue with me, I can literally feel him connect the two. Since emotions are the body's reaction to the spinning of the mind, the little booger seems to have the amazing ability to start the processes of anxiety or a bit of depression at will. Ubastard!

I believe UB has live there since I was a kid but spent most of my own childhood just growing up himself. I don't remember all that many discussions with him when I was kid. I didn't even know his name was Ubastard until I went to Bible College. It wasn't really a seminary. The way the Bible was studied was to simply read it and weave it together in one complete incoherent whole. There was no study of the who, what, where, when, why and how's of scripture. I have had to do ALL that during my time as a Pastor and since. Let's face it, when you go to a denominational school, you get the denominational spin. I would have done better at Harvard Divinity School where one no doubt can freely admit to other perspectives on the topic. As a life long liberal Dutchman, I am sure I could have been persuaded to let go of guilt, shame and fear aspects of religion and enjoy the philosophical study of theology. But oh no, I had to affiliate with the literalists who feed Ubastard and inserted him in my mind when I was either deep in prayer or sleeping.

Anyway, at Bible College, one gets molded, shaped and eventually cloned into the very image of God, even though you don't. I remember sitting in first year Bible class which was a survey of the harmonious Gospels which later I came to see aren't. We heard a lot about the life and times of Jesus and his merry men, but a lot about sex as well. Ubastoring young people on the topic of sex in Bible College is a must. While I was wondering how the 12 could go so long without intimacy or sex, I was being assured that they had become Eunuch's for the Kingdom of God's sake. Ewwww. I did read where Peter had a mother-in-law, and thus a wife, but then she faded quickly out of the picture. For either one year, or three or ten, depending, these guys must have been serial killers at heart walking around in the desert and saying "behold" all the time. Guys who don't experience intimacy and sex do this I believe...and are very angry inside. I get curious when a pastor dwells on the evils of sex. But I spare you.

The should not's and must nots were endless. We were entertained with the professor prancing around the stage action "queer" as that was the in word then and we all were supposed to laugh and be men about it all. We tried to talk in deep masculine voices and not wear pink so as not to be confused with the enemy. Once, he counted slowly to four to illustrate to the women in the class just how quickly a man could aroused over their not dressing discretely. My buddies and I estimated he was more than two seconds off on the slow side and that what a girl wore had little to do with it. Add to all this weekly in class meme programming, weekends of Bible Study and Sermons, and Ubastard has acquired an endless supply of criticism to throw at me when I left him out of the picture.

Of course, we had to become perfect in all things. We had to think like Jesus thought and Act like God in all things. I once called someone a fool just as Jesus did from time to time, but got reamed out for being in danger of hell fire as Jesus taught would be the fate of those that called people fools. I'm confused!

I could have come up with the "What would Jesus do" thing years ago, but I was too busy feeling inadequate, fearful, guilty and shameful as was expected to think I could do what Jesus would do. Years later I came to wonder just what exactly Jesus was doing with Mary Magdalene who it seems ended up on the right hand of him in DaVinci's Last Supper. I can see where the part in the Gospel of Thomas with Peter chiding Jesus for kissing her too often on the lips, didn't make the NT cut of acceptable books. I believe he also asked Jesus why Jesus loved Mary more than the guys, but Jesus is said to have replied, "Why does she love me more than you do?" Whoa...nice comeback!

I remember the couple that found themselves the first semester and got kicked out by the second. They married and I spent the next three years wondering how their sex lives were going. All the rest of us were in limbo over this and Ubastard was in full swing by now. "ONE, TWO...doh" I tried all I could to get to FOUR, but I was evidently a particularly perverted Dutchman. I found out later that the only ones allowed to break the rules of God, as layed down by the professor, were the kids of the Evangelists, faculty kids and those that grew up in the denomination and were only allowed to go to this particular school being programmed from their youth to do so. Actually they didn't have a Ubastard from all I can tell. There is no freedom like the freedom church kids have when they grew up soaking in something they had no intention of doing.

At any rate, Ubastard still lives and chatters too much in my mind. Some believe this is good as his purpose it to direct me to the straight, narrow, righteous and true. Some say God put Ubastard there as my monkey on my own back guide. But personally Ubastard, the Monkey on My Own Back is a creation of my mind to keep me less than authentic, under the control of the powers that be and kept in line with guilt, shame and fear, which a the trinity of worthless emotions if ever there was one. Guilt, shame and fear are all imposed upon one in some way as a way to keep one weak, compliant and pliable, to the will of others...to the tribe or church if you will. They all assume there is just one way to be as a human being and any stepping outside of the the organizational box produces these emotions to get you back in. Maybe back in is not where one really needs to go.

There are several ways to defeat Ubastard. One is to breathe through when his fear, shame and quilt shatter provokes anxiety which is projected fear into the future or the fear of future consequences for not getting back into Ubastards camp. Just breathe...slowly, from the tummy and breathe. I don't know why he does not like that, but he doesn't seem to thrive in deep slow breathing. Ubastard is more of an upper chest breather and does it quickly. Maybe opposites defang him. Maybe his way of making my body breathe sends my brain the chemicals he loves to bathe in, which of course is fear, quilt and shame. Slow breathing might send the message to my mind that all is well and that it can keep the fear, quilt and shame juice but feel free to send the love, joy and acceptance juice on down! I think that's how it works. That's one of the few times Ubastard calls me Ubastard, and leaves me alone for a time.

Of course meds can be helpful. Whoever created Ativan must work directly on the right hand of God. On occasions breathing won't cut it and Ubastard has the upper hand. So as not to have a completely worthless and anxiety ridden morning, I take it. I don't like to, but I do and it's my decision. I know when Ubastard is on the offensive, I need some keymasters to help out. It runs right to the favorite cell receptors for Ubastard's mix but blocks them so his keys are worthless and he can't get into my breathing, tummy or thought spinning cells. Ha! Locked out! Take that Ubastard! I'd like to think, in time and with skills of thought that this amazing biosuit I wear to transport my spirit and experience my world in a limited five sensed way, could take over and simply remove Ubastards keys once and for all.

There are hundreds of sites with wonderful information on defeating Ubastard the Monkey on your own back. I think I tolerate him because I am supposed to keep him around for my good, but he doensn't feel good and in both the short and long haul, doesn't serve me much good.

I have watched thousands apply the rules of Bible School to themselves all my life. Some do nicely but admit to a certain duplicity behind the scenes. Some claim no duplicity, but seem sad and unfulfilled. Some seem happy and and bouncy and I consider these the most dangerous of all. I always want to know what's really going on with them. Me thinks you gush too much in Jesus. I am often proved right down the road. Many are stuck in relationships that feel more like brother-sister stuff. Nothing much to look forward to. Nothing much left to say. And no creative intimacy or talk about how one really feels down deep inside. Certainly they are not going to explore anything the church would disapprove of, even if the minister was doing that himself.

Ubastard seems to govern just how much one allows themselves to speak about as well. Let's face it, it is no fun sharing when, in fact, one is supplying the one spoken to the bullets with which to shoot back at you. As a result, there are many quietly desperate human beings who neither speak their heart nor share their thoughts out of anxious fear , guilt for doing so or shame over what they feel they need in life, before it goes away. Human stuff really and Ubastard, the Monkey on One's Own Back, seems bent on keeping the human in line with a thousand soul sucking organizations, churches and denominations , that feed him endless shoulds, musts, should nots and must nots, but never free to find no need for them and seek an authentic self.

This is why "Born Right the First Time" is quite a dose of poison for Ubastard and I am pretty sure he simply can't handle the thought. It would take away his power of control and his litany of reasons one has qualified today as Ubastard. All I know is that it does not help and does not serve me personally in any meaningful way to strive for a perfection the book says we must and yet not know one single person on the planet to point to as having done well in that. Perfect people are scary people and duplistic beyond measure behind the scenes. Perfect people, with the perfect understanding of the perfect on set of perfect truths are perfectly scary and often make a big splat when they fall and join the human race. Ted Haggard, former head of the National Association of Evangelicals comes to mind as an example of struggling with Ubastard all one's life and never just being authentic. Of course being authentic often means you lose your job and high position in the minds of others who know Ubastard only too well themselves. Sometimes a church congregation is content to let a pastor be the sacrificial life of goodness and light, while they can tell Ubastard to go to hell anytime they wish. As long as the pastor type proves it can be done as expected, all is well. Let the pastor prove himself way too often in open conflict with Ubastard, and out you go. Scares the people that they might get caught next.

One hint to me is that all Ubastard seems to say to me is that you really aren't good enough as is. You need to be more like someone else, who I am not sure is who I really ought to be like or even need to go to the trouble of being like. I haven't found another human on the planet , save maybe the Dali Lama, who appeals to me as the kind of person I'd rather be. And I am also not so naive to think that wanting anyone else's dirty laundry is a good swap.

So here we are. A little piece of consciousness contained in our limited five sensed carbon based wetsuit for a short time of experiencing this world as best we can. It's all a wonder and I believe benevolent more than malevolent, though some people let Ubastard take over and loose themselves completely in becoming the sharped fanged nasty Monkey personified. No longer is UBastard the monkey on the back of a person...he is the person. The monkey ate the man.

I'm not advocating exterminating Ubastard completely. But I think there need to be some rules of engagement.

1. Ubastard shall not endlessly repeat one topic over and over. He will understand that I am usually way ahead of him and don't need to keep hearing it over and over.

2. Ubastard will not use fear of eternal punishment when a human life is less than a hair width's experience in the arena of billions of years of galactic, star and planetary evolution.

3. Ubastard will acknowledge that "born right the first time" has merit and never being good enough is a tool of control and results the unhelpful experiences of anxiety and depression in which nothing good gets done.

4. Ubastard is not allowed to only quote ancient texts of Taliban perspectives in his onslaught but is now assigned to read and understand Conversations with God by Neil Donald Walsch, The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. No bananas if he refuses to read and apply these books.

5. Ubastard is not allowed to disturb sleep time.

6. Ubastard is not allowed to quote only from the King James, New International, and the Bible for Modern Dudes in promoting guilt fear and shame.

7. If Mebastard finds Ubastard not to have done and understood the above mentioned assignments, let him be banished to the forest of guilt, shame and fear where he seems to thrive better anyhow and there are millions backs he can easily jump on....just not mine anymore.

There are many people that suffer from one form or another of anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a recognized authority on various mental health issues, about 17 to 20% of the American population may suffer some type of anxiety disorder. Given the current state of the country, society and the world at large, this is not surprising.

GAD, or generalized anxiety disorder, is like being in a chronic or continued state of worry and anxiety. This can be a specific as a mother's concern for her child who walks to school everyday. Or as general as being constantly worried about anything or everything you need to do during the day. Understand were not talking about general concern about safety crossing the street.

In the example above of the mother being worried about her child, someone with an anxiety disorder may not even be able to consider allowing their child to walk to school. The idea of their son or daughter walking along a public sidewalk and possibly even crossing a street is just too terrifying to bear. This type of behavior can also have long-term consequences that can negatively impact the child.

Understand that there are varying degrees of almost any mental illness. While most people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder are able to continue to function, some are paralyzed by the fear of making any decision.

I have a relative who has refused to seek treatment for years and has continued to spiral down into a morass of mental disorders. While many in the family considered her mental state and decision making ability simply "quirky", in hindsight, there were many signs of mental illness. These unfortunately were ignored because although there were both mental and physical symptoms, she was still able to function and continue on in her daily life.

While her family members continued to dismiss her many symptoms as personality traits, she developed ever more serious symptoms. As years went by the family was required to modify their personal interactions to placate the situation and keep her in a somewhat safe place. This in turn allowed the spiral to continue and the symptoms to worsen. While at first this family member suffered with GAD, over the years her condition worsened to where she now shows signs of depression, obsessive-compulsive characteristics, paranoia and panic.

She is now almost unable to make any decision at all. And lives in a constant state of anxiety and worry about the possibility of making a mistake or wrong decision. In attempting to work through a decision-making scenario, she will consistently develop situations where all answers are potentially wrong and therefore put herself in a state of constant and continued worry.

She appears to be developing signs of paranoia and now demonstrates a lack of trust toward everyone. Her days are filled with emotional anxiety while picking and pulling at her hair and eyebrows. Fitful sleep comes only from emotional exhaustion.

The moral of the story is that everyone should understand the basics symptoms of the most common mental disorders. Although only a qualified professional can accurately diagnose mental illness, we should be able to recognize the symptoms if only to encourage people we know to get help. If you or a loved one may be suffering from anxiety or depression, you owe it to yourself to understand the symptoms and get help as soon as possible.

While the category of mental diseases is potentially broad there are a number of diseases that are increasingly being treated with great success by natural remedies. Doctors now have more tools in their toolbox rather than just using standard methods of treatment. However, lack of education regarding those tools is keeping many from trying natural methods that could be helpful.

Different types of mental illness can be successfully treated using natural remedies. Many of these illnesses share some of the same root causes allowing a comparatively small number of substances to work powerfully on a range of issues in the brain. Research is continuing to uncover ways in which natural remedies, herbals and other compounds impact the brain and help regulate function and fight disease.

One major factor in many mental diseases is neurotransmitter and brain chemical deficiencies/imbalances. Depression, insomnia, anxiety and many other illnesses all have brain chemical problems, at least in part, as a root cause. Addressing those deficiencies is often critical in restoring a person mentally. There are prescription drugs that work to correct neurotransmitter/brain chemical problems but they can often have serious side effects of their own.

On the other hand, natural supplements that contain various herbal extracts, amino acids and other compounds have been shown through various studies to be effective in dealing with different types of mental illness. In some studies, herbals were shown to be as powerful as prescription drugs in dealing with brain issues but without many of the side effects. Bacopin, Passion Flower, L-Tyrosine, Acetyl L-Carnitine, 5-HTP and huperzine A are a few of the natural substances that have been shown to improve anxiety, fight depression, help the body raise levels of various brain chemicals and protect neurotransmitters from being destroyed in the body.

A loss of neurotransmitters is also a symptom of age related mental diseases like Alzheimer's. The body's process for regulating neurotransmitter levels is affected by an illness like this and the body begins to attack the neurotransmitters in the brain and drastically reduce their levels. Again, using supplements like the ones mentioned earlier can help combat this process.

A lack of nutrients and/or a lack of blood flow to the brain are other common factors in different types of mental illness. Whether it is certain forms of depression or age related decline in mental function, insufficient nutrients or blood flow may be the problem. The BBC did an article earlier this year that interviewed a man who had been fighting depression for 40 years with drugs and therapy but couldn't get relief. After some research at the library he modified his diet and nutrient intake and the depression left him.

As for age related decline and mental diseases, various studies have shown that increasing blood flow and ensuring certain nutrient levels either delayed the decline or stopped it altogether. Using supplements with Ginkgo, Ginseng and vitamins E, C and B complex were the main natural substances that worked in this area.

These are only a couple of examples of how using natural substances can effect some common root factors in various mental diseases. It is important that we encourage our doctors to become educated on these natural remedies and their properties. Without that knowledge many will only get limited help in fighting their illness. Many natural remedies are effective, work well with the body and have fewer side effects than more modern drugs and interventions. We would do well to ask that these tools be added to the treatments made available to anyone seeking treatment.

There are many “proposed” natural treatments for ADHD. However, few of them have ever been compared to placebo, so we don’t know if they really work. Increasing certain fats or oils in the diet may be the only natural treatments that are worth considering. ADHD kids appear to be deficient in these fatty acids.

There are two families of these compounds, Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6. The only source of Omega-3 is fish, flax seed oil, and some greens.

From the research on this topic, it has been determined that:

· giving long chain fatty acids and adding it to your food doesn’t work any better than a placebo

· giving a certain long chain fatty acids called DHA derived from algae doesn’t work better than placebo

· giving two long chain fatty acids called Omega-3 and Omega-6 worked better than a placebo in children who had behavior problems, attention problems, and academic problems

Two of the most popular natural treatments for ADHD are Synaptol and Focus ADHD. But they are very costly ($69 for a one-month supply). If you can find it, there is a herring product called Omega Gold. It is cheap and has plenty of the right fatty acids in it.

To determine whether or not fish oils are actually helping your ADHD child, you need to be able to measure how much change there is over time, because these substances do not work overnight. Assuming your child would go along with this attempt at natural treatment, try giving fish oils for one whole year. If there is no significant improvement in his or her behavior or academic performance after the recommended time has elapsed, then stop the fish oil treatment.

The good news is there are few side effects -- usually just indigestion and burping (although in rare cases, an ADHD kid may become agitated on fish oil).

Overall, fish oils are worth trying, not because they work better than standard medications, but because:

· they have so few side effects

· they are cheap

· some parents refuse to administer standard medications (e.g., Ritalin)

· some kids refuse to take the “hard stuff”

Just so you’ll know my bias, I don’t believe children should be on non-natural forms of ADHD medication except in those worst-case scenarios where the child simply cannot function (in the social sense) without the drug. Here’s why:

· some children will actually become more hyper, not less

· some children will become irritable and easily upset

· occasionally a child who has a problem with speaking will actually worsen on one of these drugs and speak even less than usual

· these drugs may make the child have nervous tics as in Tourette's (e.g., nail biting, licking the hand, having to touch certain things)

· sudden death while taking stimulants (3 deaths per 10 million)

· serious heart problems while taking stimulants (5 per 10 million)

According to a review of 25 years of research reported in the November issue of Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), males experience more traumatic events on average than do females, yet females are more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The authors reviewed 290 studies conducted between 1980 and 2005 to determine who is more at risk for potentially traumatic events (PTE) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), males or females? PTSD is defined as an anxiety disorder precipitated by a traumatic event and characterized by symptoms of re-experiencing the trauma, avoidance and numbing and hyper arousal.

The researchers David F. Tolin, PhD of the Institute of Living and Edna B. Foa, PhD, of the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine found the following:

•Males have a higher risk for traumatic events; women suffer from higher PTSD rates.

•Female study participants were more likely than male study participants to have experienced sexual assault and child sexual abuse.

•Female participants were less likely to have experienced accidents, nonsexual assaults, witness death or injury, disaster or fire and combat or war.

•Sexual trauma may cause more emotional suffering and are more likely to contribute to a PTSD diagnosis than other types of trauma.

•Women's higher PTSD rates were not solely attributable to their higher risk for adult sexual assault and child sexual abuse, explained Tolin. PTSD rates were still higher for women even when both sexes were compared on the same type of trauma.

•"PTSD may be diagnosed more in women in part because of the criteria used to define it. Cognitive and emotional responses to traumatic events make a diagnosis of PTSD more likely. So even though men may experience more traumas, they don't seem to have the same emotional responses to traumatic events," said Tolin and Foa.

•Those participants who experienced multiple traumas may be more vulnerable to re-experiencing old PTSD symptoms when confronted with a new trauma.

•"However, the data suggest that the female victims will have brought to the table a much greater risk of abuse and sexual assault prior to the accident; this could place them at higher risk of developing PTSD after the accident even though the current accident may not have caused all the symptoms," said Tolin.

•The male participants examined in this review were less likely to report anxiety or depression, but were more likely to report behavior and drug problems. They were also more likely to become irritable, angry or violent after traumas.

These findings were consistent regardless of the population and age examined and the type of study and assessment tool used.

Tolin said that responses to trauma can vary from person to person but it is difficult to determine if a person has directly faced the trauma or not. Let us take the example of the research on investigating the traumatic effects of 9/11 terrorist attacks. Tolin says that to a certain extent, a few studies showed that participants' distance from ground zero was directly related to the likelihood of experiencing severe PTSD symptoms. But, at the same time people from all over the U.S. could technically have been classified in research as having 'experienced' a terrorist attack just by watching it on TV. This is a major problem for trauma research because it's hard to determine whether someone has really been traumatized or not.

Panic attacks help is a very important issue because the attacks are not something to take lightly. There are many treatments for panic attacks including therapy, medication, and exercising techniques. The crucial thing about panic attacks help is that it enables the patient to cope with the needless fear that is the most marked symptom of an attack. Panic attacks are sudden, unpredictable, and are accompanied by symptoms like palpitation, choking, and nausea, all of which multiply the fear by making the patient feel that something has gone wrong with the heart or breathing organs that is causing them to slowly choke to death.

People who have experienced one panic attack are very susceptible to fear of having further panic attacks. What they do not realize is that panic attacks help can actually lead to a prevention of this needless worry that is only sending invitations for more attacks. In case panic attacks help is not provided in time, then the situation could seriously impair the patient's life in every respect and finally lead to a morbid fear of everything even remotely fear and a psychological condition known as panic disorder. While panic attacks themselves rarely last for more than hour, though there are exceptions, a lack treatment can worsen the situation.

Panic attacks help involves teaching you how to identify the various symptoms, their real causes, and how to cope with the whole situation. Not all panic attacks represent the same causes and it is important to know the difference in order to have better self-control during one. A crucial part of panic attacks help is to make sure that you do not disassociate yourself from reality by giving in to the fear that permeates you.

Here are some things you may do in order to provide panic attacks help to yourself.

• Do not be embarrassed or secretive about requiring panic attacks help. This is a common problem faced by many people and should not make you feel bad. Always remember that you can get it treated any time you wish.

• Talk openly about this problem to anyone whom you trust and who is willing to spend time understanding your situation. Some people find it therapeutic to maintain a dairy where they pen down their feelings so that later they can understand what they were going through. This is an excellent tool for finding out what you felt before you had your panic attack.

• This point may not work for everyone, but one way is to just own up that you are not really afraid and that all the fear and panic is just your body reacting to something it perceives as a threat but cannot identify or place. You must take charge of yourself and the situation and when the fear tries to grip you, just take a firm stand and refuse to be intimidated by your own imagination.

• In case your panic attacks leave you completely lacking in control then it might be too late for panic attacks help on your own. Seek medical attention and fully explain the situation to the doctor. Most treatments involve a combination of therapy and medication.

If you keep in mind the aforementioned point, with time you will realize how they have helped you in dealing with your panic attacks.

Panic attacks information is important for every individual because they can happen at any time and under many random circumstances. Though panic attacks information indicates that they make the victim feel alone, they can occur even when the victim has adequate company, in familiar or unfamiliar surroundings, and even during sleep. As per panic attacks information, the typical symptoms include a faster heart rate resulting in more blood flow and consequent reddening of the face, choking, nausea, fear, and lack of physical and emotional self-control.

The level of fear during a panic attack is extremely high and this fear causes many reflex actions in the body that are not always controllable. Due to the high heart rate, many people mistakenly assume a panic attack to be a heart attack and rush to emergency rooms claiming that they can no longer breathe. Men and women are both affected though the proportion of women happens to be slightly higher. People who ignore panic attacks information are likely to develop a persistent condition that leads to panic disorder.

These attacks have the potential to temporarily disable a person and are quite harmful in the long run, a knowledge about panic attacks information can help to avoid that situation. Stress or even nerves can cause panic attacks but they must not be confused with stress or a case of nerves. Those are causative agents and not the affliction itself. Panic attacks are curable before they progress to the panic disorder stage when recovery becomes prolonged and difficult. There are several techniques employed by different practitioners who help to fix this problem on the basis of panic attacks information. Some common treatments include therapy, medication, breathing and relaxation exercises, and so on.

While panic attacks do not follow any timetables, it has been studied that on an average a panic attack will occur suddenly, reach its peak in a period of no longer than ten minutes, and will stay at that stage for approximately half an hour. However, panic attacks information indicates that sometimes, depending on several factors, the attack may last from a few hours to even a whole day. After a panic attack subsides, the patient is left feeling weak and discharged, as if recovering from a long illness.

There are many health concerns that can lead to panic attacks. People who have conditions like heart disease, thyroid malfunction, withdrawal from medication, and so on, are at a greater risk of suffering from panic attacks. Besides physical conditions, certain mental conditions like depression, stress, tension, and various types of phobia are also associated with panic attacks. It must be noted that though many factors are associated with panic attacks, the bodily mechanism leading up to a panic attack is not yet clear. So while heredity, disease, phobia, and stress are all well identified reasons for panic attacks, it is not certain how they actually cause the attacks.

Because panic attacks information says so much about fear, it is assumed that a panic attack is the body's natural defense against fear without any visible or apparent reason for fear. People reacting to fear display the same symptoms as witnessed in most panic attacks.

Help for panic attacks is paramount for anyone who experiences these nerve-wracking episodes that cause so much anguish. The amygdale is a region in our brains that is primarily responsible for controlling our natural response to all types of fear. During a panic attack this part goes into high gear and the subsequent response is no longer rational, or influenced by the thinking part of our brain. The amygdale is a very ancient part of our brain and hence it still relies on instinct rather than critical analysis. People require help for panic attacks because the attacks render them completely irrational and capable of clear thinking. If they could think clearly during a panic attack, they would not be having them because panic attacks are often the result of "invisible" causes.

During a panic attack, the thinking brain is overruled by the amygdale. Like most emotional trauma, people recovering from panic attacks will feel drained, emotionally and physically, and fatigued as if they had just finished doing some strenuous physical activity. Help for a panic attack is available through different means and some of these are listed below based on lifestyle parameters that are easily controlled.

Caffeine and Sugar

Both the above have the same effect on the human body when compared to the effects of adrenaline. An adrenaline rush is good in its place but too much adrenaline puts our body in fast-forward mode. Cutting down on coffee and sugar is good help for panic attacks because you avoid the unnatural "rush" provided by both these foods and do not strain your body into producing more insulin to combat the sudden rise in your blood sugar levels. Caffeine wakes you up by jolting your body and that is not really good if you need help for panic attacks.

Breathing

During panic attacks, breathing becomes erratic, shallow, and fast. You must train yourself into breathing calmly and deeply. Many people do not use their abdomen even when breathing deep. Correct that and breathe from low down, let your stomach inflate and deflate while your chest remains steady. Once you are well settled into this new mode, the next panic attack will require your body to make a big change in the way it breathes, and that is something the human body prefers not to do, so you are providing great help for panic attacks. It is important to practice breathing exercises when you are feeling normal. Trying to practice them during an attack is completely pointless. You cannot form good habits when you are out of your mind.

Relaxation

Staying relaxed a good way to keep the adrenaline under control. Whether stressed out or excited, it signifies more adrenaline. There are relaxation exercises you must combine with your breathing practice. A good help for panic attacks utilizing relaxation and breathing exercises may be found in Yoga. If you prefer, you could even listen to some music or read a book. The point is to relax in whichever way works best for you.

Center

A few inches below the navel and between your abs and lower back, is the center of the human body. Focus your attention there and imagine yourself being calm, and you will discover that you truly are more relaxed.

Panic attacks are never pleasant and the first one is enough to make everyone wish they never have another for as long as they live. However, there is a problem when you try to stop panic attacks through mere thought because that is impossible. People dwell so much on them that they might as well be worrying themselves into another attack. In fact, too much thinking about panic attacks can establish a permanent trigger that will set an attack off just by concentrating too much on the fear of having it. People often tend to get needlessly worked up and heighten their anxiety by worrying about how to stop panic attacks. All this makes it only makes it worse because after the first, people are laying the foundation of what they think will stop panic attacks instead of encouraging that bad experience.

There are many causes of panic attacks, both related to physical conditions as well as purely psychological conditions like phobia and stress. During panic attacks, the physical self of the victim is overwhelmed by the emotional trauma induced by the attack that is witnessed and felt through many symptoms like palpitation, sweating, trembling, nausea, dizziness, choking, and non-physical symptoms like fear, dread, terror, and a sense of impending doom. The immediate cause of panic attacks is not always visible. Getting stuck in traffic or getting the news of someone's death are both equally valid causes in different people. Sometimes there is no discernible cause of any sort. To stop panic attacks you must never think about them because one of the causes of panic attacks is thinking about having one.

In order to stop panic attacks you must know what your body does before and during one. Analyzing this will help you to narrow down on the places and circumstances that trigger the attacks and you can then stop panic attacks by avoiding those things. In case you cannot find any such cause then consult a doctor. This is what most people do when they want to stop panic attacks but cannot figure out what is causing them. Besides, speaking with anyone, even a doctor, about such problems is always a good thing as it works like a release and relief mechanism. Doctors make good listeners because they already have experience with how to stop panic attacks and can consequently help you much better than friends who may be more sympathetic but lack the knowledge required to provide practical help.

For advanced cases where it is not possible to stop panic attacks either on your own or through regular means, there are good prescription medications available. Since every human body and emotional make-up is unique, not all types of treatments to stop panic attacks work equally for all people. Some of the causes of panic attacks are not subject to medical treatment because they are more related to lifestyle elements like stress, tension, lack of exercise, and so forth. The appropriate change in lifestyle will help to automatically stop panic attacks.

Practicing breathing and relaxation techniques is a good way to cope when you cannot figure out the cause to effectively stop panic attacks.

Panic attacks are the initial steps leading up to panic disorder and a good number of people are affected by this problem. It is estimated that 2% of all American adults will experience at least one panic attack. Anxiety causes panic attacks and they are often confused with each other, but where anxiety is somewhat gently simmering, panic attacks are sudden, violent, and temporarily disable the victim of doing anything, especially coping with them. There is a wide range of factors that causes panic attacks and they are so random that it is impossible to establish a cause-and-effect relationship, especially in light of the fact that panic attacks happen even when the victim is sleeping. Whatever causes panic attacks, the duration of one can be anywhere from half-an-hour to a whole day.

Initially, a particular situation that causes panic attacks need not be linked to them permanently. However, if left untreated, every panic attack acts as a reinforcement that gradually increases the phobia associated with whatever causes panic attacks. In such people, there is a deep urge to avoid those circumstances until finally the situation or circumstance is established in their minds as a direct cause of panic attacks. When faced with those situations, these people's anxiety will hit dangerous levels and they will, in a manner of speaking, be tricking themselves into having a panic attack. This vicious circle causes panic attacks repeatedly until the whole situation develops into a panic disorder that needs medical attention. To make things worse, once the process of associating fears with panic attacks is started, the patient will associated a greater and greater number of situations with panic attacks until their professional, personal, and social lives will begin to suffer because they will be trying hard to avoid being in any situation whatsoever.

Though panic attacks are unpredictable, they are still subject to control and treatment. Due to the confusing signals received during panic attacks they are often assumed to be a heart condition or some other kind of respiratory problem that requires medical attention. Since these patients are not rational during or immediately after a panic attack, it is often useless to tell them about what causes panic attacks and why they are not going to die from some serious physical problem. On the other hand, some patients might take a "no problem" statement literally and just consider panic attacks to be a temporary bad phase that requires no treatment. Care must be taken because though whatever causes panic attacks might not be physically threatening there are still psychological implications that are equally devastating.

The closest analogy to what happens during panic attacks is found in how the human body reacts to fear or a threat. There are established rules of behavior in our brain on what it must do when faced with sudden danger to the body or life. Fear causes panic attacks more than anything else though the nature of fear is not always clear. A panic attack is the body's response to a threat that is not really there. Under threatening circumstances, that very defense helps us to survive the threat, but when there is no threat the triggering of this defense mechanism causes panic attacks.

If you have come to the conclusion that hypnotherapy is the best form of help for your issue, the next step is to find the right hypnotherapist for you. The following top ten tips will help you come to an informed decision.

1) Get A Personal Recommendation

If you know someone who has seen a hypnotherapist before, then you might choose to accept a recommendation of a particular hypnotherapist from them. If you are fortunate enough to have a recommended hypnotherapist it will help you feel more confident and probably more relaxed the therapist.

Sometimes of course, although a hypnotherapist has been recommended to you, that this therapist is not appropriate for you or your particular issue. For example the person making the recommendation may have seen this hypnotherapist for controlling weight. Your problem may be something more personal like an unwanted urge and this hypnotherapist may or may not offer sessions for this type of issue.

2) National Hypnotherapist Associations

If you do not have details of a recommended hypnotherapist, your next choice is to contact one or more of the professional hypnotherapy associations. Any hypnotherapist that has membership of these professional organisations, would have had to supply at least details of their training and their indemnity insurance.

Hypnotherapists that are members of these organisations have to follow strict codes of conduct and ethics.

A way of tracing these national organisations is via the internet’s search engines. Simply type the words “hypnotherapy association” and you will given a list of the websites for these bodies.

3) Location

Geographical location of the hypnotherapist is an important consideration. Try to find one that is close to your home or work place. If it is too far to travel to, you mind find yourself making excuses and not keeping your appointments.

4) Availability

Hypnotherapists offer different days and times for appointments. Some hypnotherapists have limited times and days that they are available. Others operate during week days only whilst others may be able to offer you an appointment on a weekend.

Many hypnotherapists offer evening appointments realising that some clients will be unable to take a daytime appointment because of work commitments.

5) Price

The fee for any hypnotherapy session will be an important consideration for most people. Fees, even between hypnotherapists in the same location can vary quite substantially. These differences are because of factors such as experience and the hypnotherapist’s cost for providing a room for the hypnosis session.

6) Hypnotherapy Consultation

Many hypnotherapists will offer a free initial consultation but not all of them will.

The purpose of initial consultation is that it allows you to meet the hypnotherapist in person and make a better judgement as to whether you want to see them or not. It gives you a chance to provide more information about your problem. It is also a time to ask any questions you might have about the hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy session.

With the vast majority of hypnotherapists the consultation is provided without any commitment to having a hypnotherapy session. It is important to clarify this is the case with any hypnotherapist although any professional hypnotherapist should be clear about the terms.

When a hypnotherapist does make a charge for a consultation this will usually be a token amount and mainly to cover their costs.

7) The Sex of the Hypnotherapist

Sometimes, choosing whether to see a male or female hypnotherapist will be important to you and your ability to discuss personal details. All hypnotherapists are trained to treat many issues specific to men or a women.

8) Experience of Hypnotherapist with your issue

In your assessment of which hypnotherapist to visit, knowing how much if any experience the hypnotherapist has in resolving your issue will be important. This can help your confidence in knowing that you are receiving treatment from a hypnotherapist who understands and has successfully managed similar issues.

9) Rapport

A crucial part of deciding to see any hypnotherapist is your impressions about them once you have made contact. The contact may be by telephone or it may be at the consultation. The hypnotherapist should help you feel comfortable and respected. All hypnotherapists are trained at how to build rapport with any client quickly.

We are all different and sometimes some clients and hypnotherapists recognise that it would be best not to work together. If this is true the hypnotherapist will normally suggest other hypnotherapists to contact.

10) Training

There are over 100 different schools providing hypnotherapy training in the UK alone. Some schools provide courses that run over a year whilst others provide an intensive course over a set number of days. Some schools provide a correspondence course without any practical training. Anyone, at the moment, can set themselves up as a hypnotherapist and even those without any training whatsoever.

I was away from my desk for 3 days and so I was feeling the pressure of getting my on-line work done. "I did not have access to a computer while I was away and that put all my commitments behind their schedule".

It seemed that no matter what I was doing I was getting myself into these anxiety causing situations.

I only went out of town to visit with family and do some Christmas shopping.

When did a simple thing like that bring on an anxiety attack?

Yes, we all know that the pressure of shopping and spending money can be stressful but is that all it takes to set the anxious feelings off?

Apparently on this day that was enough.

I got to thinking of all the occasions when the anxiety came along and truthfully, I was sick of it.

Was it hereditary, caused but a traumatic situation, or thought up inside my brain?

I wanted to know! That is what led me to do my own survey. I started bringing the subject of anxiety and its related symptoms into conversations I was having with family, friends and acquaintances.

At first, people wanted to know if I was going to share their information with anyone and I said definitely there would be no names mentioned, however I needed the data so I could mostly come to some personal conclusions.

Later on I asked if I could use the situations in my online articles.

It was amazing how they responded to helping me in my own quest.

After talking to so many people I discovered that I was not alone and it actually seemed like talking about their opinions about anxiety was opening them up and helping them feel better.

Many of these people still talk to me and want to relay their experiences to me.

When I think back on all those conversations, it helps me fend off and often end the onset of an anxiety attack.

Talking, and feeling like you share a common bond with someone has helped me many times over the years.

Just like when you were a child and you had a nightmare, as soon as someone came in to see if you were all right, the fear would flow away.

Someone sharing concern for you ,even when you become an adult is another fact I discovered that helped with fear, anxiety and panic. It sort of nipped the feelings in the bud as we sometimes say.

I think that I found out a very important piece of the anxiety puzzle this time when I was away on my trip.

Having too many things to do ,or being short of time and even having fun can set the stage for anxiety if you are tired or feel obligated to act or behave in a certain way.

There is a fine balance in each of us that only we ourselves can get to know and recognize.

This balance is what I believe, if we listen to our bodies and minds will end the anxiety in each of us.

In the past decade, the news headlines have definitely made it clear that the need for stress management should be one of the top agendas in modern day society. The rages alone such as Road Rage and the trends of violent acts in life today prove a lot of it well.

Living today is a lot tougher than it was even in the days of the great depression. It’s been coming out in many ways such as all time occurrences of stomach and intestinal ulcers. Others find sleep disorders and wind up zombies during their busy days. Insomnia is growing in leaps and bounds.

Today stress management is important in everyone’s lives. It’s necessary for long happy lives with less trouble that will come about. There are many ways to deal with stress ranging from the dealing with the causes of stress to simply burning off its effects.

A good place to start in planning your own stress management would be finding the roots of your stress. It can come from physical exertion and mental strain as well. We all have these things in our everyday life. Its effects on our overall being can vary dramatically from others experiences. For that reason your needs in stress management may indeed differ from theirs as well.

Dealing with the sources of stress is best when possible. Often these are the things we dwell and over worry about. Among them are finances, family planning, balancing work/home, and often dealing with others over expectations. A good place to start in stress management is to focus on what your limitations are. While it may seem at times you can move mountains; don’t forget after the move you will need a lot of rest.

Setting boundaries on others expectations can help take the worry down, and at the same time you will see that productive outcomes can be seen early on. Sometimes you have to say no. Keep things that directly affect you, your home and job in mind when considering things outside of these. Sometimes better focus in these areas and work balancing can help you deal with outside stresses better even to the extent of prevention. This can be one of the most important aspects of stress management.

An important part of stress management is relaxation. It’s a necessity along with good exercise and diet. The three work together for the best physical fitness and definitely for peace of mind in life. If you don’t have all three in your life, now is a great time to start. You will feel better, and find that life goes along a lot better.

Beyond fixing the stress sources, you can find many resources in the area of stress management. Among the many sources to look for are self-help, physical fitness, alternative medicine, improved communication skills, and even the local gym. Yelling somewhere away from everything and even acupuncture aren’t unheard of either as effective methods of stress management.

A good place to begin looking is where you are right now. You will find a better understanding of stress, and no doubt invaluable information about stress management. It’s definitely worth a careful look.

In the end, the sooner you find great stress management, the better you will enjoy life. It will bring your hopes up giving you new vigor you never knew before. It may take a little work to get to, however its worth what it takes to get there with better stress management.