What is a Panic Attack?
A panic attack is an episode of intense anxiety that triggers physical sensations of fear. If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you might have experienced some of the very same sensations you would have if you were, say, being chased by a bear. Your heart might start pounding, you might feel like your throat is closing, you may feel dizzy, faint or detached from reality. You might even feel like your very life is in danger. The difference between being chased by a bear and a panic attack, though, is that when you experience a panic attack, you are not actually in any real danger, your body and mind are just telling you that you are.
Flight-Fight-Freeze Response
The flight-fight-freeze response is your body’s reaction to what it thinks is a threat. Flight is where your body gets ready to run from the threat, while fight is when it gets you ready to fend off the threat. Freeze, on the other hand, is when it immobilizes you, sometimes to the point of fainting, so that maybe the threat will miss seeing you and leave you alone. The fight-flight-freeze response releases stress hormones that trigger the physical symptoms you might experience when you have a panic attack, like increased heart-rate, sweating, muscle tension and quickening of the breath. The autonomic nervous system, which regulates physiological processes, evolved to launch this flight-fight-freeze response to help mammals act quickly in life-threatening situations. You can think of a panic attack as your body’s reaction to a metaphorical bear, like the one we mentioned earlier, but made of stress or anxiety. This metaphorical bear causes your body to perceive a danger that isn’t really there, so it gives you what it thinks are the proper tools to help you get to safety. Your flight-fight-freeze response is only trying to help you, but it can be extraordinarily distressing when it launches without need.
Flight-Fight-Freeze Response
The flight-fight-freeze response is your body’s reaction to what it thinks is a threat. Flight is where your body gets ready to run from the threat, while fight is when it gets you ready to fend off the threat. Freeze, on the other hand, is when it immobilizes you, sometimes to the point of fainting, so that maybe the threat will miss seeing you and leave you alone. The fight-flight-freeze response releases stress hormones that trigger the physical symptoms you might experience when you have a panic attack, like increased heart-rate, sweating, muscle tension and quickening of the breath. The autonomic nervous system, which regulates physiological processes, evolved to launch this flight-fight-freeze response to help mammals act quickly in life-threatening situations. You can think of a panic attack as your body’s reaction to a
metaphorical bear, like the one we mentioned earlier, but made of stress or anxiety. This metaphorical bear causes your body to perceive a danger that isn’t really there, so it gives you what it thinks are the proper tools to help you get to safety. Your flight-fight-freeze response is only trying to help you, but it can be extraordinarily distressing when it launches without need.
5 Methods for Getting Through a Panic Attack
| What? | How? | Why? |
| Ice or cold water | Hold an ice cube in your hand or place a cold towel on the back of your neck | Focusing on the sensation of the ice cube or cold water can help distract you from the panic attack symptoms and bring you back to the present |
| Focus on your five senses | Name some things you can feel, touch, smell, taste and see | Focusing on your five senses can ground you in the present moment and ease your anxiety |
Sour candy  | Suck on sour candy like a warhead or a sour patch kid. Anything with a strong flavor will work | This can help shift your attention away from your panic attack symptoms |
Coping statements  | Soothe yourself with self-talk like “I don’t like this feeling, but it isn’t dangerous”, “this will pass” or “I will get through this” | Statements like this will remind you that although a panic attack is uncomfortable, it is not inherently dangerous, and it is temporary |
Breathwork | Try square breathing: breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, repeat | Deep breathing will slow down your flight-or-fight response, and counting will help bring you back to the present |
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430973
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/panic-attack
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/fight-flight-or-freeze-response
If you are struggling with anxiety or panic attacks, contact our office to help you schedule an appointment with one of our therapists.