There’s a lof of information about panic attacks available and while there are different schools of thought on the topic, most experts agree that panic attacks are caused by high anxiety. To understand how this works we need to take a closer look at what anxiety is and how it can result in a full blown panic attack.

Anxiety can be defined as a state of fear or apprehension that results from the anticipation of a real or imagine threat, situation or event. All people experience anxiety at some point in their lives, but in some cases this state of fear can escalate to such a level that a full blown panic attack occur. The mechanism that starts a panic attack is known as the “Fight or Flight” response, which in basic terms is a series of signals that the brain sends to the body in order to prepare it to either fight or flee from a dangerous situation.

These sensations feel perfectly normal when we are in obvous physical danger, but when the threat is imagined (for example when it’s a fear of public speaking), it can be an extremely terrifying experience, because there is nothing that we can fight or flee from.

In my opinion the biggest  problem with panic attacks is that they are rarely isolated events. In most cases the experience of a panic attack is so terrifying, that the person is left with an intense fear of having another panic attack afterwards. This fear of having another panic attack results in more anxiety, which is exactly the thing that results in the next panic attack. When this cycle of fear, anxiety and panic continue over an extended period, a person is diagnosed as having a panic disorder.

If you experience panic attacks it is important to understand that you are not alone. There are thousands of of people who go through the exact same sensations every day. It may feel like something that can not be cured, but there are the fact is that there are proven techniques that you can start using today to eliminate panic attacks from your life completely. See my Top 5 Panic Attack Programs page for more information.