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Anxiety
is a fact of life; everyone experiences it. When anxiety gets
out of hand, however, panic may ensue. Panic is the result of
an excess of autonomic nervous system activity. Physical symptoms
of panic can include increased muscle tension, accelerated heartbeat,
rapid breathing, constriction of blood vessels, dilation of
the pupils, dry mouth, a voiding of bladder, nausea, fear of
losing control, fear of having a heart attack, and fear of going
crazy. Panic is a psycho-physiological (mind-body) response.
Panic is the fight-flight response characterized by an excess
flow of adrenaline.
Many individuals who suffer from social anxiety experience panic in situations where they feel threatened. The worry about experiencing panic
often leads to avoidance of the specific challenging situation. This process creates a phobia. Challenging situations may include scenarios such as public speaking; being in the presence of or dealing with authority figures; being in a group; intimacy, or socializing in general. It may occur in school, in restaurants, in large gathering places. It may be any venue where a “performance” could be evaluated, such as sports, performing arts, and academics.
Panic can be characterized by an excess of physical symptoms, or by being overwhelmed with disturbing thoughts. The reality is, that a panic attack is usually the result of repressed emotions. The body somatizes emotions, which means they are being expressed physically. Many individuals who have experienced panic have ended up in the emergency room of a hospital thinking they're having a heart attack. It can be quite perplexing when the doctor, after administering an exam, says there's nothing wrong even though the patient experienced intense physical symptoms.
When a person is experiencing physical symptoms, it is necessary, of course, to rule out any physical etiology. Once ruled out, panic is very resolvable. It is important to integrate an objective, holistically systematic approach in order to productively treat panic. Productive treatment includes emotional management, nutrition, self-regulation, relaxation training, and lifestyle modification.
Your Options- Free Introductory CD
- The book, "Beyond Shyness: How to Conquer Social Anxieties" (Simon & Schuster)
- Comprehensive self-therapy audio CD program for social and performance anxiety
- Public Speaking Anxiety: Self Therapy Audio CD Program
- Therapy in Great Neck, New York
- Telephone therapy
- Selective Mutism Seminar on Audio CD
- "Parenting The Selectively Mute Child": Self-therapy Audio CD Program
- "Social Therapy and the Learning Disabled: A seminar on Audio CD
- Free social-ability questionnaire
- Free "Parent Addiction" quiz
- Subscribe to the Tip of the Month Club
There are many free self diagnostic options at www.social-anxiety.com
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