Overcoming the Certainty Trap and Accepting Anxiety

Okay, in the last two videos we talked about the difference between an anxiety attack and a panic attack, and how you can get stuck in a cycle of having panic attacks. In this video we’ll talk about how to stop panic attacks. It’s a bit paradoxical, but it works.

In the previous video we talked about the panic attack cycle. 1- a sensation or feeling, 2- you judge that feeling to be unacceptable, bad or dangerous, 3- this triggers an escalating FFF response, and 4- your brain learns that panic and anxiety are “dangerous”. So let’s take a deeper look at step 2, the thoughts that transform a physical sensation into something we see as dangerous.

Here are common ways of thinking that trigger panic attacks. The Big issue is believing that panic attacks are dangerous. Panic attacks are inconvenient, they are uncomfortable, they can be embarrassing or they can interfere with what you want to be doing- but they aren’t physically dangerous. All these uncomfortable symptoms are just the body tossing you into FFF mode, which makes it less likely that you’ll pass out, stop breathing or any of those other fears.

If someone is having a panic attack and they go to the ER, an EKG will show a regular, but rapid heartbeat. You pass out with low blood pressure, a panic attack takes your blood pressure up. Heart attacks feel worse when you walk around, move about, panic attacks feel better.

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

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