Panic attacks are rarely understood by those that have never experienced them. Typically, symptoms include rapid heart rate, sweating and hyperventilating. The attack is usually accompanied by feelings of impending doom and sometimes even a fear of death. The attacks may appear as a result of some known stimulus, or may appear to be at random.

The attacks are habit forming and as a result sustain themselves and the trigger for them broadens in time. They are a result of conditioned behaviour and are extremely distressing. Typical triggers of a panic attack are thoughts of flying, driving in heavy or fast traffic, being in a busy crowded place. Because they arise at moments when a clear head is necessary, they can be debilitating.

If you suffer with panic attacks, then it is worthwhile visiting the Clinic to discuss them in depth. The Clinic has treated numerous clients with panic attacks of various types. Though you may feel like you are going mad, you are not. What is happening is your unconscious mind is trying to protect you from something, but is being too vigilant in doing so.

"There was a time when I couldn’t drive on a motorway for fear of blacking out" says Pete D. "Now I can drive anywhere, my life is back to normal again."

Panic attacks are caused by a fear of an event. You may have already experienced the event, and the unconscious mind is trying to avoid another one, or maybe just heard of such an event. Your unconscious mind wishes to protect you and so does everything it can to avoid situations where it is possible.

The usual treatment is to take anti-depressants where the aim is to break the habitual behaviour. The problem is that the drugs in themselves set up a psychological dependence and only work for a while.

The proper solution is psychotherapy where the trigger for the panic attacks can be identified and the sensitivity removed. In this way, you are able to function without the numbness brought about by the drugs. In many cases, therapy can be quite short, but this depends on how long you have been experiencing the attacks and how much the trigger has broadened.