Panic attacks are extremely unpleasant and frightening. They create a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions. Sufferers can feel as though they are having a heart attack or even dying. I have worked with clients who have struggled with this and by using BWRT® therapy, which is extremely effective, have stopped a panic attack in their tracks. I also teach clients a breathing technique to help them to relax and re-set and it’s a useful tool for anyone to use.

The more stressed we feel, the faster we breathe and our brain recognises this as a signal that we are not in a good place. However, our bodies can’t tell the difference between the type of stress that is actually life-threatening or, perhaps annoying and work related, so will respond in the same way – releasing stress hormones to combat the stress.

Millions of years ago – that stress would have been short lived – you would have either escaped it, fought it or died. But in today’s fast paced world, we continue to live with chronic low-levels of stress, which cause a great deal of damage to our health and wellbeing.

Those first signals of panic all start with our breathing.

So, when you slow your breathing down, you give your brain a different signal, that you are in a place of calm and safety. So, changing the pace and depth of your breathing will then change how stressed you feel. It is the simplest way to modulate the nervous system. When you breathe in and out through the nose it activates the parasympathetic state in the same way that breathing in and out through the mouth and chest activates panic and hyperventilating.

The mind believes what the body achieves, so you can short circuit fear and create a relaxation response in your body by changing the way you breathe. Finding some time for yourself during the day and training your stress response by swapping the fight or flight to calm will help you to feel back in control.

I begin every hypnosis session with some 3,4,5 breathing. It immediately creates calm and is very easy to do. I encourage my clients to practice it and make it part of their routine every day, even a couple of minutes will have a positive outcome on your state of mind – and you can do it anywhere – you don’t have to be lying down with your eyes closed.

As adults we tend to breathe most of the time through the chest. When you watch a baby sleep their stomach rises and falls, and this creates the calm, so this is how we start.

Begin by just taking some slow deep breaths and as you inhale through your nose letting your tummy rise up and then as you exhale through your nose, letting your tummy go down.  Then, when you feel ready, we introduce the counting. So, breathing in for 3 seconds, holding for 4 seconds and then breathing out for 5 seconds – and just keep repeating it.

It’s an easy way to just let go of any tension that you feel in your body, any worries, stresses or anxieties – and by focussing on counting you will notice how quickly you feel calm and relaxed. It’s an incredibly useful tool to stop a panic attack and to help you to feel back in control and keep panic at bay – so why not make it part of your routine every day and notice how much better you feel as a result.

If you would like to try the therapeutic benefits of hypnotherapy, or feel you need some help with anxiety or panic attacks, do please get in touch with me. All appointments are online.

Why not purchase my Breathe Better audio file and follow along with me.