Fear is the basis of anxiety but it is not the only anxiety attack symptom. Treatment for your anxiety needs to address this fear first, however, because it is the trigger for anxiety.

You'll likely want to look at natural anxiety relief, rather than drug-induced treatments because at some point, you will want to be drug and anxiety free.

So let's talk about fear itself and how you can start treating yourself now.

Where does this fear come from? Why does it cause such distress and feed anxiety as well as it does? What can you do to stop it?

There have been many theories around fear and its role as an anxiety attack symptom. Treatment options are equally diverse. Some are scams while others have proven to be highly effective, regardless of how long you've suffered anxiety attack symptoms.

Having suffered years of anxiety, I underwent the related medical treatments. The medications merely kept me calm while I went through 3 years of therapy, but when it was over, the fear had eased but it hadn't gone away.

Then one day, I discovered the secret behind that fear. Today, I immediately recognize when the fear is stirring and can halt it immediately.

If you can identify your fear, you will be able to do the same.

First let me say that I disagree with the approach that you don't have to know what causes the fear, and that it's only important to know that the fear is simply an anxiety attack symptom. For me, it was imperative I figure out the fear so I could deal with it. And when I did, my anxiety attacks subsided.

I hope this secret I'm about to reveal helps you too.

The first thing to realize is that fear comes from your subconscious. Your body senses a danger or perceived danger and responds with fear. Fear causes your body to increase its adrenalin so it can fight to preserve itself. Today, however, much of the fear is internalized rather than from an outside source, like a threat from a wild animal.

It's true that over time our experiences have taught us to respond automatically with this fear instinct. When it gets out of control, as when it becomes an anxiety attack symptom, treatment must be sought.

Let's start with your thoughts, because that's where the fear hides.

If you listen closely when you feel an anxiety attack coming on, you'll get a sense that something just happened to scare you. You know that feeling you get when you go into a room and forget why you went there? Fear as an anxiety attack symptom feels much the same. Inside, you feel uncomfortable. It's a feeling that's difficult to pinpoint or explain. You just sense something isn't right.

I firmly believe that the fear builds because now you are afraid of the fear itself, just as popular programs say. You don't understand where it's coming from and this makes you believe something terrible is going to happen.

This 'something' that caused your unease might be a memory your subconscious has suppressed. For instance, let's say you had a bad experience years ago when you had to go to a meeting. Perhaps you were asked to make a brief presentation, but you hadn't been notified in advance and weren't prepared. You immediately felt fear. This is a natural response to such an unexpected event.

One day, you're going about your business and something reminds you of that nerve-wracking event and the fear you felt resurfaces, but you try to suppress it. This time, you can't pinpoint what's causing it. You have now set up an automatic fear response that will continue until you find a way to deal with it.

When you sense your fear, stop and think about what just happened. What were you thinking about? Are you anxious about something in your life? Often, we have day-to-day 'fears' about things. We worry over finances, health, career, family, retirement, an expected move.

Perhaps you're having trouble meeting your bill payments. Maybe you have to do something you don't particularly feel comfortable doing. Maybe you are going somewhere and you're nervous about the trip for some reason.

Take time to sit down and write out the things that make you nervous, fearful, stressed. Cover your personal traits - for example, if you're a homebody and would rather keep to yourself than attend a meeting or go to a social gathering. Include any traumatic events in your life, going right back to the beginning.

Have you lost loved ones recently? Are you concerned about your life without them? This is particularly tough and might require help from bereavement support groups. Be sure to take advantage of them, because they can provide tremendous help in moving on.

How's your self esteem? Do you feel good about yourself? You might have to really think critically to discover just who you are and why you are the way you are. Write it all down and see if you can identify the things that trigger your fear.

See, my occasional lack of confidence will make me uncertain when I have to take on certain tasks. I'm not sure I can handle them, or that I'll do a good job. I now know that this is a threat to my self-esteem. If I fail, it shows I'm not as good as I'd like to believe.

Failing only reveals my weaknesses and limitations. Because self-esteem is necessary to live comfortably, fear results from this 'threat'. And yes, that fear can soon turn into an anxiety attack if I don't take those few minutes to catch those fleeting thoughts that caused it.

First you need to work on fear - your anxiety attack symptom. Treatment begins at home, as they say.

I've discovered that just the act of halting my fear to stop and think about what just went through my mind was enough to bring the anxiety attack to an end in a matter of seconds. As soon as that happened, I was able to think about the fear and focus on solutions, rather than on the fear itself.

Have you ever wakened from a dream and immediately forgotten what it was, but it felt important to remember? You struggled to recall it so you could find out what happened or resolve the problem. Think of your fear as a dream - something in your subconscious that you can resolve.

Remember too, that most fear is fear of the unknown. Identify your fear and it no longer has control over you. You have control over it, and your anxiety.

I wish I could better explain this process, but the best I can advise is to watch your thinking. Listen to yourself, to your thoughts. Understand who you are. Take the time to sit down and truly evaluate what makes you tick.

Be honest in your personal evaluation. It can be difficult, but it's absolutely necessary for this to work. Often we don't recognize how we think, especially when we're talking about the subconscious. For instance, you might believe you have good self esteem and that you're upbeat and forward-thinking. You can be almost certain this is not entirely true in all situations. Ask your partner or family member for feedback if necessary. Sometimes an outside source can pick up things you'll miss.

This exercise will help tremendously in tackling your fear to the ground so that it has no reason to return.

Do this before your next anxiety attack symptom. Treatment is best achieved if you start now, while you are less anxious and can think more logically.

To learn more about treating your anxiety attacks and panic, read my reviews and ratings of several top products: Linden Method, Panic Away, At Last A Life at http://www.book-titles.ca/anxietycure.htm