Fear is an innate feeling of danger to a risky or threatening situation. In event of danger or risk, there would be an adrenaline rush into our body muscles so that we can react defensively to protect ourselves in the survival fight. The brain would decide on the better reaction of whether to fight for our survival or to run and hide away from the danger called fight or flight reaction. This emotion is natural instinct of humans and has evolved and ingrained in our daily lives. For some people, there are cases where the state of emotional fear lingers for so long that it cannot be eliminated as a result of the fight or flight reaction that results in what is known as panic attacks.

Panic attacks are an exaggerated condition due to fear. While some fear is healthy, in panic attacks there is an overwhelming amount of fear. The panic attack can come into our lives with no warning at all. There may be no logical reason why we can get into a state of panic, however once a panic attack occurs it is very intense and there is nothing that we can do about it.

The physical symptoms of panic attacks include abdominal distress, shortness of breath, trembling and shaking, nausea and diarrhea, muscle tension and usually accompanied by pounding heart, sweatiness and faintness. During these attacks, the people may feel chilled or weak and they may experience tightness in chest and smothering sensations. They may also suffer derealisation and depersonalization the feelings of unreality and detachment from oneself, fear of losing control or going insane, paresthesias (numbness sensations) and fear of dying.

In presence of perceived threats and dangers, simple bodily sensations will be stimulated as described in the symptoms and signs in the preceding paragraph. But when you have a panic attack, there can be absolutely no warning signs at all. The body alarm system will trigger by itself without any real or perceived danger like a false alarm signaling dangers that do not even exist or is less serious than the reaction warrants. Therefore, it is not unreal that there are instances that a victim can suffer sudden panic attack even when he or she is sleeping.

Once panic attacks have happened, they cannot be easily stopped or cannot be stopped at all. The rates and frequency of occurrence of panic attacks cannot be predicted because there can be absolutely no warning signs to suggest that they can occur. This means that there are possibilities that they can occur at any place and at any point in time. The strong mental and emotional reactions to the attacks are a result of the out-of-proportionally excessive hormones and adrenalines that pump into the bodies to tackle dangerous situations. As such, appropriate means of treatments must be sought in order to control these emotions of fear and dread during panic attacks.

The sudden surge of overwhelming fear that is experienced by the person hit with panic attack can be so extreme and devastating that even few minutes into the attack feels like forever to him or her.

Do you want to live a life with endless cycle of terror and overwhelming fear everyday of your life? Say no! You can help yourself to get out of the panic attacks by seeking help and treatment with an experienced and professional psychologist or psychiatrist. Keep in mind that panic attack is not something that you can either diagnose or cure by yourself. Nevertheless, while the conditioning effect of the panic attack is very difficult to deal with, it is a curable condition with various treatment options and alternatives available in the marketplace.