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Deepak Chopra, MD
"EFT offers great healing benefits."
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques®) Where emotional relief brings physical health
Self help method often works where nothing else will No Drugs Involved ~ High Success Rate
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EFT for panic attacks
Hi Everyone,
Rebecca Marina has had a lot of personal experience with panic attacks and shares EFT insights on this problem.
Hugs, Gary
Dear Gary,
As a veteran of traumatic panic attacks I am always looking for new information and creative ways to use EFT on this debilitating condition. I have learned to use EFT to keep mine under control. I have done some research and thought you might find this useful for yourself or your clients.
Symptoms of panic attacks are:
- a feeling of intense fear
- sense of doom,
- feeling of unreality
- Physical symptoms such as:
- a racing or pounding heartbeat
- difficulty breathing
- choking
- sweating
- shaking
- flushing
- chest pains
- dizziness
- light-headiness
- nausea
- fear of losing control
- tingling or numbness in the hands.
- fear of dying of a heart attack or stroke
- fear of something horrible about to happen
- fear that this time it is for REAL
Now the problem with panic attacks is the more you have them, the more you FEAR you will have them, therefore ... the more you will have them.
The greatest fear to recognize is the FEAR of the panic attack. It is this fear that can keep you prisoner in your home, just waiting for that next attack to come. This fear can keep you from making plans to enjoy your life.
If you really think about it - no one has ever died from a panic attack. I have talked to lots of folks who wound up in the emergency room (including myself) only to discover that the symptoms subside, and there you are with your bare face hanging out and the medical world looking at you like some kind of weak hypochondriac.
Of course, the medical approach is with drugs and this may seem like a good alternative to you. If it works and resonates with you, then by all means try it. Some people respond very well to drug therapy and some do not.
Also, if there is something really wrong with your heart, it will usually show up on an EKG. You can even get your arteries measured for "clogging" now with non-invasive methods. Make yourself feel better and get yourself medically checked out.
When I went to the emergency room with a panic attack thinking seriously I was having a heart attack - they did every test in the book on me and announced that my heart was strong as a racehorse. One answer is to try EFT with some variations to address several of the underlying issues.
FEAR OF THE FEAR:
Even though I have this fear of the fear…
Even though I think this time I will die…
Even though I don't understand this fear of the fear…
Even though I sit and wait for this fear…
Even though I think I will scream…
Even though I need to run away, escape…
POSITIVE CHOICE:
Even though I have this fear of the fear, I know fear can't kill me.
Even though I think I will die, I know a panic attack can't kill me.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS:
Even though my heart is pounding…
Even though my heart is racing, it probably needs a good workout.
Even though I have these crazy physical symptoms that don't make any sense…
Of course there are REAL heart problems but most people who have panic attacks would have been dead long ago if their heart really had problems.
Important note:
It is the Sympathetic Nervous System that causes the body to go into the fight or flight mode in the first place. It is the Parasympathetic Nervous System that returns the body to normal. By doing EFT for that and inviting the Parasympathetic Nervous System to return us to normal, we can get quicker results.
Even though my sympathetic nervous system thinks I am in danger, I love and understand its need to protect me.
I ask and allow my parasympathetic nervous system to take over and return me to normal. I ask all systems of the body to assist my parasympathetic nervous system in returning me to normal.
One of the things that can be a trigger to these attacks is words that we hear the media saying Like...Women have different symptoms, maybe it presents as a pain in the jaw or a backache etc. So try some EFT for...
THE SCARY THINGS I HEAR:
Even though 'they say' it could be this pain in my jaw …
Even though 'they say' it could be this backache …
Even though the things they say scare me silly …
Perhaps one of my favorite methods of transforming a panic attack is to change your state.
Steven Sultanoff, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist in Irvine California, uses humor visualization, asking his patients to see themselves in a situation laughing uncontrollably. Since a panic attack releases large amounts of cortisol, a stress hormone, laughter is believed to reduce the cortisol levels.
So my suggestion is to Laugh and tap. You may have to fake it a bit but you will probably feel so silly laughing and tapping in the middle of a panic attack that you really will laugh. Dr Sultanoff reports wonderful results just Imaging you are laughing.
One more method is to try and put yourself into a panic attack just so you can tap on it. Go ahead, try it ... you can't do it can you?
A powerful technique is to go looking for the panic and fear - dare it to come out when you are ready. Aren't you tired of it sneaking up on you when you are NOT expecting it? I tried this all day and couldn't get even a speck of panic or fear.
I hope this was helpful to you, please feel free to pass this along to anyone you think it may help.
Warmest regards,
Rebecca
