Are you suffering with anxiety? Read on...

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy provides a wonderfully relaxing way to deal with anxiety and panic attacks.

Anxiety is part of normal human experience. We all have a very primitive inbuilt fear of the unknown, and we all know what it's like to get tense when threatened by something. I often get butterflies before speaking to a crowd, but your issue may be meeting members of the opposite sex, or feeling that increased anxiety when you see a large spider in the garden shed. Indeed, anxiety rouses you to action. It gears you up to face a threatening situation. It makes you study harder for that exam, and keeps you on your toes when you're making a speech. In general, it helps you cope.

Such responses are common, understandable and 'normal'. In fact they are a consequence of our evolution, a response hard-wired into our brain. For some people, though, these moments of anxiety aren't isolated and rare like they are for most people. Instead, anxiety is a constant and dominating force that severely disrupts the quality and enjoyment of their lives and goes far beyond the occasional anxious moment. Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy provide a learning place for you to do some different. Remember you are much more that any symptom you may be exhibiting.

Panic Attacks

People with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. They can't predict when an attack will occur, and many develop intense anxiety between episodes, worrying when and where the next one will strike. In between times there is a persistent, lingering worry that another attack could come any minute.

When a panic attack strikes, most likely your heart pounds and you may feel sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Your hands may tingle or feel numb, and you might feel flushed or chilled. You may have chest pain or smothering sensations, a sense of unreality, or fear of impending doom or loss of control. You may genuinely believe you're having a heart attack or stroke, losing your mind, or on the verge of death - but be assured no-one has ever died from a panic attack. Attacks can occur any time, even during deep sleep. Most attacks will last for no more than 10 minutes. In rare cases, they may last an hour or more.

Panic Attack Symptoms

• Pounding heart.

• Chest pains.

• Dizziness.

• Nausea or stomach problems.

• Flushes or chills.

• Shortness of breath or a feeling of smothering or choking.

• Tingling or numbness.

• Shaking or trembling.

• Feelings of unreality.

• Terror.

• A feeling of being out of control or going crazy.

• Fear of dying.

• Sweating.

Panic disorder can appear at any age both in children and in the elderly, but most often it begins in young adults. Not everyone who experiences panic attacks will develop panic disorder. For example; many people have one attack but never have another. For those who do have panic disorder, though, it's important to seek treatment. Untreated, the disorder can become very disabling.

Panic disorder is often accompanied by other conditions such as depression or alcoholism, and may give rise to phobias, which can develop in places or situations where panic attacks have occurred. For example, if a panic attack strikes while you're in a lift, you may develop a fear of lifts and perhaps start avoiding them.

Some people's lives become greatly restricted and they avoid normal, everyday activities such as grocery shopping, driving, or in some cases even leaving the house. Or, they may be able to confront a feared situation only if accompanied by a spouse or other trusted person. Basically, they avoid any situation they fear would make them feel helpless if a panic attack occurs, which effectively reinforces the fear. When people's lives become so restricted by the disorder, as happens in about one-third of all people with panic disorder, the condition is called agoraphobia. You can find alternative ways of being using hypnosis and hypnotherapy, if you want to. If you would like to know more, click here.