I have my first ever psychotherapy appointment today and I have been having a major panic attack all day about it.
Im at work so it’s not like I can go sit and meditate or anything but at this rate I am going to talk myself out of going.
Any tips/tricks/advice/kind words???
I felt the same way before my first appointment with my therapist. It turns out that he’s very kind, patient, and understanding. Going to your therapist will be like talking to anyone else, except he will not judge you no matter what you say.
When you start to panic, remind yourself to ask yourself, "What’s the worst thing that can happen?" In this case, maybe you won’t like your therapist. Maybe you’ll freeze up and have trouble talking. Maybe you’ll say something goofy. You can deal with any of these things, if they were to happen. Again, your therapist has heard people say the goofiest things imaginable so I doubt anything you say will faze him.
Don’t skip your appointment, honey. It’ll be so worth it. After your appointment is over, reward yourself for doing something you were so afraid to do and remind yourself that real life isn’t as scary as we fear it to be in our minds.
Here are some other panic attack related sites that I thought would be of interest to you. Thanks for checking out my blog!
Calm Panic Attack
Panicle | Define Panicle at Dictionary.com
Sexual Healing: Do I Have Vaginismus - ABC News
Maternity Madness: The 9-month panic attack - Health - Pregnancy ...
In a Panic Attack Focus on Breathing - WSJ.com
Calm DOWN! All they are going to do is talk to you.
CHILL!
If you don’t, it could make the appt worse. So chillax.
References :
What advise can you have. That’s why you have your appointment.
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Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc.) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc.
Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level.
But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There’s this strange herb called "St John’s Wort" – it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John’s Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc.
The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced… you have that "learned behavior" in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior – Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction… There are several other techniques to help cope them!
Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to….
Extracted from Source.
References :
http://PanicAttackResearch.blogspot.com
I felt the same way before my first appointment with my therapist. It turns out that he’s very kind, patient, and understanding. Going to your therapist will be like talking to anyone else, except he will not judge you no matter what you say.
When you start to panic, remind yourself to ask yourself, "What’s the worst thing that can happen?" In this case, maybe you won’t like your therapist. Maybe you’ll freeze up and have trouble talking. Maybe you’ll say something goofy. You can deal with any of these things, if they were to happen. Again, your therapist has heard people say the goofiest things imaginable so I doubt anything you say will faze him.
Don’t skip your appointment, honey. It’ll be so worth it. After your appointment is over, reward yourself for doing something you were so afraid to do and remind yourself that real life isn’t as scary as we fear it to be in our minds.
References :
been there
When i was in therapy for anxiety attacks, i would have anxiety attacks before going. You know that they’re gonna judge you, so maybe that’s why you’re having them.
I left my shrink ‘cos he wasn’t helping.
If you feel uncomfortable with your therapist, try to find another one if you actually want to get better.
For now, just block your mind, stop acknowledging your personal thoughts until you get there. that usually worked okay for me.
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Picture yourself living in Africa. No food, no clean water, no sanitation, no cosy job to go to with a paycheck at the end of the month. Now when you panic you will have something to panic about.
Once you have got all that out of your system go along to your therapist and tell them all the rubbish that is filling your head so they can make a lot of money and you can go back to your imaginary problems.
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First of all you are doing the right thing in seeking help. I also have panic attacks and anxiety and was referred to a psychiatrist by my internist. I’m doing much better, but that wasn’t the case when I first started. The panic attacks certainly made things much more difficult, but the good news was that I’m getting better. Please hang in there and you will get better too. My advice to you is to have a open and honest relationship with your doctor. Give it time. Give yourself a break. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If the doctor advises you to try medications, give them a fair trial and if it doesn’t work, they are many others.
My life is certainly better now with the help of therapy and medications. Keep your head up and your will feel better. Take care of yourself and I hope you feel better soon.
References :
Currently being treated for anxiety and panic attacks,
Examine the http://1-800-therapist.com/ & http://www.metanoia.org/choose/ websites.View the techniques for control of anxiety/panic attacks, in section 8, at ezy build, below. Begin, on this first occasion, only, by holding your breath for 5, or 10 seconds: this will give you the confidence to realise that YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR BREATHING, but not pass out, or die (your autonomic nervous system resumes breathing, if you become unconscious).
Advice from a published psychiatrist on controlled breathing. (1.) Get a clock, or watch with a second timer. (2.) Practise for 5 minutes, 4 times daily, until proficient. (3.) Take a small breath in, and hold it, for 6 seconds. (4.) Think to yourself: "RELAX", just before breathing out. (5.) Try to feel a sense of releasing tension, as you breathe out. (6.) Breathe in for 3 seconds, then out, for 3 seconds. Try to make your breathing very smooth, and light, as you breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, or nose. (7.) For the next minute, continue to breathe in, and out, every 3 seconds. (8.) Go back to step 3, at the end of the minute, and proceed through to step 7, doing this for 5 minutes. Use this at the very first sign of a panic attack starting, or any time you feel anxious, or tense.
Understand panic attacks, and what triggers them, in your life (if it is unresolved anxiety, or stress, see sections 6, or 42, respectively). The paper bag method also works for most people, but is not suited to all circumstances, such as driving, or playing sport. If you are fairly suggestible, (40% of people are) check out: http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/
Another alternative is psychotherapy, to address its fundamental cause: read section 1, and examine the http://1-800-therapist.com/ website, and use the locators, and phone book. I used to suffer from panic attacks, until I questioned what had changed in my life, at, or just before that time, to trigger them. For some people, this is enough. These days, I have instilled the habit of, whenever a situation occurs where panic is likely, I visualise a large, "STOP!" sign, as vividly as possible, followed by repeating to myself: "stay calm" in my mind. You could try the same method. It usually takes 30 – 40 repetitions, for most people, to establish a new habit. I also suggest that you learn, then practise the controlled breathing technique, until competent, then employ it, at the very first sign of a panic attack.
Practice one of the relaxation methods on pages 2, 11, 2c, or 2i, daily, and when needed. Also, give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. There is also a version for use in public places, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind). Section 53, and pages 2, 2.q and 2.o at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris also refer: "Even though I sometimes suffer from panic attacks, I deeply and completely accept myself." Note: the controlled breathing only helps with the symptoms (as do medications/herbal remedies): you need to address the underlying cause, and this requires some form of therapy, and Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy has been shown to be effective.
Because many people can’t access/afford professional therapy, I include the EFT, and EMDR variant for them to try, free of charge. Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy is generally available in most areas, but professional EFT, or EMDR (see section 33) may well be worth trying, and are becoming more widespread. A variant of Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing therapy, which has been used successfully for those people suffering from anxiety: it is easily learned, quick to use, yet can be very effective, is on page N, of section 6, and I use it before the relaxation techniques, because I have found that it makes them quicker to employ, and more effective.
References :
Calm down and get your mind of of your appointment. The more you keep thinking about it the more stressed put you are going to feel.
Read about what I do for my panic attacks at my buzz blog at
http://buzz.prevention.com/community/single-mom-party/how-i-calm-myself-when-experiencing-a-panic-attack
References :
http://buzz.prevention.com/community/single-mom-party/how-i-calm-myself-when-experiencing-a-panic-attack