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The trigger for this type of panic attack often seems to be exercise, drinking coffee or some other
harmless event such as suddenly getting up from sitting. While these events are harmless they
often trigger bodily sensations that the person fears. Emotions such as anger or excitement can lead
to a rapid heart rate, standing suddenly can cause dizziness, drinking coffee can lead to heart
palpitations. Once the bodily sensation is noticed it is incorrectly interpreted as a sign that
something harmful is about to happen and panic results. Events happen so quickly in these
situations that the phobic often fails to notice the bodily sensation which triggers the
misinterpretation (the thinking) which triggers the attack. The person mistakenly concludes that the
attack just came "out of the blue.
What all this means is that the misinterpretation of the normal bodily sensations of anxiety always is
involved in the vicious circle which leads to panic attacks. Therefore, one of the most important
ways of overcoming panic is to learn how to interpret bodily sensations correctly.
Where does this problem come from if it is not a "chemical imbalance" as many of us mistakenly
have been led to believe?
First, there is evidence that some part of this problem comes from the genes vou got from your
parents. People are different in the way their bodies react to stress. Some people are likely to
have more of a physical reaction to stress than others and their metabolism may respond
differently. However, not everybody who inherits the tendency for panic (and that may be
everybody) actually ends up having panic attacks. The reason is that everyone grows up in a
different environment. The way we react in fearful situations is mostly deter-mined by how we
learned to act as we were growing up. For example, if your parents taught you that it was normal
to be afraid, that you could deal with fear by accepting it and deciding how best to deal with it, you
probably would not be reading this paper now because you would not be phobic even though you
have a genetic tendency for panic. The fact that panic results mostly from learned behavior and
thinking brings out a very important point. Panic attacks and phobias are not mental illnesses,
disorders, or sickness of any kind. They are normal responses of your body to situations you
interpret to be very threatening. If you really believe you are about to die, go crazy, or be
humiliated, then being frightened is a reasonable response. People who have panic attacks are
mentally sound. They have no "weak constitution," nor are they wimps, or timid. Most of them
have amazing courage in that they continue to function even in the face of overwhelming fear. If a
person really believes he is going crazy or about to die or lose control of himself, it takes a "force
of will" that is incredible just to carry on day to day. One of the things we work to change is the
attitude there is something "wrong" with you if you are phobic. There is nothing wrong with you.
Panic is something you find uncomfortable. It is something with which you have to cope that some
people do not experience. These things are true, but that does not make you less than other
people, only different. You can learn how to control your fear so you can do anything that anyone
else can do and be comfortable while doing it.
(continued)
