panic attacks..

[ctw5000]

When I was a child I frequently suffered nocturnal anxiety or panic attacks. I would wake up in a confused and paniced state in the middle of the night, I would then go to the bathroom and try to calm down(my mother always thought it was bad dreams, so I would rarely wake anyone). I remember looking at myself and seeing the extreme fear in my face and not knowing what was happening. Looking back now (20-25 yrs later as I was aged approx 9-15 ) I realize my unstable childhood played a large part in these attacks. As I got older I still had anxiety attacks in social situations and had social anxieties as well. Now at the age of 35 I can finally say that for the most part the attacks have lost their control over me. I have experienced the odd attack, the last one was over two years ago and I felt like I had basically gone mad for half of a day or so. I noticed my pupils were extremely dilated and I couldn t seem to( or didn t want to) make any eye contact with anyone. Slowly the fear dissipated and I felt normal again. I talked to a counsellor in my early 20's as I was starting to use alcohol to self medicate, I was prescribed some pills which I took for 3 months and never refilled my prescription. I found that learning about the mechanics of the attacks themselves took alot of the strength out of them....
Oddly enough, now that I can look back on my life I can see that the anxiety disorder that I suffered from actually pushed me out of very negative, substance abusing atmosphere. It pushed me away and put me in a place where I got a stable job, stable friends , eventually a wife and son..
I honestly believe my quality of life would be alot worse if not for the early anxiety issues.
Has anyone else suffered or currently suffering from anxiety?

 

[Gimpy]

Has anyone else suffered or currently suffering from anxiety?

Growing up, I had problems with sleep walking, night terrors into my 20's, and PTSD from living in a dysfunctional, violent family.

I did everything I could think of to heal from all that, including years of therapy. What's helped me most in all these years?

Changing my diet to exclude all grains, sugar, dairy, soy (legumes), and corn. Eating the wrong foods can literally make a person feel crazy.

Looking back, it doesn't surprise me to read through old journals and see clear patterns of neurosis, depression, even psychosis....my diet was poisoning me every day.

I'd encourage you to read through the diet and health section, especially the "Life without Bread" thread, to learn more.

 

[SeekinTruth]

Has anyone else suffered or currently suffering from anxiety?

Growing up, I had problems with sleep walking, night terrors into my 20's, and PTSD from living in a dysfunctional, violent family.

I did everything I could think of to heal from all that, including years of therapy. What's helped me most in all these years?

Changing my diet to exclude all grains, sugar, dairy, soy (legumes), and corn. Eating the wrong foods can literally make a person feel crazy.

Looking back, it doesn't surprise me to read through old journals and see clear patterns of neurosis, depression, even psychosis....my diet was poisoning me every day.

I'd encourage you to read through the diet and health section, especially the "Life without Bread" thread, to learn more.

I definitely second what Gimpy wrote. Many of us have seen what dietary changes can do. Until you see the results, it's hard to imagine. But you need to read all the material and books to have enough knowledge to know why and how to change your diet safely.

Besides the importance of diet, practicing the EE breathing and meditation program regularly will also have great results and it works in a synergistic way with the diet. You can get more information on the program at www.eebreathe.com. Hope this helps. :)

 

[ctw5000]

Thanks for the advice,
I have already taken bread and most dairy out of my diet..I am struggling with things like coffee, cola, sugars..I have watched the EE instructions online, but have not yet started practicing regularly. I plan on getting some of the diet books when I am finished reading secret history, high strangeness..there just seems not to be enough hours in the day..

 

[stellar]

FWIW, and from personal experience, I would tackle the diet thread and books first and foremost (EE ofcourse ;)) to get the old neurons working properly so they can actually grock the future information/ knowledge.

 

[SeekinTruth]

Thanks for the advice,
I have already taken bread and most dairy out of my diet..I am struggling with things like coffee, cola, sugars..I have watched the EE instructions online, but have not yet started practicing regularly. I plan on getting some of the diet books when I am finished reading secret history, high strangeness..there just seems not to be enough hours in the day..

FWIW, and from personal experience, I would tackle the diet thread and books first and foremost (EE ofcourse ;)) to get the old neurons working properly so they can actually grock the future information/ knowledge.

Yup. Taking care of your overall health is the most important step to everything else. With a really good diet and some supplements, you can really improve your brain/mind and whole body system health. And coffee, cola, sugars are really bad news. While they may be somewhat hard to give up as they're very addictive (as most evil foods are), it's really worth completely cutting them out eventually. Take it in increments, lowering and eliminating. Good luck and good health.

 

[Gwenllian]

Has anyone else suffered or currently suffering from anxiety?

Yes, I (used to) suffer from massive panic attacks. I used to be scared of almost anything.

Some went away after having worked through rough childhood events and linking them to these panic attacks. For instance something dreadful happened once before I went out with my mother as a little girl. I am not sure what exactly, but every time I was about to go out (or my children for that matter) I would develop a huge panic attack, convinced that something life-threatening would happen. When I made the connection and went beyond the fear and panic the attacks started losing their power.

Recently, I changed my diet. During the summer I started EE, which aggravated the anxiety attacks even more, because there are still issues (the most severe and threatening events of early childhood) that I have to work through.
But the diet (very few carbs and no seesaw effect anymore) has calmed me down a lot. The anxiety attacks are on their way out, or so it seems. But I think it will take some time. In my case, it seems it is not just the way I was eating. At the bottom of the pit there are still old dangers lurking which have to come to the surface and be dealt with accordingly. I am sure that this new-found calm that has come over me will help me dealing with them.

 

[Ellipse]

Your surrounding when you was a child, yes, but another part of the attack can be the lack or the unbalance of some nutritional elements in you body, especially for your brain.
Have magnesium for sure but do some research of what can be involved here.

 

[Keit]

Has anyone else suffered or currently suffering from anxiety?

Until not long ago I had frequent panic attacks that can be best described as "immobilizations", where my system would go into a "freeze" or passive mode (like a deer caught in the headlights), and this would prevent me from doing something I had to do but was terrified of doing due to the wounding. The typical panic attack symptoms would manifest if despite the freeze I would make an attempt to go forward with what ever had to be done. Took me a while to overcome it, and still get periodically scared :), but taking active steps (and activating the frontal lobe) usually resolves the panicky mode. Maintaining a proper diet is definitely one of the key factors, too.

You also mentioned not being able to make an eye contact with others, and this is actually one of my personal signs (after catching myself doing it, of course) that I've "forgotten myself" and am in a fear/avoidance mode. Basically, not "running the show", so to say. And the one who has the steering wheel is my wounded child self. Actually, something like this happened very recently, and what usually helps is "stepping aside", stopping identifying, activating the frontal lobe and seeing the situation for what it is.

As you said, learning about the mechanics of the attacks themselves helps to deal with them, and one of my major breakthroughs (when it comes to fear modes) happened after reading about Polyvagal theory and vagus nerve activation. It was really insightful to learn the inner mechanism of my trauma response, and it also provided a proper boost to be able to deal with it

Here are some links if you haven't read them already.

Emotional Safety: How it Works or Doesn't - a polyvagal pathway to love?
How your nervous system sabotages your ability to relate
The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system

 

[ctw5000]

Has anyone else suffered or currently suffering from anxiety?

Until not long ago I had frequent panic attacks that can be best described as "immobilizations", where my system would go into a "freeze" or passive mode (like a deer caught in the headlights), and this would prevent me from doing something I had to do but was terrified of doing due to the wounding. The typical panic attack symptoms would manifest if despite the freeze I would make an attempt to go forward with what ever had to be done. Took me a while to overcome it, and still get periodically scared :), but taking active steps (and activating the frontal lobe) usually resolves the panicky mode. Maintaining a proper diet is definitely one of the key factors, too.

You also mentioned not being able to make an eye contact with others, and this is actually one of my personal signs (after catching myself doing it, of course) that I've "forgotten myself" and am in a fear/avoidance mode. Basically, not "running the show", so to say. And the one who has the steering wheel is my wounded child self. Actually, something like this happened very recently, and what usually helps is "stepping aside", stopping identifying, activating the frontal lobe and seeing the situation for what it is.

As you said, learning about the mechanics of the attacks themselves helps to deal with them, and one of my major breakthroughs (when it comes to fear modes) happened after reading about Polyvagal theory and vagus nerve activation. It was really insightful to learn the inner mechanism of my trauma response, and it also provided a proper boost to be able to deal with it

Here are some links if you haven't read them already.

Emotional Safety: How it Works or Doesn't - a polyvagal pathway to love?
How your nervous system sabotages your ability to relate
The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system

Thanks Keit for the links, I ll be sure to read them when I get a chance.When you mention activating the frontal lobe are you referring to being able to view the situation objectively. I am unaware of the reference to the frontal lobe.
Thanks everyone else for there input, I think that alot of people suffer from anxiety and hearing others discussing the causes and symptoms could be a big help.
One curious thing I found when reading about attacks and anxiety in general was waking up in full panic mode and basically being "out of commission" the whole day. Has anyone else had these types of attacks, aside from the waking attacks that are triggered by conscious cognitive thoughts??

 

[Gwenllian]

Your surrounding when you was a child, yes, but another part of the attack can be the lack or the unbalance of some nutritional elements in you body, especially for your brain.
Have magnesium for sure but do some research of what can be involved here.

I have started taking magnesium citrate and these past few nights have been better. Easier to sleep through the night as well!

I will definitely read the links that you posted, Keit. I am sure that activating the frontal lobe as you say must help.
I got over these panicky modes during the day when I realised that it was linked to my childhood. So every time I was about to go out and the panic would swell as it were (the feelings can hijack us completely) I would remind myself of the event that had produced this very strong panic in the first place. Also, what helped was doing the opposite of what my fear was telling me to do (= stay at home or go to the back of the shop). First I would check if there was any real danger, if not, I would ignore my fears and do the opposite.

 

[Keit]

Thanks Keit for the links, I ll be sure to read them when I get a chance.When you mention activating the frontal lobe are you referring to being able to view the situation objectively. I am unaware of the reference to the frontal lobe.

Yeah, pretty much. It is connected to the concept of Amygdala hijack described by Daniel Goleman in the video mentioned in this thread.

The idea is this:

The brain processes stimuli by having the thalamus direct sensory information to the neocortex (the "thinking brain"). The cortex then routes the signal to the amygdala (the "emotional brain") for the proper emotional reaction. The amygdala then triggers a flood of peptides and hormones to create emotion and action. Perceived potential threats, however, can disrupt this smooth flow; the thalamus bypasses the cortex and routes the signal directly to the amygdala, which is the trigger point for the primitive fight-or-flight response; when the amygdala feels threatened, it can react irrationally and destructively.

So when you are in fight-or-flight mode and recognize the state as such, it is possible to train oneself to stop and work on allowing the neocortex/frontal lobe to regain control and then reassess the situation at hand.

 

[ctw5000]

I always found the different triggers odd for panic attacks..I always had a tough time sitting down for meals, especially 1 on 1, with someone I wasn 't comfortable with.Hair cuts were uncomfortable, at one point in time I couldn't t go through a drive thru coffee shop..When I got up to the window I would be in full panic mode! I'd basically throw my money at the clerk grab my coffee and peel out ,lol. I kept forcing myself to go cause it was so ridiculous...Kinda funny actually.

 

[Ellipse]

Here's the reading 3357-2 from Cayce. A question about panic attacks is asked.

F 50

This Psychic Reading given by Edgar Cayce at the office of the Association, Arctic Crescent, Virginia Beach, Va., this 17th day of November, 1943, in accordance with request made by the self - Mrs. [3357], Associate Member of the Ass'n for Research and Enlightenment, Inc.

Present: Edgar Cayce; Gertrude Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno. (Notes read to and transcribed by Jeanette Fitch.) Born May 11, 1893, in Licking County, Newark, Ohio.

Time and Place: 3:45 to 4:15 P. M. Eastern War Time. ..., N.Y.
TEXT
GC: You will have before you the entity [3357], born May 11, 1893, who seeks information in a Mental & Spiritual Reading, answering the questions she submits, as I ask them:
EC: Yes, we have the enquiring mind of the entity, [3357].
In giving a mental and spiritual reading of this entity, it would be well to give the premise from which such would be drawn, as an ideal pathway.
For, as has been indicated for the entity, the purposes are in the right direction.
Then, in giving the ideal, we find there are these conditions existent with each individual entity:
One finds self a body, a mind, a soul; each with its own attributes and its activity in the earth. An entity, then, is a pattern of that which is also a spiritual fact; Father, Son, Holy Spirit. These are one, just as an individual entity is one. An entity, then, is the pattern of divinity in materiality, or in the earth. As man found himself out of touch with that complete consciousness of the oneness of God, it became necessary that the will of God, the Father, be made manifested, that a pattern be introduced into man's consciousness. Thus the son of man came into the earth, made in the form, the likeness of man; with body, mind, soul. Yet the soul was the Son, the soul was the Light. The individual entity, then, finds - as it applies that ideal, that life in its experience - a perfect pattern for itself if it will accept it as such; whether as a physical attribute, a mental attribute or a spiritual attribute. In the acceptance there may be the activity of spirit, activity of soul, activity of the mind, activity of the body. For it is with body and mind that associations or relations are established in the earth, as an entity deals with the physical and mental and spiritual problems of a material experience. Thus we find the variations as to the manner of application. Emphasis or stress is placed by the individual entity upon either the body, the mind or soul. And some phases of activity of spirit or soul are not the same. For the spirit is the whole. The soul is individual. The mind may be spirit or spiritual, it may be carnal. The physical body gives expression to mind, spirit and body.
So the complex problems arise in the experience of each individual entity. With this body, then, the purpose is right. Are the activities, the relations, ever directed by the spirit of the Pattern that is given to man? That should ever be the question. And the answer can only be as has been given, "My spirit beareth witness with thy spirit."
Then, when there are those experiences in the life of an entity in the material plane, when expression is given to that which is the prompting or directing influence in the life of an individual entity, it is ever those that draw nearer to the universal consciousness of the Christ that come closer to the perfect relationship to the Creative Forces or God, the Father - which the man Jesus attained when He gave of Himself to the world, that through Him, by and in Him, each entity might come to know the true relationship with the Father.
Thus is the ideal set. Thus should be the prompting of this entity, as of each entity. As to how beautiful this has been and is accomplished oft in the experience of the entity, may not be stressed too much. Yet there is oft within the entity's own consciousness that wonderment as to whether correct choices have been made in dealing with others.
At such times, then, look deep into the life of the man Jesus and see how He dealt with the problems of the day. As He gave, in the interpretation of His purpose in the earth, He recognized the needs of each soul as to its purpose in the earth also. For, all men (and He was a man) have fallen short of the glory of God. Only in Him, through Him, by Him may one attain to that true sonship, that true fellowship, that true relationship to the Creative Forces or God.
Ready for questions.
(Q) Please advise cause and correction of my impression of constant effort to escape and need of great haste, - and from what?
(A) Self. It is the haste from self. If the activities in the earth are examined, it will be seen that the purposes are much within that same realm of application indicated in the sons of thunder who asked, "Lord, call down the angels that they may set all right." Would this be mercy? Would this be judgment? Would this not be cutting off the opportunity? So long as life is active, there is the opportunity for that soul to be moved also by the spirit of the God-consciousness.
(Q) Why does constant awareness of aloneness and incompletion predominate?
(A) The purpose being in the right direction, the loneliness is felt because of the feeling of insecurity. Let that light be in and through thee that encompassed Him, even in the garden when He asked those to watch with Him while He prayed. Surround thyself with that consciousness which comes in merely calling the name - Jesus, the Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever! This will bring the conviction within self as it did to Him when He withstood the temptations of the body, the temptations of the mind, the temptation of purpose in the earth - and angels ministered unto Him. For, to each entity, each soul, there is ever the ministering angel before the throne of grace, the throne of God. The ministering angel is the purposefulness, the spirit with which ye would do anything in relationship to others.
(Q) Why should conscious freedoms from this condition have only been evident during my residence in ..., Penna?
(A) Through the vibrations that have been set by the entity itself. Why, ye may ask, did the Master love to be in Galilee, when the house of the Lord His God was in Jerusalem? Why did He love to be alone in the mount? This within the self of this individual entity, and others, brings the vibrations with which it attunes to the variations in soul, mind, body. This is better accomplished in some particular place or position where there may be the same attunement of the vibrations of the body.
(Q) Has a previous spiritual retrograding required me to meet and be overshadowed by results of actions of others, conditions which I had no part in the making, - as Grace, - Robert, - etc.?
(A) These have power over thee only as ye let them.
(Q) Has my spiritual growth been consistent with my spiritual age?
(A) The growth is not in spirit. The growth is in what spirit, or according to the spirit with which ye would work. The growth is in the soul, in the ideal, in the oneness of the Christ-Consciousness.
(Q) Do I unconsciously resort to continual "propping" or is there normal strength of development there?
(A) This is very well. As ye give out ye grow. Ye grow just as the earth did, by the Father-God giving out of self and in that desire. What is thy desire? For God, for self, for thy fellow man? The first commandment is, the Father first, then thy fellow man. Little is spoken of self, but it is self-awareness, self-consciousness that brings fear and doubt.
(Q) If I have, through the various lives, retrograded, please tell me how, - when and why?
(A) Who is to judge? One is thy judge - the Lord thy God. For man would look on and judge only outward appearances. God looketh on the heart. The purposes and the try are as righteousness before God.
(Q) What can I do to correct the current frequent conditions of mental, almost physical panic which I encounter in myself, and why have they been almost a nightmare to me over many years? What can I do to avoid this condition in the future?
(A) Just as indicated. Surround self - daily, purposefully - with the consciousness of the Christ indwelling. "Not my will, O God, but thine." Most individuals find, as self does at times, "If I can do this it will be pleasing to God." Who made thee s judge of God's pleasing? Who made anyone? The pattern! Cut to the pattern. Don't draw too close the hem or don't leave it too loose, for the bagging shows just as much as the overstitching.
(Q) Am I devoting sufficient time to my spiritual development, or should this take precedence over all material things?
(A) Soul development should take precedence over all things. For, seek the Lord first, and all these things will be added unto thee.
(Q) Can this development best be attained in individual concentration or group study?
(A) Studied most by opening self for the consciousness of the Christ-purpose in and through thee, and by pouring it out. Has it not been given that He comes at an individual's bidding? How oft do you ask that He be thy guest in thy heart, thy mind, thy life, thy body? THAT is the manner in which each soul may grow. He will not be the uninvited guest. For the WILL puts man either in attune or out of attune with God.
We are through with this reading.