Most people have had a panic attack at least once in their life. In panic disorder, this condition takes a constantly recurring course in the form of a disease. The human brain works in flight or fight mode. The course of attacks is affected by these. It is useful to explain this situation with an example. You are crossing a road. You noticed the speeding car late and threw yourself across the street at the last moment.
What happens at that moment? The brain automatically goes into alarm. The heartbeat accelerates, blood concentrates in the foot to escape, blood is emptied from the stomach, and blood is pumped into the body to prevent any injury and blood loss. Our brain automatically does this situation for us, which does not last even a second. This is a vital process. If it were otherwise - if we did this by thinking - having to manage this process would be both difficult and life-threatening.
So, what happens in panic disorder? Exactly the same situation as I explained above, but a false alarm process occurs. Again, our brain alarms the whole body. It declares a state of emergency. However, the panic disorder patient acts with 'catastrophizing' resulting from his automatic thoughts and starts this false alarm process with completely unreal or partially unreal thoughts. The panic attack process starts here with a spark, like the start of a fire, and Let's give an example of a person who has a panic attack with the thought of a heart attack. (for someone who has had all his tests done and is biologically healthy) This person we give as an example because of the thought of having a heart attack, which is common in panic attacks; First of all, he thinks that he is having a heart attack. Therefore, his heart beats on average or slightly above average; The brain goes into automatic alarm and beats more to prevent the danger of heart attack. With our completely exaggerated thoughts, we misdirect the brain in a sense and activate the automatic alarm process. When the person sees this, he accepts his own cognition (thought) as correct and yes, if I really didn't have a heart attack, my heart would beat faster. He thinks that it wouldn't be beating fast. This situation is accompanied by other symptoms. Nausea due to blood discharge from the stomach; oxygen-carbon dioxide imbalance and dizziness due to the imbalance and speed of breathing; also drowning Anxiety states that accompany the situation, such as the feeling of death. Thus, a complex process occurs, intertwined with our thoughts accompanied by the physiological process.
If we rewind the movie to the beginning, we see that we actually have the opportunity to intervene in this complex process. How?
1. In fact, it is our thoughts that start with what we call automatic thoughts and increase the heart beating slightly above average to tachycardia. Automatic thought is part of a modeling that works in cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and has practical benefits. First of all, it is necessary to understand what is happening physiologically and its connection with your thoughts.
2.Panic attacks are especially based on catastrophizing cognition. The patient thinks it is a heart attack and the brain automatically reacts and alarms the body. You rethink the alarmed body and a process occurs in which you validate yourself but is essentially wrong.
3. In order to control the attack of a panic disorder patient before the spark turns into a fire, all relationships between the patient's thoughts-emotions-behavior and physiological state should be reviewed.
4. In cognitive behavioral therapies, the review is the evaluations made by the cognitive therapist with the patient and the patient's participation in the therapy. is achieved by . This is not a therapy process based on one-sided therapist suggestion. And as a result, thoughts are restructured.
5. Besides all these, psychotherapy; It is supported by relaxation, imagination and breathing exercise techniques to intervene in the attack process and prevent or reduce the attack. Let's end the article with the words of W.Sakespeare: “Whatever your thoughts are, so is your life. If you want to change the course of your life, change your thoughts.”
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