Self-training for panic attacks

The reason for everything is a sudden strong feeling of fear, under the influence of which the adrenal hormone adrenaline is released into the blood. This is a natural defensive reaction in response to a danger signal. But the trick is that there is a signal, but there is no real danger!

12 110967 November 20, 2014 at 09:12 pm Author of the publication: Diana Kirss, family doctor

How to get rid of panic attacks? This question worries everyone who has experienced this painful condition at least once. An unexpectedly overwhelming feeling of danger, unaccountable horror, a frantic fluttering of the heart, when it seems that it is about to jump out of the chest... A person helplessly gasps for air - it feels like he is suffocating. Someone is covered by a hot wave, someone is shaking, and only one urge arises: to run, to save themselves. The first thing that comes to mind during an attack is that you are dying. The fear of death is so strong that it deprives one of reason, and in such a state it is no longer possible to apply all kinds of advice from psychologists in the fight against panic attacks. It turns out that the fight against panic attacks is lost in advance? Or is it still possible to get rid of panic attacks in another way?

The Founding Father and the Atlantic Boat Trip

For example, psychotherapist Hannes Lindeman, with her help, crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice on small boats. During the first experiment, he became convinced that it was emotional and mental problems that created the main threat to his life. The second voyage was made on the Liberia III boat, which was only 5.2 m long. It was not the smallest in history, but both expeditions formed the basis for research aimed at developing methods for overcoming difficulties and solving problems in a crisis situation . Lindeman's auto-training was based on the creation of a formula of strong determination. In his case, it was the phrase “I can handle it,” which the brave navigator repeated day and night during the preparation and the voyage itself.

As for Schultz, his story is a refutation of the fact that during the reign of Hitler and the NSDAP there was no psychotherapy in Germany. It was there, but it had weird shapes. Schultz was not a member of the NSDAP, but was a member of the National Socialist Mechanized Corps. He worked at the German Institute for Psychological Research and Psychotherapy, actively supported euthanasia, and “treated” gays. One of the methods was forced sex with prostitutes. If the “patient” with homosexuality refused, then he was sent to the camps for further treatment, and if he agreed, then Schultz influenced him with hypnosis, suggestion and gave him auto-training techniques. There is a version that it was successful. The homosexuals who were called sick themselves agreed that it was a disease and many were able to heal it and remake their nature.

All this is told so that the reader can understand in what years the approach itself was born - during the period of “blond beasts” with blue eyes and other signs of racial and national inequality, totalitarianism and other socio-political hysterics.

In the USSR, nothing was said about auto-training as a method of therapy, although there were some books. These are translations of German psychological literature, which were quite published until 1941. For the first time, they tried to introduce auto-training into practice only under N.S. Khrushchev, at the end of the 50s.

Autotraining for vegetative-vascular dystonia

Home -> Psychotherapeutic methods -> Autotraining for vegetative-vascular dystonia

Autotraining is training aimed at oneself, with the goal of weakening the memory of the disease, forming some kind of positive image, normalizing the flow of mental energy, and most importantly, the harmony of PS (mental energy) with EV (Energy of the Universe).

Does a VSD student need auto-training? Certainly. In a certain sense, the VSD mantra is the same auto-training, when you have to remind yourself at certain time intervals that you are becoming healthier and that the symptoms of VSD remain far behind.

Training aimed at oneself is also DMEP (breathing with manual energy replenishment), in which one also has to mentally pronounce positive words and expressions aimed at weakening the memory of the disease and the formation of new positive qualities.

A lot of time has passed since the auto-training proposed by I. Schultz, but the relevance of this type of training is only increasing. Some people actually manage to achieve real progress thanks to auto-training, while others, as they say, remain in the same place without any tendency to progress.

What's the matter? – you ask, – after all, the auto-training technique is very simple. There are several reasons, and the main one is not the lack of proper patience and perseverance. The main thing is that there is no combination of autotraining elements with other types of influence on the body. For example, breathing and visualization!

That is, simply suggesting that, for example, your arterial vessels dilate and blood pressure decreases, and without doing anything else, is not entirely correct. It is much better when the elements of self-hypnosis become associated with breathing exercises, when, as you exhale, you have to mentally pronounce one or another affirmative phrase.

It is precisely this kind of regular tactics that will very quickly form positive dominants, weaken the memory of the disease, and give confidence in oneself and one’s abilities.

Ordinary relaxation (relaxation) can also be considered auto-training, when, while lying down or sitting in a comfortable chair, you have to mentally pronounce edifying words that help relax the muscles of the whole body.

It is thanks to auto-training that it is possible to interrupt the flow of negative impulses coming from the formed dominants (foci of excitation).

Autotraining is a relaxation of not only the muscular system of the body, but also the mental system, which, under the influence of this regular training, noticeably improves its work and harmonizes with the Energy of the Universe (Universe Energy).

Under the influence of auto-training, the willpower located in the Mind is activated: a person becomes more decisive, more assertive, relying more on his internal strength.

Many symptoms of VSD are a formed conditioned reflex connection to some stimulus, and it is autotraining that helps to interrupt this connection or, in any case, significantly weaken it.

The auto-training technique is very simple: while lying down or sitting, you reach a state of maximum relaxation, and only then practice elements of affirmation (mentally speaking positive words or expressions that can change depending on the goal). For example, with VSD of the hypertensive type, it makes sense to mentally say that the blood vessels dilate and high blood pressure gradually decreases.

What cures and what does not cure?

Over the years of practical application of certain types of auto-training, it has been possible to establish that it is not very effective, does not work at all, or can even bring negative results when trying to treat:

• hysteria;
• psychasthenia;
• hypochondriacal syndromes;
• obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Auto-training helps treat OCD and other nervous disorders

Of course, it is absurd to even assume the possibility of using conditions associated with delusions and hallucinations, which are cloudy and unclear, in the treatment of schizophrenia. If only as some kind of stabilizing method during the rehabilitation period.

Positive results are observed in the treatment of other types of mental disorders:

• neurasthenia;
• psychosomatic diseases;
• emotional stress.

Worth seeing: Treatment of neuroses and depression in a sanatorium

With the help of AT, anxiety disorders can also be treated, but not during a crisis. For example, if a person has panic attacks, then AT classes will help him get rid of them, but at the moment of exacerbation, it is better for the patient to sit quietly and not inspire anything like that into himself.

Practice has shown that ATs also help with a number of disorders of an exclusively somatic nature:

• bronchial asthma;
• initial stage of hypertension;
• dyspnea;
• angina and tachycardia;
• some improvements are observed even with gastric ulcers.

The main attention should be paid to psychosomatic disorders. Auto-training for VSD can be very useful, but it should be practiced not during exacerbations, but constantly.

It should be noted that you need to understand the true medical problems, and only then try to think about whether AT will help or not . For example, if we are talking about major depressive disorder, then hope for auto-training for depression is akin to believing in miracles. It is rightly believed that for a successful workout, a person needs to be a little excited, but not irritated, be able to relax his muscles, be interested in what he hears and not criticize his words. If you believe that depression will allow all this, then you have only met with a mild form. This is very good, practice AT, it can actually help. For sick people who truly suffer from this type of disorder, all this is simply inaccessible. If they could get into the right state, listen carefully, and become imbued with confidence, then they wouldn’t be sick.

It is impossible to say anything definite about the impact that auto-training will have on neuroses. It depends on what neuroses... With phobias that are somehow related to health, for example, the fear of having cancer or HIV, this is simply impossible. AT might help, but a person who is convinced that he has cancer to the point of painful tinsel in his eyes can’t take it like this - relax and tell himself with complete confidence that he is healthy and full of strength.

At the same time, one should not think that auto-training is a panacea for all psychological problems.

Trying to find suitable auto-training for panic attacks can be no less ridiculous. If a person has fully realized that this is an anxiety disorder that is associated with the psyche, understands that problems with the body are due to the fact that a complex disorder has arisen at the level of the relationship between the psyche and the nervous system, wants to stabilize the psyche, emotional sphere, and at the same time the functioning of organs , then AT can be effective. If he stubbornly attacks cardiologists’ offices and demands that they establish the physical cause of the tachycardia that he experiences during panic attacks, then his consciousness will simply react incorrectly to the words that he is calm, relaxed, his heart is healthy and beating evenly. He is still in captivity of the illusion that he encountered on the physical plane - tachycardia, difficulty breathing, profuse sweating, weakness, trembling hands. How can this be so? How healthy is that? Let the doctors find the disease, parasites! Agree, no amount of words about health and relaxation will help. The peas will fly off the wall, so you shouldn’t look for sites where you can download auto-training for panic attacks in all cases.

Worth seeing: Treatment of neurosis with really helpful folk remedies

Auto-training for depression, anxiety and neuroses

If you are faced with a depressive disorder or neurosis, medication alone will not be enough! Even if you have been prescribed a good antidepressant, it remains, albeit very strong, but still one of the tools in the fight against the disease. To truly cope with the problem, it is worth using other means - moderate physical activity, meditation, diet, proper sleep patterns. Another effective “weapon” can be auto-training. Autogenic training is used not only in inpatient treatment in clinics, it can also be successfully used independently.

What it is?

The method of autogenic training (or autotraining) is based on a combination of muscle relaxation, self-hypnosis and autodidactics (self-education). On Wikipedia we read:

Autogenic training (from ancient Greek ατς - “self”, γνος - “origin”) is a psychotherapeutic technique aimed at restoring the dynamic balance of the homeostatic mechanisms of the human body, disturbed as a result of stress.

Autotraining is based on self-hypnosis of certain positive attitudes (“Anxiety goes away!”, “Tension leaves the body!”, etc.), which contribute to the course of treatment for depression, GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) and various types of neuroses.

I want to say right away that you should not underestimate this technique and perceive it as something frivolous. Having understood its mechanism, you will understand that this is a very powerful tool (it’s not for nothing that it is included in the treatment program in clinics). By repeating certain settings (or listening to the coach’s voice), you give a signal not only to your brain, which gradually tunes into a positive wave, but also to your unconscious, which absorbs information well in this way.

In my practice, I sometimes come across clients who perceive such techniques as something ridiculous or illogical (“After all, these are just words, just phrases, how can they have a healing effect?”). Typically, I explain it this way. When we need to learn the grammatical rules of a foreign language, we turn to our consciousness. We repeat the rules, read them out loud, discuss incomprehensible moments with the teacher, etc. This process is familiar and logical. But the unconscious perceives information differently, therefore the form in which it receives the necessary information will also be different. And there is nothing strange here. Even if you don’t currently believe in the phrases you’re saying, keep doing it anyway! You are pronouncing them now not for your consciousness, but for the unconscious, which could have internalized an irrational attitude and presented it to consciousness as an immutable truth. By the way, this exercise will be especially useful for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as those suffering from panic attacks.

An example of auto-training that you can do yourself

“I'm completely relaxed! Every muscle in my body relaxes. Now I breathe calmly and measuredly. Inhale... exhale, inhale... exhale..."

(Start relaxing every part of your body, starting from your toes to the top of your head.)

We repeat the following phrases to ourselves:

“My feet are relaxed... They become heavy... I feel a pleasant heaviness... Anxiety leaves my body... I feel calm and harmony.”

Repeat the same text for each part of the body.

When you reach the top of your head, return to your feet again, changing the wording slightly (focusing on filling the body with warmth...)

“My feet are filled with warmth... They are warm... The body is relieved of tension... Anxiety goes away...”

Then you can add the necessary settings yourself, for example:

“The fear goes away, I am filled with energy and strength.”

“Panic no longer haunts me. I am worry-free and relaxed."

Etc.

When finished, slowly open your eyes and say the following phrases:

“I feel calm and comfortable... I was well rested. I am filled with the energy of health and free from anxiety.”

How to conduct auto-training correctly?

1. This type of training is best done while lying down with your eyes closed before going to bed or immediately after waking up in the morning.
2. Turn off all gadgets and tune in to relaxation. Nothing should bother you!
3. Repeat all phrases out loud or to yourself clearly, calmly and slowly. You can also find many ready-made auto-trainings on the Internet, where the instructions are given by the trainer.
4. It is best to perform the exercise while listening to slow yoga music or recording nature sounds (the steady sound of rain, birdsong, etc.).
5. Auto-training will be much more effective if you imagine yourself in a pleasant, comfortable place (on the seashore, in the mountains, in the forest, etc.).
6. After finishing the exercise, do not stand up abruptly. Open your eyes and lie down for a while.
7. To relax, you can apply a few drops of aromatic oil (for example, lavender) to your wrist or chest (if you are not allergic).

For auto-training to have an effect, you need to do it regularly (ideally 2 times a day - morning and evening)!

Let's say no to panic attacks.

I turned 40 this summer. What is my life baggage over these past years? It turned out to be quite disappointing and sad. An unsettled personal life, an unloved job, low self-esteem, excess weight, a weakened nervous system, panic attacks and, as a result, health problems. The level of irritability was set to maximum decibels: imagine that the elementary sound of the keys on the keyboard hit the brain like a jackhammer!

The result is a hospital bed with an attack of angina. Drug treatment, of course, had a positive effect, but... The nervous system was simply exhausted into rubbish. Panic attacks struck one after another , like waves during a severe storm. I literally shook at every doctor's appointment. At one of these treatment sessions, the doctor calmly suggested to me: “Let’s try to get you back on your feet with auto-training.” I admit, honestly, I even heard this word for the first time. What's happened? How will it help me cope with the panic that overwhelms me? Will it be possible to strengthen the nervous system with its help?

Naturally, the first source of my knowledge was the Internet. I literally dug through a lot of sites. It turned out that you can master the auto-training technique on your own. After reading dozens of articles about the technique of self-hypnosis, or in other words, self-hypnosis, my theoretical knowledge rose to a higher level. It’s time to start practicing, I decided. Taking the path of least resistance, I simply typed in the browser search engine: “Auto-training video.” I literally stopped at the first video offered - Auto-training for neurosis, panic attacks

It was this moment that I consider a turning point; it divided my life into “before” and “after.” These 24 minutes of the session helped me move into a completely different direction in my life. The author outlined three main goals of auto-training for the audience:

• body relaxation,
• strengthening the nervous system,
• prevention of stress.

I made it a rule to devote this life-saving half hour to autogenic training every evening. No omissions, no exceptions, no excuses. I learned by heart the golden rule of auto-training: “Every phrase should become a feeling.” It’s the feeling, from the top of your head to your toes. "I am calm. I'm completely calm. I'm becoming more and more calm. My brain is completely calm. Remnants of tension pass. I'm resting. My head is rested and clear,” I repeated the words of self-hypnosis like a spell, day after day.

The video session ends with a positive attitude:

• The muscles of my body are mobile and light.
• The drowsiness dissipated.
• I'm getting more and more cheerful.
• I breathe evenly.
• My head is rested and clear.
• My health is good and cheerful.
• I'm full of energy.
• I'm ready to take action.

What's the bottom line, you ask? I answer. Firstly , I quit my job that I hated so much. I took a risk and opened my own small store of individual handmade goods. I wasn’t scared, I managed it, and just the other day my small business turned into a plus. Secondly , there have been obvious changes for the better in my health. For the first time in the last five years, my weight has started to decline: minus almost five kilograms. Thirdly , there have been positive changes in my personal life...

How to overcome panic? Understand what's happening

Let's take a medical look at what actually happens in the body during panic attacks. The reason for everything is a sudden strong feeling of fear, under the influence of which the adrenal hormone adrenaline is released into the blood. This is a natural defensive reaction in response to a danger signal. But the trick is that there is a signal, but there is no real danger! But we’ll talk about the unconscious causes of an uncontrollable feeling of fear a little later, but for now let’s look at what happens to our body during a panic attack. And why advice on how to quickly calm down during panic attacks often simply doesn’t work at a critical moment.

With the entry of adrenaline into the blood, a chain of reactions is launched, the main goal of which is to mobilize the internal reserves of the body and ensure survival in an emergency situation - to escape: the frequency and force of contraction of the heart muscle increases, pressure increases, blood flow increases in the muscles and decreases in the internal organs, breathing quickens . As a result, the body’s readiness to overcome obstacles increases. But since all these changes are not used for their intended purpose, hyperventilation of the lungs again leads to dizziness and a feeling of faintness. It is clear that a person in such a state cannot think of any ways to quickly calm down during a panic attack, even if he has read hundreds of them. And if they do, he simply cannot cope with a panic attack in this state.

All of the above reactions are nothing more than part of completely normal physiology when they occur at a moment of serious danger. A person, without realizing it, can, for example, jump over a large obstacle or cross the required distance in a matter of seconds - make the maximum leap that his body is capable of to save himself. Understanding the physiological characteristics of panic attacks gives some sense of relief and partly answers the question of how to calm down during a panic attack. The only thing that remains to be curbed is the feeling of fear itself, which is the main culprit in the occurrence of panic attacks.

There are various methods of psychotherapy, many of which you have probably already tried. The result, as a rule, is short-lived or absent altogether. And this is understandable. Is it possible to explain how to cope with a panic attack if you don’t understand the main thing: the causes of the disorder? Real relief from panic attacks is only possible when the root of our uncontrollable fear is known.

Sometimes people are looking for how to cure a panic attack with medication. But the use of drugs does not give lasting results. Medicine also turns out to be quite helpless in solving the issue of getting rid of panic attacks. The use of sedatives and antidepressants is an attempt to stop the consequences, but this has no effect on the root of the problem. By suppressing human reactions, antidepressants and tranquilizers can only aggravate the condition, because the enormous potential of emotions, the excess of which spills out into a feeling of uncontrolled fear, is suppressed - instead of being used for its intended purpose. That is why until now there has been no effective remedy that would tell us how to deal with panic attacks.

Today we can say with confidence that it is possible to get rid of panic attacks on your own! A new direction - System-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan - has brought many discoveries to those areas where there were still no clear answers. The causes of phobias, panic attacks, depression, autism, suicidal thoughts - all this is part of the mental patterns clearly described in Systemic Vector Psychology. There is no more doom - there is ignorance! System-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan gives everyone the opportunity to look into the unconscious and understand how our mental structure is structured, how our reactions, feelings, thoughts, desires are generated. Having the necessary systemic knowledge about oneself, everyone is able to find and eliminate the causes of their negative experiences, and clearly understand how to get rid of panic forever.

The first step to how to get rid of panic attacks on your own is to recognize the underlying causes of uncontrollable fear. The fear of death, which underlies panic attacks, reaches enormous amplitude only in a certain type of people who have a visual vector. To understand why nature needed such a super-reaction, let’s go back to when the human community was just beginning its development path.

The essence of autogenic training

In the process of auto-training, complete relaxation of the body occurs - the so-called relaxation, which in itself is healing for the body and especially for the nervous system. When muscles are not subject to conscious control, a person can let go of not only physical, but also emotional tension and begin the practice of self-hypnosis. Specially created formulas help in curing various mental and physical diseases, and also provide an opportunity to correct your condition, get rid of bad habits and addictions, and change acquired skills and inclinations. The effectiveness of training increases gradually - the longer the practitioner uses the technique, the higher his abilities become.