Panic attacks are debilitating and it’s hard to know where to look for relief. In fact, our first few incidents may be so devastating that we end up in the emergency room of our local hospital assuming we’re having a heart attack — or worse — dying.
Even as recent as a decade ago, there was little information available to the panic attack suffer. The obvious choice was to go to your physician and he or she would lead you down the path they felt you should take — usually one of long-term drug use — Zoloft, Klonopin, Valium, Xanax, Paxil… and often not just one medication but two or even THREE simultaneously. A Band-Aid at best… and a lifelong dependency for most.
Along comes the Internet with more information than you can digest of a lifetime. But within that “haystack” lies the “needle” of relief for many.
A couple of years ago there was an article in the BBC News about Sue Curtis, a woman who suffered panic attacks with agoraphobia for 18 years. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, agoraphobia is a particularly debilitating condition in which the person’s panic attacks are so severe that they avoid public places sometimes taking extreme measures to do so.
In the case of Mrs. Curtis, her first panic attack, which took place in a public library, was so intense that she stayed inside her home for the next 18 years going so far as to be married in the house rather than leave. Her father passed away during her reclusive years and Sue, being unable to attend the funeral, had his coffin brought into the house to pay last respects.
The Internet Offers Inspiration and the Road to Recovery
When Google, the search engine company, began offering Google Street View, Mrs. Curtis was able to view her neighborhood on her computer and this piqued her desire to get out and see it for herself.
She began to research her condition and in that “haystack” of information she began to find relief — a therapeutic technique that she used to finally enable her to take the first step to recovery… the first step outside of her home in 18 years.
That same relief awaits you.
Your doctors have their “solution” for you. It usually involves medication. This is what they were taught in medical school. — CAUTION: NEVER STOP TAKING MEDICATION ON YOUR OWN. Always consult your physician first and follow their instructions. This article is for information purposes only and not medical advice. —
Your loved ones have their place in your recovery too. Their job is to offer you love and support. The real job is up to you, though. Do your research. If an encouraging technique reveals itself to you during your research, approach it with an open mind — even if it’s one that you’ve ignored for years. Try it! It may be the one. And for heavens sakes “try it” doesn’t mean, “buy it.” It may involve you purchasing something but the important part of the process is the doing part. You have to take the time to take the steps.
Everything worth having is worth an effort. It worked for Sue Curtis; it’s worked for tens of thousands of others. It can work for you too.
Believe that there is relief for you and don’t give up your search until you find it.
Seek and ye shall find… knock and it will be opened unto you.
Good luck.
Original articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/8003982.stm
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2375483/Google-Street-View-cured-my-agoraphobia.html