Why Did You Develop Panic Attacks or Panic Disorder?
If you're struggling with panic attacks, panic disorder, or even agoraphobia, you might be wondering: Why did this happen to me? While everyone's story has its nuances, the underlying mechanism is surprisingly similar for most people. Here's a breakdown of how panic attacks develop and what likely led to your first experience.
The First Panic Attack: A Life-Changing Moment
Imagine your first panic attack happened at the age of 25. (Insert your own age if it happened earlier or later—this is just an example.) Up until that point in your life, you were familiar with how anxiety expressed itself in your body. You knew the range of sensations that came with stress or nervousness. For example:
At mild anxiety levels, you might feel some neck tension.
As anxiety increases, you might notice forehead tension, chest tightness, or butterflies in your stomach.
You were accustomed to this range, so when these sensations appeared, you could say, Oh, I'm feeling anxious right now, and move on.
But on the day of your first panic attack, something different happened. Your anxiety went far beyond the levels you'd experienced before. Maybe it was triggered by a particularly stressful event, or maybe there was no clear cause. Whatever the reason, you felt an unfamiliar intensity of anxiety—a level so high that your body expressed it in ways you hadn't experienced before.
The Decision Point: Catastrophic Thinking vs. Moving On
When you reached this heightened state of anxiety, your mind faced a decision:
Brush it off: You could think, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll ignore it, and move on. In this case, the panic would dissipate, and you wouldn’t develop a lasting problem.
Catastrophic interpretation: This is the path most people (including myself, back when I had panic disorder) end up taking. You interpret the sensations as signs of imminent danger.
Common Catastrophic Interpretations
There are three typical ways people misinterpret the intense physical sensations of their first panic attack:
Heart problem: You think, I’m having a heart attack.
Breathing problem: You believe, I’m suffocating or about to stop breathing.
Mental problem: You fear, I’m losing my mind or about to go insane.
When you make one of these catastrophic interpretations, your brain kicks into overdrive. The fear of these sensations creates a cycle—a fear of the symptoms themselves. This is known as the panic cycle.
The Panic Cycle: Fear of Fear
Once this cycle begins, it perpetuates itself:
You fear the symptoms, which leads to more anxiety.
That anxiety creates more intense physical sensations.
The sensations reinforce your catastrophic thoughts.
This cycle is the foundation of panic disorder. It transforms a single panic attack into a recurring issue.
How to Break Free from Panic
If this resonates with your experience, know that you're not alone—and you can overcome it. I’ve been working with clients dealing with panic attacks for over a decade, and I used to suffer from panic disorder myself. With the right approach, most people can see dramatic improvement in just a couple of months.
Typical Results: In two months, most clients experience at least a 50% reduction in symptoms.
How We Help: Our office specializes in providing tools and strategies to help you break the panic cycle and regain control of your life.
If you're ready to take the next step, reach out to our office. You don’t have to live in fear of your anxiety. Help is just a call away.
