The Cause of Panic Attacks and the Unexpepected Opportunities

A panic attack is one of the most frequent requests to start psychotherapy and even employs up to 4% of the general population. It seems like something very scary at the time it manifests itself. Even though it is unpleasant, it is not as harmful as we believe. What is a panic attack, and how does it appear?
The first panic attack usually occurs unexpectedly, without any obvious cause. It often happens in a moment of relaxation, resulting in the person experiencing extremely anxious feelings and fears that something bad will happen. So there is a very unprecedented and gloomy feeling that something serious is coming. The person feels trapped and is sure that they will die. They have a rapid pulse, shortness of breath, sweating, and trembling in the limbs. They often feel depersonalized, as if they are outside themselves, and observe what is happening from afar as if they are cut off from reality and unable to calm down and control their thoughts. It is such a strong (particularly unpleasant) experience that often, the person avoids going to the places where the panic attack has occurred. They even stay inside the house or in places where they feel safe for fear of it happening again.
The good news is that there is no case for someone to die from a panic attack (although a Cardiological checkup is always a good idea). On the contrary, the worst that can happen is what has already happened: the so intense discomfort that can last from a few minutes to half an hour in most cases. If we look at other things apart from the symptoms, what is a panic attack?
One could say that a panic attack is a bell of our organism, a way of perceiving the message that mental forces are exhausted, and indeed, this mental reality can be so intense but also so unobservable so many times the only way this message can be conveyed, is through a physically intense experience. It is, in other words, what we call “the tip of the iceberg” because it is an immediately observable symptom. Still, underneath there may be a large volume of raw mental material, which somehow asks to come to the surface, which is why it is defused with small panic attacks.
The question naturally arises: “How does psychotherapy help?” From the moment people enter a psychotherapeutic process, they automatically have a secure framework to express their thoughts and feelings freely without being criticized. Through the relationship built with the therapist, they can approach the inside of their iceberg. Thus, through this process, sides of the psyche which probably remained unexplored are slowly signified and illuminated. Therefore in this way, the symptoms gradually subside.
In times of crisis or intense events, some symptoms may come back. However, once someone starts working and knows themselves better, the symptoms subside and do not return with the same intensity and frequency.
Looking at the other side of the coin, we can see panic attacks as an opportunity to deal with ourselves and our inner world more meaningfully and systematically. That is why according to the great philosopher Pythagoras, “the body is a signal”. That is, the body gives us information about the inner world, so panic attacks, however unpleasant they may be, could be the first step to something new, a change in life and a more honest relationship with the self.
But panic attacks are not only useful because they motivate us to visit a professional. Their real value can be found in the fact that they are a sign that our inner self is still alive. As long as we can feel the pain, this means that we exist. This applies to the body but also on a mental level. If depression is a sign that we have left our soul to become numb, then a panic attack is a sign that our inner world is strong enough to protest and ask for our attention.

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