How I Conquered Panic Attacks & Debunked Popular Myths 🧠

Understanding & Overcoming Panic Attacks (6min Read).

TL;DR Summary:

• Welcome, Teunie, our guest writer for this week’s blog!

• Panic attacks aren't genetically determined.

• Panic attacks aren't caused by a serotonin deficiency.

• Real causes include:

  • Adrenaline build-up from triggering events.

  • Exacerbation by stimulating substances like caffeine.

  • Stress from needing to control everything.

• Overcoming panic attacks involves addressing these real causes.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back Mind, Brain, Body Lab Digest fam.

I’ve got a special treat for you this week!

Today’s blog was written by an expert in panic attacks and how to overcome them.

I was inspired by her story on our TikTok Live last week, so I’m sure you’ll be able to relate to her story and get lots of value out of today’s blog!

Alright, enough from me.

Welcome, Teunie! The floor (blog) is yours.

A Little About Me (Teunie)

For 10 years, I struggled with panic attacks, experiencing them at the most inconvenient times (as if there were ever "convenient" moments).

The good news is that I was able to overcome them in a matter of weeks.

This success occurred because I began addressing the actual causes of my panic attacks. 

Today, I will cover:

1. The False Causes and Myths of Panic Attacks 

2. The Real Causes of Panic Attacks 

3. 2 Actionable Tools

The Real Causes! 

Until I learned the breakthroughs I’m about to share with you, it took me so long to overcome my panic attacks because I was focusing on the wrong causes for so long. 

What factors do you think cause panic attacks, but actually DON’T? What are the myths surrounding them? 

Before delving into the genuine causes of a panic attack, you must first learn what not to spend time and attention on.

After that, we can explore solutions. 

Here are 2 of the most common myths surrounding them.

Myth 1: Panic Attacks Are Genetically Determined/Hereditary

I was told this by multiple psychologists in the past.

I believed it because, indeed, both my mother and all my aunts (4) were more anxious than average. 

But if this were true if panic attacks were determined by "hereditary" factors, does that mean you can never get rid of them?

Does it mean you're just unlucky? Fortunately not! 

I managed to overcome them, and I've also helped many others do the same! 

Heredity is not a genuine cause.

Otherwise, everyone with anxious parents or parents with panic attacks would also have panic attacks.

But that's not the case. It may make you a bit more anxious, and more susceptible, but it doesn't mean you have to live with panic attacks for the rest of your life. 

What plays a much more significant role is your upbringing.

If you are raised by anxious parents ("watch out for this," or "watch out for that"), you naturally adopt their worldview.

For instance, the fear of spiders is not encoded in our genes; we learn it from our parents (usually from the mother's reaction when a spider joins her in the shower). 

We are constantly training our brains and their automatic responses.

If those influencing you are filled with anxiety and teach you to think "What if this? What if that?"...

If they frequently experience panic attacks, you may eventually adopt that pattern.

Therefore, a panic attack may be a "family matter," but it is not purely genetic.

Furthermore, if panic attacks were genetic, no one could overcome them.

However, that is not the case. On to myth number 2!

Myth 2: You Have Panic Attacks Because You Lack a "Substance" in Your Brain

You may have been told this just before being advised to take medication.

"That is the only solution... Then you won't suffer from unnecessary fears and panic attacks," they say. 

Wrong. 

I'm not a doctor, but I'm fortunate to know some leading physicians with whom I've built a good relationship in recent years. 

Did you know that the "serotonin hypothesis" that led to the creation of drugs like Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs, Serotonin, and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors or SNRIs, and Benzo's is no longer the preeminent theory of what's causing anxiety and depression neurologically?

This suggests that a deficiency of this chemical in the brain might not be the root cause of these issues! 

However, the medical community hasn't kept up with the emerging research because they're so overwhelmed and burnout, they don't have time.

This doesn't stop major pharmaceutical companies from using well-thought-out marketing tricks, leading many doctors to keep prescribing these kinds of medicine by suggesting that research still fully supports them to protect their bottom line...

So, doctors continue to help the people suffering in front of them in the best way they know how with the limited time they have available to them without thinking about other ways to help people suffering from these issues!

They mean well, of course, these meds have been shown to help improve the symptoms of anxiety, but they aren't a cure by any means, and ideally should be used as a last resort for people who need to re-establish a baseline so that they can eventually taper off the meds, and use lifestyle changes, the tools you're about to learn and/or therapy!

If you're thinking about starting meds, but haven't tried some of the tools we're going to talk about in a minute, or therapy, I'd suggest starting there first!

Save medication as a last resort if you can.

If a medication were the cure and if a serotonin deficiency was at the root of a panic attack, so many people wouldn't still be suffering from panic attacks!

Yet, many people who have been taking medication for years still experience them as they’ve only solved a surface-level problem with the meds.

This is because medication isn't a cure, and a serotonin deficiency isn't the full story. 

Until further notice, medication is not part of a balanced diet; it is never "necessary."

I can assure you, that you can overcome your anxiety without medication, I'm living proof of this!

The Real Causes of a Panic Attack 

It was only when I started working on these real causes that my panic attacks began to decrease and eventually disappeared. 

Adrenaline 

Panic is an automatic response that goes in a circle like this:

Trigger (thought/physical sensations/an event or place etc.) → first layer of adrenaline release → more intense physical sensations or anxious thoughts → more adrenaline → more intense physical sensations or thoughts → Panic attack. 

The response to the trigger is what determines if you get a panic attack.

When you repeat this pattern over and over you create an automatic response to that initial trigger. 

This becomes a patterned panic response to the trigger.

That being said, it is the build-up of adrenaline that eventually creates the panic attack. 

Stimulating Substances 

If you suffer from panic attacks, you are likely more nervous than necessary.

Using stimulating substances adds fuel to the fire.

Think of caffeine (coffee, cola, Red Bull, tea, chocolate...) and consuming excessive added sugars (snacking).

When you experience panic attacks, your body and mind are already very alert, searching for danger everywhere, anticipating future events, making you worry about many things, and reacting with more anxiety than necessary to certain things...

Adding extra stimulants to the mix only exacerbates the situation. 

This was crucial for me. Even one cup of coffee in the morning could make me more susceptible to panic attacks throughout the day. 

Not everyone using stimulating substances like caffeine experiences panic attacks, but if you already have them and generally experience a lot of anxiety, these substances can make everything worse.

So, avoid them.

To be clear, you can’t control everything like we are about to learn, but the things I just covered are some of the things that are for sure in your control, so, control the controllable!

Needing to Control Everything 

Again, a very important cause.

When you are perfectionistic or always want everything under control, you put a lot of pressure on yourself.

The higher you set the bar, the more stress and tension you will feel... Making you more susceptible to a panic attack. 

You'll notice that you also like to control things (and people) that you have no control over!

So, that is doubly difficult and frustrating, putting even more pressure on your nervous system and increasing the likelihood of a panic attack. 

We cannot control everything. It is impossible. It's like mopping the floor while the tap is still running. 

What I used to think: "Simple, I'll just avoid all those things! Then I'm sure I won't have any problems with anxiety, and I won't feel any panic."

Yes... And that worked for a brief moment until I had no life, avoided almost everything, and anxiety still managed to find me. 

This also includes the fact that you would plan everything.

Suppose you have to do something you dread.

In that case, you sit down beforehand to anticipate and plan everything ("Where is the exit?" checking with Google Streetview, "What do I do when this/that happens?"....).

This is also a significant cause of panic attacks because you consciously choose to be more anxious. 

Can you see that? 

Suppose you have to do something in the future, and you think, "I hope I don't have a panic attack there."

By believing that thought, you tell yourself, "It's life-threatening there!"

For your body, there is no difference between thinking, "Oops, there are rattlesnakes there. What do I do to avoid being bitten." and "I hope I don't feel anxious there."

In both cases, you convey that there is a lot at stake in that event.

It is life-threatening because you clearly find it very important that it goes well.

Consequently, you will feel extra stress and anxiety, you’ll worry about it for days (or weeks) in advance, and be so tense on the day itself that it becomes very easy to have a panic attack.

Hence, this is also a significant cause. 

These are some of the biggest myths and real causes of panic attacks.

Now let’s talk about a couple of tools I suggest to my clients!

Actionable Tools 

#1 Name It to Tame It! 

When you sense the initial signs of unrest, it can be beneficial to envision the anxiety as a separate character standing beside you, even giving it a name. 

This approach offers two significant advantages: firstly, you avoid direct identification with the anxiety, making it easier to observe objectively without letting your emotions take control. 

Secondly, by responding to the anxiety as if it is of little importance, you signal to your body that there is no real danger, potentially reducing the intensity of future triggers.

#2 Worst Case Scenario Visualization

Another effective tool involves regularly visualizing a specific scenario whenever you feel anxious. 

Envision the worst-case scenario in intricate detail, including where you are, how you feel, and the tension in your muscles. 

Because the brain does not distinguish between reality and imagination, this technique actively influences your emotions and feelings. 

Repeatedly replacing this negative scenario with a positive visualization where you exude confidence helps your mind and body prepare for positive experiences. 

Some of the best athletes on earth use this before games to beat performance anxiety, so why can’t you?!

Consider how you would feel, move, think, and treat yourself in a confident state. 

By incorporating this positive visualization regularly, you cultivate a favorable mindset, noticing that positive feelings become more prominent in your daily life.

I hope you’ve found this helpful! ❤️ 

Love, Teunie.

See You Next Week

I don’t know about you, but I can absolutely relate to the spider/mom example she gave at the start…

The number of times I’ve heard my mom scream out in utter terror at a spider is incalculable! 

If you’d like to learn more about Teunie, here’s her email: teunie@vrijvanangst.com

Thanks so much, and as always, until next time… Live Heroically 🧠

Supporting Research:

• Smoller JW, Gardner-Schuster E, Misiaszek M. The genetics of panic disorder. J Med Genet. 2008;45(6):327-334. doi:10.1136/jmg.2008.056762

• Maron E, Nutt D. The role of adrenaline in the pathogenesis of panic attack. J Psychopharmacol. 2017;31(5):540-548. doi:10.1177/0269881117697841

• Addicott MA. The effects of caffeine on anxiety-related behavior: A review. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2014;22(6):499-510. doi:10.1037/a0037258

• Sherry SB, Hewitt PL, Flett GL, Lee-Baggley DL, Hall PA. Perfectionism and the anxiety disorders: A meta-analysis of 25 years of research. J Clin Psychol. 2019;75(10):1774-1789. doi:10.1002/jclp.22833

• Khoury B, Sharma M, Rush SE, Fournier C. Psychological techniques in the management of anxiety and stress disorders: A meta-analysis. J Anxiety Disord. 2015;35:86-95. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2015.09.005