How can you stop panic attacks, sometimes also called panic disorder from happening?
If you have ever suffered a panic attack yourself then the symptoms may be well known to you: a feeling of terror, accelerated heartbeat that you can feel in your chest, weakness, dizziness and many other symptoms too. You can feel so out of control and shocked by what is happening that it can almost feel like you are dying.
People around you may not be able to understand how much this trauma can affect you but rest assured that you are not alone. The good news is that you can learn to let go of your panic attacks and stop them too.
When you suffer from panic attacks you can never predict when they will happen or where they will start. This can mean that you avoid certain places because you associate them with a panic attack and then feel that if you go there again you may cause another attack. Often the fear of the next panic attack can cause a general feeling of anxiety and you may even think that it is making you have more panic attacks.
Some facts about panic attacks.
Most often they begin in late adolescence and in fact are more common in men than women although in my own experience they seem to be evenly balanced across both sexes.
Sometimes if you suffer from panic disorder you may find your life is so restricted that you do not even want to leave the house. It may mean you are scared of driving or even going to the shops to buy food.
If you are suffering from panic disorder and would like to read more then click here: How to Stop Panic Disorder
What is tapping? How does tapping work and what happens to you when you do tapping?
You may not even know what tapping is or you may know it by its official name Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT.
But what is EFT and how does tapping on parts of your body make a difference to you?
Singer Michael Ball has spoken all about it and demonstrated how it helped him to overcome panic attacks on BBC Breakfast. You can watch a clip of him showing Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin how it works HERE.
He learnt it from the Boyzone singer, Stephen Gately, who used it to calm his own performance nerves. PGA golfers have been spotted doing it around the golf course to help them improve their swing. Lily Allen has explained that she used it as part of her weight loss plan. Dutch pole-vaulter Rens Blom spoke openly about how his unexpected 2005 World Championship Gold medal was all down to the tapping that he did. You can find so many instances talking about its success helping with phobias, addictions and anxiety.
But what is Tapping?
It was discovered by Gary Craig who published a Tapping and EFT handbook explaining what he has discovered about it. It is a technique similar to acupressure and involves tapping on certain pressure points around the face and on the body and hands. What is remarkable about the technique is that you really can tap away stress and anxiety. Many researchers are looking into the efficacy of tapping and there are many clinical studies on EFT already published that show how well it works.
What can I use EFT for?
EFT can be used for many different things. As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I use it as part of my therapy with clients alongside helping to teach people ways to relax, switch off and let go of the past. I find that it has amazing success on so many different things. I use it more than any other intervention when I help people with fears and phobias. I have used it for fear of spiders, heights, driving, sickness and many other fears and phobias. In fact there was a very strange side effect for myself when I appear to have lots one of my own fears accidently..
I lost my Fear of Heights by Tapping and I wasn't even trying...
I have worked with many clients who have a fear of heights and it was the one fear that I still had a little of myself. You may ask why I didn't ever do anything about it? Strange as it sounds I quite liked the idea that I had a little fear. I didn't really go anywhere high and I don't have a fear of spiders, or driving on motorways or anything else so in many ways it just didn't come up. Then some time last year I found myself at a park with my son and on one of those high wire experiences. I wanted to act brave so that he didn't get scared and then when we were up there I realised that I just didn't have that odd feeling in my stomach when I looked down any more. I just felt fine and I loved the experience! So, without even trying, a side effect of talking other people through how to tap to end a fear of heights...I had lost my own! That's how well it works.
Tapping In Redditch with me or Tapping Via Skype
One of the real benefits of teaching EFT to people is that you don't even have to be with me in person. This means that although I spend a great deal of time with clients in my hypnotherapy practice in Redditch doing tapping with them in person I also work via Skype and can teach tapping on skype just as easily and it works just as well.
Watch a BBC News report on Tapping and EFT Medical Study...
If you would like to find out more or ask me any questions feel free to drop me an email on [email protected]or call me on 07980 233160