As a psychotherapist, Jessica Dubin, LCSW, specializes in treating patients with anxiety and/or depression that face panic attacks. There are several benefits to learning to overcome them without medications, but in order to do that, the first step to take is educating yourself on panic attacks and what’s happening when one occurs.
What is a panic attack?
Panic attacks are a sudden, no-warning wave of anxiety that can be so terrifying and intense that you may feel like you’re having a heart attack or dying. While you can’t actually die from one, consistent panic attacks can significantly affect your everyday life.
Some common panic attack symptoms include:
Chest pain
Chills
Dizziness
Heart palpitations: Skipped heartbeats, feeling of fast beating, fluttering, pounding heartbeat
Shortness of breath
Sweating
While the reason for panic attacks are still unknown, factors such as genetics, major stress, sensitivity to stress and negative thoughts, and major changes to brain functionality may play a large role.
The benefit of overcoming panic without medication
If you’re experiencing panic attacks, either frequently or occasionally, you may have crippling fears about when the next one will come. This continuous fear can intervene with your day-to-day life by preventing you from doing your regular activities and routine to-do’s.
There is hope, and you don’t have to overcome these attacks alone. Jessica Dubin, LCSW, is ready to give you the tools you need to tackle strategies and overcome your panic.
The benefit of treating panic attacks with therapeutic exercises over medication is that medication can all too often create bigger problems. It’s easy for patients to become dependent on their medications, which can lead to greater mental health issues like addiction. With the right training and mindset, you can fight panic attacks without the help of drugs, which is a much healthier and long-term solution.
How to overcome panic without medication
Getting therapy can help in more ways than one - You can apply many of the exercises used to overcome panic attacks to almost every aspect of your life, which will in turn help you create a strong, healthy mental state.
In order to overcome panic attacks, here are some things you need to do:
Gain awareness. To solve any problem, you need to understand it, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. With Jessica, you will identity when panic attacks are happening and why, so that you can feel more in control of your mind and gain clarity on what will help or hurt you.
Observe. Once you gain some education around panic attacks, you can self-monitor and observe what things work and don’t work to treat them. You might record what you’re feeling when a panic attack occurs, or keep a journal to get your thoughts out and analyze them.
Breath training. Breath training is most commonly used to calm down and regain power over your mind and body. Learning how to breathe during a panic attack will help you feel more in control and also distract you from any negative, anxious thoughts.
Cognitive behavioral therapy. Panic attacks can often occur from negative and anxious thinking patterns – cognitive behavioral therapy challenges these patterns and seeks to restructure the way you think so you can see yourself and the world in a different light.
Practice mindfulness meditation. There are so many benefits to practicing mindfulness, including how it can allow you to be aware of your thinking patterns, be present in the moment, and ultimately think more positively.
Talk to a psychotherapist to help you overcome panic attacks and anxiety.
Jessica’s promise to her clients is to work with them and provide a safe place where they can go to share their truth without judgment. She specializes in treating anxiety, depression and more. Change your story and get out of your own way by working with her to improve your mental health to claim back control of your mind.
To learn more about Jessica Dubin, LCSW, and her methodology, visit her website.