Anxiety and Panic Attacks In Emphysema ... - Mind Publications

Question—2
In reading your presentation on Anxiety and Panic in COPD, I found it very
interesting how you explained what takes place, physically, when we get anxious.
“The Anatomy and Physiology of a Panic Attack” is fascinating. Anyway, my question
is, what are some ways we can keep our suffocation alarms from getting out of
control? Sometimes anxiety is like a ball rolling down hill. Once it gets away from
you and starts on a roll, there’s no way you can stop it!
Answer
"Suffocation alarm" is one of the major explanations but not the only one. However,
let us see what we can do to bring it under control if the alarm has gone out of
control.
I would give example of "house smoke alarm" which has gone bad. Say, the two
wires in the smoke alarm are touching each other and it keeps giving false alarm.
You run to the kitchen and check and there is no real fire. Or, may be there is just a
little bit of smoke from something you had put on the oven but there is no real fire.
Actually, there is no real danger.
Here are some steps to get on top of this problem:
1. Suffocation alarm like the house smoke alarm is intended to alert us from danger
so we can keep ourselves safe. Our understanding and belief that the safety alarm is
for our safety and not meant to scare us is the first step.
2. Keep reminding yourself that panic is caused by our overreaction to a body signal
that is bad but it is not dangerous and not life threatening. Therefore, over
breathing, rapid breathing, chest tightness, chest pain, heart pounding and the like
are uncomfortable but not life threatening. So, try to be cool about it and tell
yourself it will blow over in a few minutes if I calm down and do breathing
3. Remember to do your Pursed Lip Breathing (PLB) from your abdomen and relax
your neck and shoulders
4. If you need to take some medical type of action, do what you need to do. But,
you will still be better off if you continue to calm yourself and do your corrective
breathing and try to do mental and physical relaxation.
5. IMPORTANT: WHEN YOU BECOME BREATH AWARE LIKE A YOGA PERSON AND
KEEP MONITORING YOUR BREATH. YOU WILL NOTICE WHEN BREATH CHANGES
EVER SO SLIGHTLY AND CORRECT IT RIGHT AWAY, YOU WON'T REACH UP TO A
PANIC ATTACK. YOU TAKE CARE OF IT RIGHT AWAY BEFORE IT REACHES THAT
POINT
Question-3
How can somebody with COPD or other chronic lung disease tell if they're having
"just" a panic attack or if what they're experiencing is more physical in nature? In
other words, how does somebody know if it is safe to try to get themselves to relax
at home, and "talk themselves down" from a panic episode or if their lungs are
actually so tight from inflammation and bronchospasm that they are in danger and
they should go to the emergency room?