“I am here to lead you in a memory exercise developed to stop your panic attack.”
or .
Instructions: If you are having a panic attack and your device cannot play the audio at stopyourpanicattack.com, ask the person next to you to read the following to you (or, if you are alone, you may instead read it aloud to yourself):
Okay. I am going to lead you in a memory exercise developed to stop your panic attack. Here is how it works: I will say five numbers, and then you will repeat those numbers back to me (from memory). Let’s begin.
Two, one, zero, seven, three.
Two, seven, seven, eight, zero.
Seven, three, seven, six, eight.
Four, one, six, three, two.
Six, eight, four, two, eight.
Seven, two, one, three, four.
One, four, three, eight, nine.
Four, four, five, seven, four.
Two, six, one, nine, five.
Six, four, three, three, seven.
Four, seven, five, one, eight.
Four, zero, four, nine, seven.
Six, seven, nine, two, two.
Three, five, two, seven, two.
Two, seven, three, two, five.
Six, nine, five, seven, six.
One, zero, seven, eight, two.
Three, eight, four, two, three.
Three, two, eight, eight, one.
Three, five, seven, eight, three.
Eight, six, one, six, three.
Six, seven, six, one, five.
Six, one, seven, six, four.
Two, nine, four, nine, six.
Three, five, two, five, three.
Eight, one, zero, three, three.
Three, six, two, two, seven.
Three, six, two, eight, one.
Nine, six, five, seven, five.
One, one, zero, zero, five.
One, three, seven, four, one.
Five, six, two, three, nine.
Four, eight, zero, two, four.
Four, eight, four, six, eight.
Seven, eight, four, four, two.
One, one, one, eight, eight.
Four, zero, five, four, two.
Eight, six, seven, two, five.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Three, seven, seven, two, seven.
Well, that should have done it. Are you feeling better?
If not, I am sorry that did not work for you. It could mean that your “panic attack” is actually something for which you may want to seek medical assistance.
Otherwise, I am glad I was able to help.
Disclaimer: This text is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and noninfringement. In no event shall its author be liable for any claim, damages or other liability, whether in an action of contract, tort or otherwise, arising from, out of or in connection with it or its use.
A panic attack is an inappropriate fight or flight response—inappropriate because there is nothing to fight and nothing from which to flee.
There are several effective methods by which you can stop your panic attack including memory exercises, mindfulness exercises, and running away.
You can stop your panic attack by doing memory exercises such as this one in which:
Most people feel better within 3 to 5 minutes.
There are several theories as to why memory exercises work. Perhaps they work by retasking the portion of your brain that would have detected threats. Perhaps they work by giving you small dopamine hits as you succeed in the tasks. Or perhaps they work for a combination of these or other reasons.
You can stop your panic attack by engaging in mindfulness exercises. Mindfulness exercises take practice, but are effective once mastered.
The simplest one is as easy as 5, 4, 3, 2, 1:
Chances are you will feel better before you get to describing the 1 thing that you taste!
There are several theories as to why mindfulness exercises work. Perhaps they work by increasing awareness so you realize you are not in danger. Perhaps they work by retasking the portion of your brain that would have detected threats. Perhaps they work by giving you small dopamine hits as you succeed in the tasks. Or perhaps they work for a combination of these or other reasons.
You can stop your panic attack by running away. Running away works because it means doing one of the two things your body wants to do: fight or flee. That said, running away is not recommended because: (1) it reinforces the trigger of your fight or flight response as a threat, (2) the symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack are similar, and you don’t want to be running if you are having a heart attack, and (3) it isn’t always possible to run away (for example, if you are on an airplane).
You get panic attacks because something triggered your fight or flight response.
These things trigger your fight or flight response because something conditioned your mind to perceive these things as threats.
An addiction, a traumatic experience, or health problems can condition your mind to see things as threats.
If you have an addiction, then you need to get over it. Consider getting help from a counselor or pastor affiliated with your church. If you do not have a church, visit www.lcms.org. Once you are over your addiction, then you just need to wait for your brain’s dopamine receptors to return to normal. In the meantime, you can stop your panic attacks when they occur.
If you have had a traumatic experience, consider getting help from a counselor or pastor affiliated with your church. If you don’t have a church, visit www.lcms.org. Treatment typically involves exposure to the things that trigger your panic attacks coupled with techniques to stop your panic attacks when they occur. In time, the panic attacks will no longer occur.
If you have health problems, consider getting help from a physician. Most problems are due to dehydration, sleep deprivation, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, poor intestinal microflora, and infections (including parasitic infections). Your physician will be able to identify the problems and recommend an appropriate diet, lifestyle changes, and, in the case of infection, a treatment plan. Be skeptical of physicians who recommend surgery or medication, and get a second or third opinion from an independent physician. In the meantime, you can stop your panic attacks when they occur.
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