Panic Attacks And Fear Of Public Speaking

Submitted by: David More

The worse news one can deliver to a person who suffers from panic attacks or GAD is that he or she has been assigned to speak in public. Be it addressing a large crowd or a having to deliver a short presentation in front of a handful of their peers at work, it is all the same; the dread begins just as soon as the news has been delivered, even if the assignment is not for weeks or months down the road.

Unlike the majority of people who might experience a “normal,” mild anxiety before speaking in public – mainly because he or she are afraid they might go blank while doing so – a person who suffers from panic disorder will be overwhelmed even by the mere thought of it.

For him or her, the dread of speaking in public originates from the deep concern that he or she might have an attack while speaking. The Anxiety of having a panic attack is further fueled by exaggerated, distorted, thoughts of being paralyzed by fear or somehow losing control and doing something out of character while speaking in public.

It is very common for such a person to make all sorts of excuses to avoid the assignment. He or she will fabricate, if necessary, stories that might get them off the hook. But for those whose livelihood depends on it, such an attitude may cause them to risk losing an opportunity of climbing up the corporate ladder, being promoted or even loosing their job. A perfect catch 22; doomed if you accept the assignment, doomed if you don’t.

What’s the Solution?

Important to know is that your panic attacks will, most likely, not disappear on their own and that you must have a strong desire to be cured and willing to make the necessary commitment.

The solution begins with the understanding that the attacks will not harm you. As scary as they may appear to you, in reality they are harmless: The looming danger — the perceived looming danger – is nothing but a fabrication of your imagination, fed by thoughts of gloom and doom.

When you first start to identify this pattern in yourself, you begin to view your condition from a new prism. And when you understand the nature of your panic attacks — what actually takes place in your mind and body before and during an attack – it makes dealing with it much easier. And that is when you begin to gain a level of control you did not know you possessed before.

What Goes On During a Panic Attack?

During a panic attack your body reacts to non-existent, perceived threats by releasing an over dose of adrenaline, tensing up and shifting your brain activity to the mode of “fight or flight.”

Your brain’s ability to think and reason is located in the front brain (prefrontal cortex). During an attack, however, your brain activity shifts to the midbrain (periaqueductal grey area). This is a portion of the brain where survival mechanisms such as “fight or flight” originate from. While operating from within the mid brain your ability to think and apply logic is drastically impaired. It is only when your ability to reason is restored that the panic abates.

Armed with this understanding provides some relief. At the minimum, you now know that you cannot reason with the attack, surely not during the attack.

And although a good start, it is only the beginning. The next and most important step is the understanding of what actually fuels and brings about a panic attack. In one word it is fear – fear of having another attack.

Here is how this fear is born in the first place:

The experience of the, initial, first attack is so terrifying that it leaves a deep, profound IMPRINT on the person’s psyche. From that moment on that person develops a severe fear of having another attack.

Overcoming the fear of public speaking, or any other anxiety, must begin with understanding the above and proceeding with exposing the true deceptive nature of panic attacks, namely, that the attacks ‘trick’ you to believe you are facing a real danger, while in reality all that is going on is normal, harmless bodily sensations produced by your anxiety that, if not fueled by you, will disappear on their own.

When you deeply understand all that has been discussed here, you come to realize that Panic attacks don’t have any power over you, but the one you hand them.

Once grasped, and the attacks are faced and challenged bravely, fear subsides and, gradually, so do the attacks.

About the Author: David More, owner of Anxiety Panic Free Zone, is dedicated to helping people who suffer from anxiety/panic disorders and how to find the most suitable cure. We provide necessary resources so that you can evaluate options and make educated choices.

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