The Relaxation Response and Panic Attacks

The relaxation response and panic attacks are opposites.

If you feel vulnerable to panic and anxiety, realize that there are a lot of things you can do to free yourself. One of them is to learn about and experience the relaxation response.

Dr. Herbert Benson first recognized and reported on the relaxation response back in the 1960’s. Dr. Benson is a cardiologist at Harvard who studied the physical reactions people had while they were meditating.

He found a set of physical responses that were the exact opposite of the stress response. Don’t you think that might be a good state for someone who’s having panic attacks and episodes of anxiety to be able to access?

The relaxation response has two components:

 a point of focus and a passive attitude.

Point of Focus

In various meditation traditions the point of focus might be a visual point or attention to the breath or perhaps a specific phrase (mantra).

It really can be anything.

Passive Attitude

The other characteristic is a passive attitude. That is, when your mind wanders from your point of focus (and it will, almost immediately) be easy about it. The relaxation response emerges more from the process than the attainment of any specific goal.

Discover a Proven Method to
End Panic Attacks Without Drugs

Click Here

The main thing is to be easy about it. This proves to be good practice for life.

Here’s a good way to get ready for a session of the relaxation response: muscular relaxation.

Progressive Relaxation

Most of us are real good at getting tense. What we aren’t so good at is relaxing. Here’s proof. If you ask someone to relax a muscle, they most likely won’t be sure how to go about it.

Ask them to tense up the same muscle, no problem. Tension seems to come easily these days.

We can use this ability to tense things up to learn how to relax.

Right now, make a fist and squeeze it really hard. Squeeze your fist tighter and tighter. Really hard. Hold it even longer… Tighter…

Now let it go. Relax your hand completely. Let all tension fade away. Relax your hand even more.

Do you see how that worked? It was easy to tense your hand and as you held the tension and built it up you created a situation where you were felt the tension clearly and then were able to release it.

Most of us carry around low grade tension in our bodies that we aren’t even aware of. Beyond this we have psychological tension and the pressure of busy minds.

It needs balance. That’s the gift of the relaxation response.

On The Relaxation Response and Panic Attacks Part 2 I'll tell you exactly how you can experience the relaxation response for yourself.

And you can find my review of one of the best panic attack treatments available here. The relaxation response works great with that approach.

You can find out details about the Panic Away system here:

Panic Puzzle System