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What if your panic attacks are not about fear… but unresolved grief your nervous system has been carrying for years?
In this episode, we explore the connection between panic, loss, attachment, and the body’s survival system and why panic often appears long after the original loss.
Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/i2DuFgvHkP0
#PanicAttacks #GriefAndLoss #HealthAnxiety #EMDRTherapy #TraumaHealing #adaptablebehaviorexplained
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0:00
And nearly one in 20 adults will
0:01
experience panic disorder at some point
0:03
in their life. Women tend to experience
0:06
panic disorder at roughly twice the rate
0:09
of men. And many people experience panic
0:12
attacks without ever meeting criteria
0:14
for panic disorder. This means that
0:16
millions of people are walking around
0:18
believing something is wrong with me.
0:21
I'm weak. I can't trust my body. And and
0:24
the reality is that their nervous system
0:26
is responding to loss, not danger. And
0:29
this is because the loss was unresolved
0:31
and it got encoded with threat to
0:34
survival.
0:36
Once panic begins, it often gets
0:38
maintained by that fear of fear loop.
0:40
What if I have another panic attack?
0:42
What if I end up embarrassed again? What
0:45
if I have to leave the experience and I
0:47
put everybody out? So even though the
0:49
panic didn't start in the fear system,
0:52
fear gets layered on top of it. And then
0:54
people begin to fear their own heart
0:57
rate, their breath speed, the dizziness,
1:00
losing control, another potential
1:03
attack. And then this creates
1:05
hypervigilance and avoidance, um, and
1:08
that anticipatory anxiety of kind of
1:10
waiting for the other shoe to drop. But
1:12
underneath it all, it's still the panic
1:14
and grief circuit signaling this
1:16
unresolved loss. Fear keeps panic going,
1:20
but grief is often what started it in
1:22
the first place. And so the bad news is
1:25
this is really painful and it's really
1:27
common and it kind of makes people feel
1:30
a little crazy that they can't stop this
1:32
loop. But the good news is is EMDR is
1:35
effective at treating this issue. And
1:37
traditional treatment often focuses on
1:40
managing symptoms or tolerating
1:42
sensations or exposure to feared cues.
1:45
And those approaches can be a bit
1:47
helpful. But when panic is rooted in
1:49
unprocessed grief or loss or attachment
1:51
trauma, symptom management doesn't cut
1:54
it. EMDR therapy is grounded in an
1:57
adaptive information processing model.
1:59
And it helps the brain reprocess
2:01
memories of loss and separation. And it
2:04
helps to integrate those early
2:06
attachment wounds with today's current
2:08
circumstances. It helps the body resolve
2:11
any of those sensations that are tied to
2:14
the helplessness. And it helps us to
2:16
update those beliefs like I'm alone,
2:18
I'll be alone, I can't count on people,
2:21
or I'm not safe into something that's
2:23
more adaptive for the present moment.
2:26
And for many people, once that grief
2:29
circuit is processed fully and we've
2:31
allowed ourselves to grief appropriately
2:33
for the loss that existed and the
2:36
importance of the person in our life
2:38
because they're directly proportional,
2:40
that panic doesn't need to fire anymore.
2:42
So when panic is about the past, the
2:45
body needs resolution, not just
2:46
reassurance. We can't talk oursel out of
2:49
this. And if so, quite frankly, I would
2:51
not have a job. It just doesn't work. So
2:54
panic attacks are not malfunction of
2:56
your fear system. They're often a signal
2:59
from your grief system, asking for care,
3:03
integration, and connection. When we
3:06
stop treating panic as random fear and
3:08
start listening to what's been lost,
3:10
healing can become possible. Your body
3:12
isn't broken. Your nervous system is not
3:14
betraying you. It's telling you a story
3:16
that deserves to be heard. It needs to
3:19
be heard. and it's waiting for you to
3:21
give space and honor and time to the
3:23
messages of your past that you have been
3:25
tucking away and haven't been fully
3:27
honoring. If panic attacks are part of
3:30
your story, consider seeking some
3:32
traumainformed EMDR care. You can check
3:35
out emria.org for referrals in your area
3:38
because EMDR therapists are trained to
3:40
work with panic that's rooted in loss,
3:43
attachment wounds, and unresolved
3:44
experiences.
3:46
Thank you so much for listening to our
3:48
show today, Adaptable Behavior
3:50
Explained. And until next time, don't
3:52
forget to lead with love.
#People & Society