PDF
Email
Print
Panic Attacks and Anxiety
There is much written about anxiety and panic attacks. Why? - because
they are an essential part of being human. Panic attacks and anxiety
are abilities that have kept us safe for millions of years, allowed
us to survive, evolve and succeed as a species.
When the world was a dangerous place, without anxiety and panic
attacks we would not have carefully scanned the environment for
danger and so may have died out as a species. And this is why.
What Panic Attacks are for...
Many thousands of years ago, a woman was walking through a gorge
with rock walls that stretched up towards the sun, shrouding the
gorge floor in shade. She was making her way to a spring near where
she and her tribe lived. As she rounded a corner, she found herself
face to face with a huge bear.
The animal, surprised by her attacked, swinging a massive paw. It
knocked her off her feet, cutting her badly with its sharp claws
and breaking three of her ribs. Despite her injuries she sprang
to her feet feeling no pain and ran back the way she had come.
Over the following months, her body healed and she was able to contribute
once again as a member of her tribe. She started on light work and
was gathering twigs one day when she came to a stone cliff that
stretched up above her, shading her from the sun.
She suddenly began to feel very uneasy and looked around. There
was nothing to be seen but still the feeling increased. She dropped
her bundle, turned and ran back to the safety of her tribe.
'Man the hunted'
We have long referred to man as 'man the hunter'. In evolutionary
terms, and with regard to anxiety and panic attacks, this is highly
misleading. We did not survive in hostile environments by being
over-confident, brash, loud animals. We survived by learning how
to be quiet, timid and very, very careful.
In a world where most large animals were stronger, faster, more
vicious and armed with teeth or claws, the best way for humans to
survive was avoidance.
Panic attacks are good for you!
The highest level of anxiety, often called a panic attack, or the
'fight or flight' response, is a fantastic emergency mechanism which
puts your body in the perfect state for tackling your aggressor
or getting out of there fast.
All the adrenaline, the alterations in blood flow, the changes in
the digestive system and so on, are designed to give you the best
chance to stay alive.
Next, How Panic Attacks Spread
