Please Tell My Brother This Ain't So (panic attacks)

Factual Questions
1

I put this here because I’m looking for a FACTUAL answer to this. Sorry if it’s the wrong place.

I came here because my brother loves this board and is always quoting from it. He has been under very much stress lately, and has developed anxiety or panic attacks.

I took him to the doctor and they gave him some Imipramine for it and it seems to be helping somewhat but they said it’d take time.

He of course has the classic symptoms and he actually had these attacks almost 20 years ago and was shed of them all the while.

Anyway now he read something here about counting one’s breathing rate, and this got him to what I say is overthinking things.

He was like “I now am aware of every step I take, and my legs feel like they are walking but I am not controlling them.”

I advise him, as all the books do, this is perfectly normal feeling in panic states, and no matter WHAT he is ALWAYS in control of it.

Then he said, “But if I’m aware of it could I pysche myself into thinking they won’t move.” I told him “NO, walking is bascially a semi-automatic function.” I told him once you learn that you NEVER lose the ablity unless you get a PHYSICAL blow to the leg or the part of the brain that controls the leg.

I realize that he is in a panic state and it FEELS like he has no control. It’s like when I get on a plane, I surrender control put on my earphones and pretend I’m anywhere but on the plane and I get through it.

So if you people can just REASSURE HIM, cause I know he’ll be reading this, that any discomfort he feels is just because he is AWARE of what he normally shouldn’t be aware of. That it was causing the weird feeling OVERTHINKING about semi-automatic things

And no matter no matter how hard he worries he cannot lose control over things like that.

It’s kind of like saying “Don’t think of the word BLUE for the next ten seconds.” You can’t help but think of it.

Thanks (and yes he does have an appointment to see a therapist too in addition to the meds)

2

Umm… Well… Might not be wise to assume what answers you’ll get when you ask the teeming hordes a question here.

There is such a thing as hysterical paralysis.

3

It seems unlikely that logical argument will solve your brother’s problem. It sounds like he needs talk therapy in addition drug therapy. A support group might also help. You could be 100% right (I’m not saying you are, but you could be), yet that won’t change your brother’s subjective experience. He’s probably suffering from a biochemical problem - his panic attacks aren’t happening because of faulty reasoning on his part, and they won’t be solved by correct reasoning.

4

There are probably other things going on in his life.

5

Well he’s getting help and got some meds. I was just trying to make the point, that no matter how much you fear it, it won’t happen.

For instance if you tried to hold your breath you can interfere with it as much as you won’t, but the end result is you can’t hold your breath forever. Same thing with other things. You can fear illogical things, like becoming unable to move your arms, but if someone throws a ball at your face you’ll block it or certainly when you’re asleep you’ll move without really knowing it. It’s the semi-automatic, things. But thanks for the help so far.

That is actually part of the treatment, as you’re going thru the fears you have to replace the illogical arguments with the logical.

Thanks guys