Dr Rita Santos - Navigating Panic Attacks

Navigating Panic Attacks

Rita Santos is a clinical psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), anxiety and anxiety disorders. She completed her clinical training (1998) and specialized in CBT for anxiety disorders (2000) in Lisbon, Portugal. In order to pursue her interests further, Rita completed a PhD on cognitive aspects of anxiety and performance in London (2007), conducting cutting-edge psychology research including functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the brain. Her research provided the main empirical underpinning of a novel theory of anxiety: attentional control theory.

Following a period as a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, she also pursued further specialist CBT training in the UK for anxiety-related difficulties (2011). During her career she has developed a broad range of skills, including extensive academic experience (conducting research, publishing papers and delivering undergraduate- and postgraduate-level teaching), and wide clinical expertise (working privately, in psychiatric hospitals, in student support centres, and in the NHS). She currently provides CBT training and supervision, and works as a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist.

Navigating Loneliness

Navigating Sleeplessness

Navigating Stress

Understand Your Fear and
Reclaim Your Life

Dr Rita Santos PhD

A Trigger Book

Published by Welbeck Balance

An imprint of Welbeck Publishing Group

20 Mortimer Street

London W1T 3JW

First published by Welbeck Balance in 2021

Copyright Rita Santos, 2021

Rita Santos has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners and the publishers.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

US eBook ISBN: 9781801290197

UK eBook ISBN: 9781789562743

Note/Disclaimer

Welbeck Balance encourages diversity and different viewpoints. However, all views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and are not necessarily representative of Welbeck Publishing Group as an organization. All material in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance; no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred in following the information given. In particular, this book is not intended to replace expert medical or psychiatric advice. It is intended for informational purposes only and for your own personal use and guidance. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or act as a substitute for professional medical advice. Professional advice should be sought if desired before embarking on any health-related programme.

www.welbeckpublishing.com

To Alice Baptista, Maria and Antonio Silva, my late
grandparents who could not read or write, and worked
so hard all their lives to make sure I could.

If you bought this book, you are either curious about panic attacks, experience them yourself, or know someone who does. You may have heard about what it is like to have a panic attack and want to find out more, or you know all too well how it feels to have one how frightening and distressing it is and would like to understand them better.

All of us have been and will go through anxious situations at various points in our lives. For example, taking exams, going to the dentist, having injections, speaking or performing in public, having to stand up for yourself or others, getting a piercing, or asking a manager for a raise, among many, many others. Experiencing nervousness and anxiety in these situations is entirely normal and, for better or worse, we have on the whole managed to cope with such situations.

Panic attacks feel somewhat different.

Lets face it, panic is a frightening word in itself! The term panic attack, however, takes it to a different level: it is, quite literally, an ATTACK OF PANIC. It couldnt get much worse, right? People describe it feeling like going to hell and back over and over again, while others liken it to having a sort of breakdown.

Sometimes it feels as if there is not even a clear reason for having a panic attack. Such experiences make you feel powerless and out of control, and our lives, relationships, work, and hobbies all move to second place. As a result, our whole life can be ruled by panic and fear; what it might mean, and what might happen. Our survival switch has been flicked on and we do not know (and cannot easily figure out) how to turn it off again. We are stuck, and not in a good place.

The first thing to remember is: you are not alone. Not at all. A large number of people will experience at least one panic attack in their lives and many people will experience several (myself included). We sometimes forget that anxiety is actually an entirely normal emotion and plays a really important role in keeping us functioning well. Indeed, experiencing anxiety along with other emotions means we are emotionally well-regulated. Its when our anxiety takes over to the exclusion of all other emotions that problems arise.

A large number of people will experience at least one panic attack in their lives and many people will experience several.

This is where I hope this book might be of help. In it, I will endeavour to give you a better understanding of your emotions, especially anxiety. I will explain how anxiety can manifest as panic attacks, their meaning and what you can do about them. The book aims to help you understand as well as develop a new relationship with your anxiety. A relationship of acceptance, that is empowering rather than limiting, that will allow you not only to get your life back, but perhaps make it more rewarding, since it will be based on a deeper and better knowledge of yourself and your emotions.

In that respect, having panic attacks creates an opportunity to understand and accept your emotions, which can be empowering and something of an advantage in life. Going through such experiences allows you not only to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, but also to further trust yourself and become emotionally stronger.

Your experiences allow you to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and become emotionally stronger.

For some time now, I have been wanting to write about what I know concerning anxiety and panic attacks, what I have seen, and also what I have learned. I am a clinical psychologist and have been for over 20 years. Since very early on in my career I developed a deep interest in anxiety, what it means and how it works. I have worked in several clinical settings like psychiatric hospitals, student psychological support centres, charities, the NHS and also my own private practice. I became an anxiety specialist by focusing on anxiety-related difficulties during my training and then doing several extra post-graduation study courses that concentrated on understanding and treating anxiety disorders. Because I also always valued science and evidence for what works, what does not work, and why, I have also always worked in academic institutions, did a Masters degree, a PhD, and conducted research on anxiety. I am still passionate about this work and what I do.