So what were humans doing during this period? The earliest humans were carnivorous hunter-gatherers. The problem was that much of what we ate was very dangerous to catch. We had to survive in a harsh environment in which what we hunted also wanted to make us the hunted. There are various ways in which we evolved to adapt to this challenge. Some creatures evolved their own defences, such as spikes, claws or razor-sharp teeth. What we did instead was to become social beings. We hunted in packs and evolved ever more complex forms of communication and tools that enabled us to defeat our opponents. As the first creatures to reach this point of evolution, we were then able to dominate the planet with our own form of technology and organisation. That explains how we successfully became hunters, but now how we successfully avoided being the hunted.

To do that we would have needed a body that had a super-fast reaction to a perceived threat that enabled us to remove ourselves from danger before being attacked. This is what is called the fight or flight response or, to us, a panic attack. Natural variation meant that some humans were born with a better fight or flight response than others. Those that couldn’t panic fast enough simply had a lower chance of surviving to the point of passing on their genes. This is why panic disorders often run in families and why doctors believe that anxiety is to a large extent hereditary.

Over time the panic response became faster, more efficient and better adapted to our environment with all its potential dangers. At the immediate onset of a perceived danger, the body would launch itself into its panic response by shooting up the heart rate so that the body could take immediate high energy action, focusing the mind so that the individual was fully alert to the danger and could take decisive action and pause all non-urgent bodily functions, such as the processing of food, so that the body is fully devoted to the task of avoiding the danger. The latter also explains why people feel nauseous during a panic attack. At the same time, the body is being flooded with a store of hormones, particularly epinephrine, which gives us adrenaline. An important point to note at this stage is that this process can not be continued for a sustained period of time and so all panic attacks must come to an end sooner or later.

Humans of today can thank their ancestors for inheriting that function that continues to keep them out of danger. Of course, natural variation still exists today. There are giraffes with all kinds of different necks and there are also humans with different functioning panic responses. There are some people whose panic attacks do not work to the extent that they should do and this can cause problems for them in their life if they are ever faced with a potential danger. If you are walking through the jungle and come face to face with a hungry lion, it does not matter how much you want to get away from the lion because if your panic response is not up to scratch your body may not be able to escape the situation without launching into that mode.

On the other side of the spectrum of natural variation is you and me. Our panic attacks are too frequent and too intense for what is required. In earlier times when we were developing this ability as a species we would have been the strongest who evolution would have favoured, but now they are not suited to our environment. As a result, we say that we “suffer” from panic attacks and that we want to “get rid of them” or “beat them”, but is this what we really want? A panic disorder is a bit like a faulty smoke alarm. It is there for a very good reason, which is to protect you from danger, but now it is activating when there is no danger. So what do we do about it? Rarely do we say that we need to smash the smoke alarm or get rid of it completely, because we still want it to go off when the house has caught fire or we’ve simply burnt the toast. The purpose of this book therefore is not to stop your body from ever having the ability to enter into this state.  It is instead to improve the functioning of your panic response, so that the only time that you do experience them you are very grateful that you did in that situation.

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Panic attacks can be extremely traumatic and people who experience them often say that they would do anything to get rid of them. In actual fact however, many people with panic attacks are inadvertently doing things that are directly and indirectly fuelling further panic attacks.

The following are the biggest mistakes that people with panic attacks make in their daily lives. By cutting these out, we can all experience a dramatic reduction in the frequency, duration and intensity of panic attacks.

Some of the most fascinating research into panic attacks that has been revealed recently has shown that a lack of assertiveness in interactions with others is a major contributing factor to the development of a panic disorder, rather than as a consequence of them. It has long been noted that people with panic attacks tend to be politer than average, but it has now been discovered that this leads to panic attacks because it makes people over analyse themselves too much and caught in a cycle of trying to please others too much. Instead, it’s time to take charge and assert yourself more and more in daily life, which will also boost your own self-confidence and respect.

Incorrect breathing is also a major factor that far too many people are making. To test yourself, simply place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach and take a deep breath. If the hand on your chest moves more than the one on your stomach then you are not employing proper diaphragm breathing, but are instead are continuously making yourself more anxious.

Next up is the habit of confusing healthy physical sensations with dangerous ones, which sets off false alarms in your body to induce the panic response. Physical exertion, normal bodily functions and even a sense of excitement can all be given the worst possible interpretation by someone suffering from panic attacks.

Many people with panic attacks choose to think that they have no control over their body and this is another major factor in fuelling panic attacks because people are left thinking that they are trapped in their own body. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Millions of people have overcome their panic attacks and moved on with their lives and there’s no reason why any one person’s case is special and not able to be cured.

The most obvious, often done mistake (but also the easiest to stop) is consuming food and drink that make you more anxious and prone to panic attacks. Panic attacks are centred upon the nervous system, therefore we must eat foods that are rich in vitamin Bs because they directly nourish and strengthen the nervous system, which produces calming effects. More specifically within the B group of vitamins, you’ll find that Vitamin B12, Thiamin and Niacin can make you much more resistant to the experience of a panic attack.

A recommended balanced diet, specifically for someone who suffers from panic attacks therefore, would consist of 20% meat, poultry, seafood, cheese, eggs and tofu. Then, 35% of baked potato, broccoli, asparagus, peanuts, legumes, watermelons and oranges. Then 45% would consist of brown rice, whole grain cereal, pasta, wheat germ, oatmeal and bread.

Finally, a fundamental mistake that many make is not seeking help. Medical practitioners estimate that the majority of people who suffer from panic attacks do not ask for help. Unfortunately, many of them are only discovered by the health system when they develop an even worse condition as a result of letting their panic disorder get out of hand, such as alcoholism, substance abuse, agoraphobia or OCD. Instead of spending a fortune on therapy however, the Panic Defence Handbook remains the most complete guide to overcoming panic attacks once and for all. Find out more at www.PanicHandbook.com .

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