What is the amygdala? Emotional kidnapping and other panic attack symptoms

What is the amygdala? Emotional kidnapping and other panic attack symptoms

When a panic attack occurs or you become extremely anxious, the emotional response you experience may bypass the thinking part of your brain. This is why your panic attacks seem to come out of the blue. The amygdala becomes involved, producing a panic attack faster than expected. Thinking clearly when in a highly emotional state is extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The reason for this is that the part of the brain that gives you clear thoughts is inhibited. All right, you say, that's fine, but what is the amygdala?

Designed for basic survival, it is a very primitive part of your brain. In more complex situations like problem solving it doesn't matter. Neural pathways send information to the amygdala, which determines the meaning of the stimulus and triggers emotional responses like our old friends, fight or flight, and the inner workings of your organs and glands.

People make the comment so often; “It’s so irrational.” You are absolutely correct. Since it is not the part of the brain that deals with panic attacks, this explains why people find it so difficult or impossible to make decisions during a panic attack.

Best-selling author Daniel Goleman has called this reaction “emotional hijacking.” What he means is that your emotional response has hijacked your thinking, rational mind.

The first sign that your panic attacks have left you is when you realize that you can no longer have these attacks. Apparently? Maybe, but please note that I said 'can't', not 'not'. The reason for this is that something fundamental in your mind has changed in his reaction.

Now we've studied hyperventilation pretty thoroughly and have come to the conclusion that it is actually a symptom of the panic attack feeding off the other. However, there are a number of other symptoms that we should at least name.

These are;

dizziness,

Dizziness,

Dizziness,

Shortness of breath,

heart palpitations,

Deafness,

chest pain,

dry mouth,

clammy hands,

difficulty swallowing,

Tremble,

Sweat,

Weakness and tiredness.

Chest pain understandably causes a high number of hospital visits. People think they have a heart attack under control, so their first thought is the emergency room.

The shortness of breath symptom is just our old friend's hyperventilation, and we saw earlier that we actually don't have too little oxygen, but too much.

I know from experience how lightheadedness and dizziness can immediately precede a panic attack. I remember feeling nauseous and about to pass out.

Heart palpitations also make you feel weak, and if you don't know what they are, they too can worry you.

However, always remember that panic attacks will pass and no one has ever died from one!

Inspired by Mike Bond