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Panic Attacks?

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Beelzebozo

Beelzebozo

Rising Star
I don't know if this is the right forum for this to go under, but what the hell.

So SWIM has had several psychedelic experiences this summer, none of which were "bad trips" (quite the opposite in fact). He thought he was doing fine, in spite of a part of him wondering if he was overdoing it. SWIM went three years without any experience of the kind, then boom, he had three in the space of a month. Since his last one, which was easily one of the most amazing, uplifting, blissful, spiritual experience he's ever had, he's ceased all his cannabis use and cut back on his alcohol intake as well.

However, in the weeks following that night, he would sometimes find himself feeling peculiar. His heart would race, breathing become short, and he would feel, for lack of a better term, "wrong." Fear would start to creep in on him. I don't know if the fear is triggered by some thought, or if the fear triggers the thoughts, but SWIM would beginning thinking negative things. "I've taken too many psychedelics and screwed myself up," being the most prominent. This is always accompanied by strange bodily sensations which are difficult to describe.

Last night, a little less than a month from his last experience, SWIM had what he can only liken to what he's heard called a "panic attack." He was lying in bed and the fear hit him, hard. He stayed up until 3 am, not sure what to do with himself. The thing that helped him feel a little better was remembering all the love and all the good things that he's known in his life and expressing gratitude for them.

I feel a little better just posting this here, if nothing else. SWIM has had harrowing experiences with psychedelics in the past, so he's no stranger to dealing with their hairier side. A part of me knows, of course, that this sort of thing will pass in time, I guess I just want to be reassured, and hear from others who may have had similar experiences.

I'm usually not at all the type to "reach out" like this, but thank you all in advance! There are some great people on this forum.

May you all find peace and love in your lifetimes, and always have something to be grateful for.

Beelzebozo (the worrier)
 
One thing is for sure: These things go away with time. I had milder panick attacks before and the only thing that healed them was time. It really is weird how panick thoughts can bring up feelings such as heavy chest and other physical negative reactions.
Exercising, such as cycling and running can help though, as they do good to your brain and body. Know that they will pass
 
I've had panic attacks over months and it felt like it would never pass. Some people spread this bullshit. It is not true. Times will get better, and the feeling of being on the verge of a panic attack will vanish.

For me, it was also the body - i felt very dizzy and "strange". Panic was easy to trigger.

It all kinda stopped after i consistently tried to stop caring. So: try to ignore it.
If it feels hard (understandable), focus on good, healthy activity. Reminding yourself of love, is also a good practice, as you already found out.

Good luck!!
 
obliguhl said:
It all kinda stopped after i consistently tried to stop caring. So: try to ignore it.
Click to expand...
Having been hospitalized for panic attacks on a number of occasions many years ago, I one day saw the truth in this and stopped letting them happen.

It was really that easy. They ended up being manifestations of my mind not able to deal with surrounding problems. Couple breathing exercises later and I haven't had one in years.
 
another main cause quite often is caffine. If you drink coffee and experience panic attacks..stop drinking coffee.

Quitting cannabis gave me mild panic attacks for a while after I stopped as well..which is something to think about since you quit..I smoked heavily though and then just quit one day. Others have experienced this as well.
 
Thank you all!! Just from reading your responses, I know we are talking about the same thing. I also just found out my older sister, also a psychedelic user when she was my age, used to suffer from them following a particular experience.

obliguhl said:
I've had panic attacks over months and it felt like it would never pass. Some people spread this bullshit. It is not true. Times will get better, and the feeling of being on the verge of a panic attack will vanish.

For me, it was also the body - i felt very dizzy and "strange". Panic was easy to trigger.

It all kinda stopped after i consistently tried to stop caring. So: try to ignore it.
If it feels hard (understandable), focus on good, healthy activity. Reminding yourself of love, is also a good practice, as you already found out.

Good luck!!
Click to expand...

Yes, this is what seems to make the feeling go away for me. It can seem so overwhelming that it's unbelievable! I'm naturally a worrier, with a very overactive mind, so it can be difficult at times for me to ignore these things. "Dizzy and strange" is right on the money for how I'd describe the bodily sensations.

I feel like, to an extent, my emotional responses are off-balance. Like I'll experience great extremes of emotion. Any kind of stimulant definitely enhances this, so the advice to stay away from caffeine is certainly a good one. Also, I recently drank a bit more alcohol than was good for me, and I'm trying not to do that. I think I need a good few months for the ol' brain to "air out," so to speak. 😉

I have to keep reminding myself that it hasn't even been a month yet, and that I've just had three lifechanging experiences in only a few weeks time. Of course my brain and body are going to be out of it for a little while.

Thank you good people of the Nexus! I'm not out of the woods yet, I'm sure, by any stretch; but it's comforting to know I'm not alone.
 
YES IT's TRUE.

They will come back until one day you stop caring for them, or ignore them, or most importantly STOP BEING AFRAID OF THEM.
It's sort of like the saying about fear, once you stare the fear in the eyes it stops eating you.
As long as one is afraid and trying to avoid the panick, it usually comes back. But once one can observe it and not give in to fear, I guarantee, when one does this enough times, it will ease and eventually go away. After all you will just notice how it has made you stronger.

When I used to smoke cannabis, it made two things: Made the panics much worse and eased them somewhat, however the first was more common. Therefore I would recommend from my own experience staying away from cannabis at least for one month and see how it effects.
 
Thanks for the advice!

It's very strange, right now I feel fine, but an hour ago it felt as though the world was going to end. I assume since I feel okay right now, that over time things will level out and I'll be alright. Boy it's difficult though.
 
Man, i sympathize with what you are going through. I've been going through the same thing for years, and have just recently been able to understand some of the reasons why i have panic attacks. For me, its heart racing, fight of flight to the max, sweating, paranoia, etc.

I really feel like the panic attack starts when you mind and thoughts get caught up in something uncomfortable, and doesn't know how to respond/react to feel the way you did before (good). This for some reason triggers a chemical imbalance of sorts. Amine imbalances come into play, and epinephrine i think is the one that goes off in a panic attack. Science tells us that this is because of evolutionary strategies to keep us alive in situations where a danger is present, but who really knows.

I feel the only way for me to truly keep the panic attacks away, and start diminishing their frequency and intensity all together is not to block out the fear, or to stop your self from experiencing it. This can be done mentally, or chemically with Anxiolytics. Either way, the fear will eventually creep in, being that its an emotion and everyone who is human will feel fear at some time in their lives. If you cannot deal with it, then taking something to deal with it or putting up emotional walls just makes you more sensitive to it when it eventually breaks through your barriers.

Just today, while on a walk with my dog, and after a few hits from my mflb vaporizer left me with a striking realization. The true way to deal with these issues, or any emotional issues, fear, anger, frustration, etc is to use meditation. Let it arise naturally, don't resist, but don't catch on to it either, let it flow and don't fuck with the thought and it will naturally go away. Then you can analyze why the thought arose, and realize how silly it was to let your mind get obsessed with that particular thought.

Usually cannabis causes panic attacks for me. but when i use it in the right context and meditative state of mind it can actually help me understand why the anxiety/panic attacks arose. I have not and never will decide to quit cannabis, i only wish to find a relationship with it that is helpful to me. Everyday tokage, and any smoking for some reason, mentally or chemically causes problems with me. But i know that eventually i will understand why this is and be able to change those habits, possibly being able to toke more, because the herb did not always do this to me. I also can to realize that i no longer needed to vape/smoke regularly, because the emotional need for it was diminished upon understanding why i needed it.

Now its so much more, and i really think cannabis is a true psychedelic, just not in the classical sense. More of a halfway zone, kind of like harmalas. they force you do deal with things in a much more subtle and stretchered out way compared to classical psychedelics witch can bitch slap you with the truth, but that doesn't mean it will stick. You really have to be prepared for what you may learn on psychedelics, or imho your ego will just make sure you forget it by distracting you with other things.

Good luck and i wish you luck in your struggles with such a pointless and unnecessary affliction.
 
Thank you for your reply Day Tripper. I appreciate it. :d


Alright Nexians, here's the scoop. It's been several days now and certain things have become fairly clear:

1) First off, the panic is mediated by how my body feels. I've found that by strictly regulating my blood sugar levels, it goes away and I feel relaxed and fine. However, in the morning, after a night without eating, or any other time I miss a meal, it's bad. Very bad.

2) While the advice about experiencing the fear and accepting the thoughts is very sound, it is only a temporary balm. Something will happen, my mind will latch onto some new thought, and then BOOM! a new level of panic.

3) It's clear to me that something, some chemical or something, in my head is out of whack. I'd say a couple months of a couple adderol uses, LSD, Mushrooms, and Cannabis have something to do with that.

The bottom line is, the constant panic is taking over my life. I can no longer spend very much time with friends, because I'm constantly tiptoeing around my blood-sugar. On top of that, I have some big commitments coming up, and while I'd like to say I would be okay, I can't chance it.

Yes, the situation sucks righteously. So, I think I'm going to seek medical advice. I know, *how could I??* I've never been on any kind of medication (of this kind) before in my life, but this panic thing is NOT fighting fair. My brain needs to level out without constantly tripping up in horrible, horrible panics. And it's DRAINING! God, I feel like my brain is a contortionist, and it's starting to wear me out SERIOUSLY.

The thing that keeps me going, and gives me hope to do whatever I need to do, is that there are people here in this world that love me and that need my love. If I give up or let myself go, then that opportunity will be lost. There's a lot of beauty in the world, I know it. I've known it, breathed it, tasted it, and nothing can take that away.

The question is, what should I tell the doc? Should I shoot it to him straight? What kind of medication am I looking for? I know practically nothing about any of that.

I was always against it, but this is too much. I don't do this lightly folks.

In hope, light, love, and laughter,
Beelzebozo
 
3) It's clear to me that something, some chemical or something, in my head is out of whack. I'd say a couple months of a couple adderol uses, LSD, Mushrooms, and Cannabis have something to do with that.

The bottom line is, the constant panic is taking over my life. I can no longer spend very much time with friends, because I'm constantly tiptoeing around my blood-sugar.
Click to expand...

This is all bullshit.
There is nothing wrong with your body. The only thing that is wrong, is your anxiety. I was also constantly worried about what i ate, even the slightest bit od medication had me on the edge becaus ei was worried that it could make the anxiety worse.

It is understandable, because anxiety is a feeling in your BODY, so you think there is something wrong with it. No, you just feel anxiety in your body. And THAT is the problem. There could be many reasons for that, psychologicaly. There could also be bodily reasons like chronic hyperventilation...but...

It is most likely, that it's just a one time feeling you have over-exagerated. It is very very impressive, i have to say...that's why it sticks so well. Do not blame your body for it. It already is in enough trouble because it needs to handle your anxiety.

What you need is to calm down. That's it.

Ignore the anxiety, and treat your body not as it's cause. Instead, treat your body well and with care.
 
Oh I don't blame the body, and I am treating it well. I've switched to an extremely healthy diet of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and lots of complex carbs and things.

You're right though, it's thoughts that are in part the problem. Thoughts like that life is meaningless, or that thanks to psychedelics I "know too much." So many stupid, bullshit thoughts.

Trust me, I've let go into the thoughts, which was a relief. But I have such a worrying, overactive mind. It keeps reminding me of times when I've felt weird and saying, "Look, you're going crazy." Or it points to any funny feeling in the body and says, "You're going crazy."

I experience these thoughts, I let them be, but some part of me still reacts to them.


When I feel alright and am relaxed, none of these thoughts can hurt me. They're just thoughts after all. However, it's the times when something triggers a panic, that I begin to have problems.

Am I wrong in seeking my doctor's advice?
 
But I have such a worrying, overactive mind. It keeps reminding me of times when I've felt weird and saying, "Look, you're going crazy." Or it points to any funny feeling in the body and says, "You're going crazy."
Click to expand...

So it seems you have already uncovered the underlying (or one underlying) psychological cause for your problem: You worry about going insane.

Seeking a doctors advice could be helpful, but i would also try to activly resolve this issue on my own. Perhaps ask yourself, why it is such a bad thing to be "crazy" for instance..what does it mean anyway? Can a foreign feeling make you "crazy" ? Can you get used to weird feelings?
 
obliguhl said:
3) It's clear to me that something, some chemical or something, in my head is out of whack. I'd say a couple months of a couple adderol uses, LSD, Mushrooms, and Cannabis have something to do with that.

The bottom line is, the constant panic is taking over my life. I can no longer spend very much time with friends, because I'm constantly tiptoeing around my blood-sugar.
Click to expand...

This is all bullshit.
There is nothing wrong with your body. The only thing that is wrong, is your anxiety. I was also constantly worried about what i ate, even the slightest bit od medication had me on the edge becaus ei was worried that it could make the anxiety worse.

It is understandable, because anxiety is a feeling in your BODY, so you think there is something wrong with it. No, you just feel anxiety in your body. And THAT is the problem. There could be many reasons for that, psychologicaly. There could also be bodily reasons like chronic hyperventilation...but...

It is most likely, that it's just a one time feeling you have over-exagerated. It is very very impressive, i have to say...that's why it sticks so well. Do not blame your body for it. It already is in enough trouble because it needs to handle your anxiety.

What you need is to calm down. That's it.

Ignore the anxiety, and treat your body not as it's cause. Instead, treat your body well and with care.
Click to expand...


You were right. :lol:


Thank you for knocking some sense into me, you saw straight through the bullshit. I will not be consulting any doctors because I don't need to.

We can play the game with thoughts and feelings all we want, but when we get sick of winning and losing, all we have to do is stop.

Poop on you fear, I'm not playing your game any more.

Deep breathing and completely letting go of everything reconnected me with the deep peace that is beyond thought, fear, hope, or anything else.
 
Thanks man, I really, really appreciate it. :d Seriously. Thank you!

If nothing else, this experience has given me renewed faith in humanity. The show of support and love for me during these past few days has brought a tear to my eye more than once.
 
Beelzebozo said:
However, in the weeks following that night, he would sometimes find himself feeling peculiar. His heart would race, breathing become short, and he would feel, for lack of a better term, "wrong." Fear would start to creep in on him. I don't know if the fear is triggered by some thought, or if the fear triggers the thoughts, but SWIM would beginning thinking negative things. "I've taken too many psychedelics and screwed myself up," being the most prominent. This is always accompanied by strange bodily sensations which are difficult to describe.

Last night, a little less than a month from his last experience, SWIM had what he can only liken to what he's heard called a "panic attack." He was lying in bed and the fear hit him, hard. He stayed up until 3 am, not sure what to do with himself.
Click to expand...

the problem simply is your mind playing silly games , my mind used to do this at times with me , the mind simply keeps thinking all , all , all day for god sake and never stops , its hard to say sometimes whether we think a thought or it just arises and we experience it

the truth is both , the mind can be made to think and also the mind can think on its own , tell your mind to stop messing with you unnecessarily , tell it that you'll be the only real friend your mind will ever have , also try to not think - its easy to not think " just do " , yes go do something than lying around and playing along with your mind and its wonderful thought tricks

whenever a panic attack hits , realize it instantly and tell yourself to calm down , tell yourself that it is ok and it is all good , you are a being on your journey to eternity and all these silly thoughts really don't matter , what matters most is to enjoy the moment - the gift that it is , enjoy and forget about these panic attacks - be strong , don't be lenient with your mind , don't give it much freedom be strict , also be your minds friend and understand that the mind has nothing much to do than keep thinking unnecessarily - accept that fact and realize there is no use worrying about anything - death awaits or to tell you the truth eternity is approaching , no escape , accept , surrender and win

when you tell yourself the above when a panic attack hits , i promise the panic attack will subside immediately , what i have written in bold letters - pls copy that text somewhere and wait for a panic attack to hit and then read it to yourself, it might be that you never have to read that again , most probably after you read this post your panic attacks might just vanish and never appear again
 
I've had a few panic attacks and I've decided a good question to ask is:
"Am I afraid of something or rather afraid of being in a fearful state?"
Often it's the latter and if so, there's nothing at all to fear.
 
when my mind tries playin tricks on me

this is what i say to myself seriously - " ok so this is it ! all you wanna do is mess and play tricks on me , don't you have anything better to do , why don't you unlock some superpower or something like that , why don't you help me with all your potential rather than that you're playing silly games , bravo "

as soon as i think even on these lines my mind straight falls into line like a good soldier boy that it is
 
Jin said:
Beelzebozo said:
However, in the weeks following that night, he would sometimes find himself feeling peculiar. His heart would race, breathing become short, and he would feel, for lack of a better term, "wrong." Fear would start to creep in on him. I don't know if the fear is triggered by some thought, or if the fear triggers the thoughts, but SWIM would beginning thinking negative things. "I've taken too many psychedelics and screwed myself up," being the most prominent. This is always accompanied by strange bodily sensations which are difficult to describe.

Last night, a little less than a month from his last experience, SWIM had what he can only liken to what he's heard called a "panic attack." He was lying in bed and the fear hit him, hard. He stayed up until 3 am, not sure what to do with himself.
Click to expand...

the problem simply is your mind playing silly games , my mind used to do this at times with me , the mind simply keeps thinking all , all , all day for god sake and never stops , its hard to say sometimes whether we think a thought or it just arises and we experience it

the truth is both , the mind can be made to think and also the mind can think on its own , tell your mind to stop messing with you unnecessarily , tell it that you'll be the only real friend your mind will ever have , also try to not think - its easy to not think " just do " , yes go do something than lying around and playing along with your mind and its wonderful thought tricks

whenever a panic attack hits , realize it instantly and tell yourself to calm down , tell yourself that it is ok and it is all good , you are a being on your journey to eternity and all these silly thoughts really don't matter , what matters most is to enjoy the moment - the gift that it is , enjoy and forget about these panic attacks - be strong , don't be lenient with your mind , don't give it much freedom be strict , also be your minds friend and understand that the mind has nothing much to do than keep thinking unnecessarily - accept that fact and realize there is no use worrying about anything - death awaits or to tell you the truth eternity is approaching , no escape , accept , surrender and win

when you tell yourself the above when a panic attack hits , i promise the panic attack will subside immediately , what i have written in bold letters - pls copy that text somewhere and wait for a panic attack to hit and then read it to yourself, it might be that you never have to read that again , most probably after you read this post your panic attacks might just vanish and never appear again
Click to expand...

Yes, this is amazing advice.

Last night I realized on my own how to recognize the panic attack coming on. Just being aware of the tell-tale "signs" seems to help immensely. In fact, this is by far the best I've been in the seven days since it started. I haven't had a full-on panic yet today, which is unheard of.

I will indeed print your words up and carry them with me. :d

I've had a few panic attacks and I've decided a good question to ask is:
"Am I afraid of something or rather afraid of being in a fearful state?"
Often it's the latter and if so, there's nothing at all to fear.
Click to expand...

Yup, fear of fear, that's what it boils down to.

I've realized there are two ways to go through life: the first is to accept it all, let go into life, and just live; the second is to fight it, to struggle, to beat one's head against the rock. Of course, the latter is really no way at all, the first is really the only option. Sometimes it takes the ultimate hell and the bottomless pit to get us to finally let go, it's been the case for me. And even so my mind still fights! :lol: It's so desperate to be in control, which, of course, is impossible. Life will go on, it will move, change, and unfold with or without my mind's permission.

Being strict, but friendly, is very good advice.

Thank you all.
 
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