When gripped in the clutches of a panic attack, each person experiences a distinct certainty of inevitable doom.  The exact detail of this doom differs from victim to victim.  For most people, panic attack and fear of impending death go hand in hand.  The causes of a panic attack and fear of impending death differ from person to person.  For some, they are encountering a phobia; others are having withdrawal symptoms of some kind and still others might be suffering from a hypoglycemia attack.

The Fear of Fear

Back when I could drive, I had two triggers to my panic attacks.  The first was migraines.  The second and least predictable was driving behind a truck haling two layers of new cars.  I was always convinced those cars were going to fly off the truck and land on me at any second.  This is one example of a panic attack and fear of impending death, or extreme pain. In order to cut down on the severity of a panic attack and fear of impending death, you need to know what the triggers of your panic attack are.  Just knowing that you are in a panic attack and not actually in a potentially deadly situation can lessen the intensity.  Keep a journal listing of what you were doing when the attack came on…unless, of course, keeping a journal is the trigger that brings on a panic attack and fear of impending death. 

Treatment

Before I discovered the cause of my migraines which lead to panic attacks, I felt as if there was a terrorist in my head.  Once I discovered that caffeine withdrawal triggered the migraines, lo and behold, the panic attacks lessened because I knew I could survive them and that they were only temporary.  I also knew I had to start cutting back on my caffeine intake, but that’s another story.

My other trigger, driving behind car hauling trucks, which lead to a panic attack with fear of impending death (or worse), had a more subtle cure.  When I was driving, I had to pull over and calm down until the fear passed.  Later on, it was determined that my eyes were getting worse, making me loose my peripheral vision and my ability to judge angles.  As a result, I’m too blind to drive.  Perhaps the panic attack was my body subtly warning me about my failing eyesight.  As soon as you find the trigger or triggers, you can work on avoiding the triggers.  It can be done.