Calming the Rush of Panic
Read Calming the Rush of Panic Online
Authors: Bob Stahl
“We have the capacity, within our own heart and awareness, to handle panic attacks.
Calming the Rush of Panic
is a clear and compassionate guide in navigating this acute form of fear. Through wise teachings, case studies and a range of reflections and meditations, this book will strengthen your inner resources and nourish your spirit.”
—Tara Brach, PhD, author of
Radical Acceptance
and
True Refuge
“An extremely useful and practical book that goes to the very heart of the matter. If you wholeheartedly embody in practice what it recommends, it can help transform a tendency to panic into an opening to greater balance of mind, self-acceptance, and self-compassion, right in that moment. Ultimately, it manifests as wisdom. That is the power of mindfulness. And it is already yours.”
— Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of
Full Catastrophe Living
and
Mindfulness for Beginners
“Panic attacks are one-two punches: they feel dreadful, plus people shrink their lives to avoid having another one. With kindness, insight, and research-proven methods, this book shows you how to prevent panic attacks or ride them out with less suffering, plus how to reclaim your own full life. Grounded in the power of mindfulness, full of effective tools and practices, and rich with the authors’ warmth and genuine wisdom, this is a remarkable guide to a life beyond panic.”
—Rick Hanson, PhD, author of
Buddha’s Brain
and
Just One Thing
“In addition to the clearly presented instructions for counteracting and overcoming panic, what makes this book special is the uniformly kind tone of voice of these authors throughout. They embody the wisdom of health professionals in emergency situations: they reassure, and they convey confidence and hope. You believe that they are teaching out of personal experience!”
—Sylvia Boorstein, author of
Happiness Is an Inside Job
“Delightfully clear and practical,
Calming the Rush of Panic
offers profound insights from ancient wisdom traditions and modern psychology to help free oneself from panic attacks and live a healthier, more joyful life. The mindfulness practices offered are wise, scientific, nourishing, and transformative. Grounded in modern science, yet written from the heart, this book is a gem.”
—Shauna L. Shapiro, associate professor at Santa Clara University, clinical psychologist, and coauthor of
The Art and Science of Mindfulness
“Grounded in the experiential and direct, this pragmatic approach will help you become intimate with the taste, touch, and ‘mind’ of fear. Of course, no one wants to look closely at such painful experiences. Yet, deftly guided by the authors into developing a clear-minded relationship with the unwanted, you’ll learn to catalyze within yourself the openness, kindness, clarity, and love that have the power to liberate and release you from the knot of panic.”
—Saki Santorelli, EdD, MA, associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts Medical School and author of
Heal Thy Self
Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2013 by Bob Stahl and Wendy Millsine
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
“Allow” by Danna Faulds. Used by permission of the author.
“Unconditional” from POEMS FOR THE PATH by Jennifer Paine Welwood, copyright © 1988 by Jennifer Paine Welwood, and used by permission.
Copyright © 1998 by Wendell Berry from
The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry
. Reprinted by permission of Counterpoint.
Cover design by Amy Shoup; Acquired by Tesilya Hanauer; Edited by Will DeRooy
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Stahl, Bob.
Calming the rush of panic : a mindfulness-based stress reduction guide to freeing yourself from panic attacks and living a vital life / Bob Stahl, Phd, Wendy Millstine.
pages cm
Summary: “Written by Bob Stahl, coauthor of the bestselling book, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, Calming the Rush of Panic offers readers powerful mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) practices in a quick, accessable format to help them cope with panic disorder. The book contains guided mindfulness meditations and exercises to help reduce fears, restore feelings of security and safety, stay calm, and get back to living life”-- Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-60882-526-4 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-60882-527-1 (PDF e-book) -- ISBN 978-1-60882-528-8 (ePub) 1. Panic attacks--Popular works. 2. Stress management--Popular works. 3. Self-help techniques. I. Millstine, Wendy, 1966- II. Title.
RC535.S72 2013
616.85’223--dc23
2012034636
I dedicate this book to all who embrace their panic, fear, or anxiety and open to healing and peace. May we all find the gateways into our hearts and grow in wisdom and compassion.
B
OB
S
TAHL
This book is dedicated to all those who struggle with panic attacks. May it help you find deep compassion for and loving acceptance of yourself, and may you find healing and happiness along the way. It is also dedicated to N., who taught me how to fly with my heart wide open, trust myself, and experience life and love to the fullest.
W
ENDY
M
ILLSTINE
Contents
CHAPTER 1: CALMING THE RUSH OF PANIC IN YOUR BODY
CHAPTER 2: CALMING THE RUSH OF PANIC IN YOUR EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS
CHAPTER 3: CALMING THE RUSH OF PANIC IN YOUR THOUGHTS
Acknowledgments
T
o my co-author, Wendy Millstine—who approached me with the idea for this book and contributed all the applied practices—my deepest thanks. I have appreciated your dear and wise heart.
To Taungpulu Sayadaw, Hlaing Tet Sayadaw, Pakokku Sayadaw, and Dr. Rina Sircar—my teachers—without you, I would not be on this mindful and heartfelt path. I am also deeply indebted to my parents, Marilyn and Alvan; my beloved wife, Jan; and our two sons, Ben and Bodhi, whose love and support means the world to me.
To my dear friends Jon Kabat-Zinn, Saki Santorelli, Florence Melio-Meyer, and Melissa Blacker—all masterful MBSR teachers who live with wise and open hearts and inspire me deeply—I am deeply grateful. Much appreciation to my dear dhamma friends who have nurtured me along the way: Mary Grace Orr, Steve Flowers, Karen Zelin, Bruce Eisendorf, Ed Plonka, Dan Landry, Jill and Bruce Hyman, Jason Murphy, Marcy Reynolds, and Skip Regan. Lastly, I am deeply grateful and indebted to all my students, from whom I have learned so much.
B
OB
S
TAHL
With deep gratitude, we would like to thank the following people who have dedicated their lives to the alleviation of suffering, panic, and pain, and who have endorsed our book: Tara Brach, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sylvia Boorstein, Saki Santorelli, Shauna Shapiro, and Rick Hanson. We would also like to thank New Harbinger Publications for supporting this book, as well as Tesilya Hanauer and Jess Beebe, who were our editors, and Will DeRooy, our copy editor. We thank them deeply for their thoughtfulness and skill in the development of this book as well as the wonderful wordsmithing.
B
OB AND
W
ENDY
Introduction
H
ave you ever been about to give a speech or ask someone out on a date and found yourself forgetting what you were going to say, sweating, feeling nauseated, or trembling? Maybe your heart started pounding and you felt short of breath, dizzy, disorientated, or numb. If these sensations caused you to worry that you might go crazy, lose control, or even actually die of fright, you most likely have had a panic attack. Panic is an extreme reaction to being in a fearful situation. It can be paralyzing or can make you feel out of control.
If you experience panic from time to time, you’re not alone. In fact, more people live with panic than you might imagine. Many people don’t like to talk about their feelings of panic or even admit to themselves how panic affects and limits their lives. We live in a culture that often denies or avoids admitting that we live with panic, anxiety, or even fear.
Although “fear,” “panic,” and “anxiety” are commonly used interchangeably, in psychology they refer to separate experiences. Let’s look briefly at each of these terms.
Fear
Fear is a natural and direct response to anything you perceive as an immediate threat to your safety. Humans and many other creatures are “hardwired” to feel fear. That is to say, fear and your immediate reaction to it are governed by a primitive part of the brain that is not under your conscious control. When you’re faced with immediate danger, fear serves to activate your “fight, flight, or freeze” response in order to help you survive. This response engages one of the two opposite components of your
autonomic
(self-directed)
nervous system
. When you take action against a threat by fighting or fleeing, your
sympathetic nervous system
kicks in. It “puts the pedal to the metal,” igniting physical changes such as increased heart rate, spiked blood pressure, rapid breathing, and the release of endorphins to numb pain. At the same time, bodily functions less crucial to your immediate survival, such as digestion, immune function, and reproductive function, slow down or temporarily come to a stop. This kind of response can lend you seemingly superhuman ability, of the sort that enables a mother to pick up the back of a car that has pinned her child down. On the other hand, when the primitive part of your brain judges that a situation is hopeless—that no action will help—it activates your
parasympathetic nervous system
, much like slamming on the brakes. This creates the freeze response; it lowers blood pressure and heart rate to aid in immobilizing the body and storing energy for a time when it might be put to better use.