Welcome to the Anxiety Club!

The secret access password to this club is, “Heart pounding, shallow breathing, and sweaty palms.”  My initiation to this club was in one of the most exotic locations in the world which was inside the pyramids in Giza, Eygpt.  It was summer 1985 and I was a teenager at the time.  My sister and I were standing in a chamber inside the pyramid.  It was quite a trek to reach the chamber through walking hunched over in the tunnel passage and then crawling on fours.  The chamber was dimly lit by a wall torch.  It was hot and humid.  More and more people entered the room, making the place more humid.  All of a sudden I had trouble breathing.  At the same time, I was very aware that I was underneath tons and tons of stones that composed the pyramid.  It was a heavy weight feeling.  Needing to leave immediately, I proceeded to the single entrance/exit.  One of the Egyptian tour guides blocked my escape, indicating I should pay him before leaving.  That made my panic worse.  I pushed him aside and somehow managed to get out.


Fast forward to 1999.  The same panicky feeling returned.  This time it was winter in Chicago.  I was traveling via the “El” train to the downtown Northwestern University campus for my job as a predoctoral counselor.  Since it was below zero outside, I was bundled up in my down coat, scarf, hat, gloves, etc.  It was rush hour and people were packed standing up in the train.  Suddenly the train lurched forward and stopped.  It broke down inside a tunnel.  It seemed like hours before the train moved again.  It became hot and made worse with people’s bodies pressed against mine.  My breathing space was invaded.  I was mindful of how trapped I felt, was underground, and couldn’t move.  Escape was not an option.  There was no Egyptian guide to push aside.  So what did I do?  I focused on a wall poster that was an advertisement for vacationing in Cabo San Lucas.  The advertisement showed a woman floating serenely on azure blue water among the steep cliffs, very similar to this picture shown on the left.  I pretended I was that woman and ignored where I was.  Slowly my breathing returned to normal and I was fine.

I have treated many patients with anxiety and panic attacks.  What I have found that is common among us is our mindful awareness of what is going on within our bodies and outside of our bodies especially during the attack.  That mindfulness unfortunately exacerbates the panic attack.  I teach my patients to tune out that awareness during the attack and focus on something else.  Treating anxiety and panic attacks are one of my favorite ailments to work with.  Patients are able to significantly reduce the troublesome feeling which, in turn, is rewarding for me.