The Two Most Powerful Methods to Never Have a Panic Attack Again

Most people can be free from their anxiety and panic without medication.

One expert will tell us how.

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When I first battled with a major panic disorder, I reached out to my closest friends. And to my utter surprise, I wasn’t alone.  A lot of people I knew struggled with the same thing.

One sweet couple drove up to see me as soon as they heard and dropped off a CD series strangely entitled, “I Love Panic Attacks“.

I was skeptical but I was also barely functional – paralyzed from my anxiety.  So what did I have to lose?

I began the series and followed through the entire 14-week program over a span of several months.  I Love Panic Attacks was funny, personable, and actually was quickly showing results for me.  Started by Geert from Belgium, Geert struggled with MAJOR debilitating anxiety and panic attacks for over 14 years, traveled all over the world to learn how to conquer it from others, like Deepak Chopra to Tony Robbins, to find out how to end panic attacks once and for all.  He hasn’t had one attack since 2005 and the program he developed has helped so many people around the world stop having panic attacks completely.

Including me.

I emailed him after my panic attacks ended to let him know how grateful I was.  To my surprise, he responded and with as much friendliness as he showed in his audio series.

I was able to chat with Geert himself and am excited to share with you our interview and his answer on The Two Most Powerful Methods to Never Have a Panic Attack Again.

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Since those many years ago, have you truly not had one panic attack?
Not a single one. It has happened that I felt some strange sensations for one reason or another, but I’ve never feared them.

Have you been surprised with the kind of people that has come to you for help with their panic attacks?
Yes. They come from all walks of life, even famous people you’d never associate to having panic attacks.

Why do you think so many people struggle with panic attacks?
Because of our society where the pressure is always higher and higher. All those tech toys that were designed to
help us do our ‘jobs’ in a more efficient way, allow us to work more and more instead.

Why do you think so many people don’t tell others about their struggles?
It’s due to another fear. Fear of reactions like “it’s all in your head”, not being understood or worse, that someone would find them weird, that they would lose friends, their jobs.

From your experience, about what percent of people actually do get completely healed from their panic or anxiety disorder with just medication?
With just medication? I don’t know. I never see them, since they wouldn’t need my help then 🙂
But what I can tell, from my experience, is that medication is not the solution at all. It creates a dependency, ever higher doses are needed and then, finally, when people start looking for real solutions, they are starting from a more difficult starting point compared to if they had started right away, without believing in a magic pill that would fix everything.

Since getting over my panic attacks, I wonder sometimes about future extremely difficult hardships I’ve watched others face: the death of a loved one, a huge loss, physical challenges. I know you talk about this in your online course. But what would you say to people like me who wonder about the possibility of anxiety symptoms coming back when those traumas happen?
They will! That’s OK. You are not a robot. So you’ll still feel a lot of emotions when one of those happens. That’s normal anxiety. And it will pass, because you’ll know how to deal with them.

Do you ever get the symptoms that feel like a panic attack?
No. Because you can only have the symptoms that feel like a panic attack when you start the vicious cycle (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YPww2uaWYQ) – when you think you’re not in control.

So you might feel weird at some point, have ‘a symptom’, but as long as you don’t launch the vicious cycle, it won’t feel like the symptoms of a panic attack.

Do you still ever worry that the panic attacks may come back?
No really, I don’t. Because that would mean I would still fear them, fear of fear is often a cause of panic attacks. I now “love panic attacks” as you know 🙂

In your online courses, what would you say were the 2 most powerful things in never having a panic attack for the rest of your life?

1. How you can change your thoughts | You can change your inner dialogue with things like the tsunami method or the friend method. It’s not a dictatorship in our head where things like fear and depression control us. We have a choice. In some cases we’ll need to make big lifestyle changes, but we always have the freedom of choice. That’s the most powerful thing I’ve learned and seen with my clients. When you’re ready to choose, a lot becomes possible.
2. The power of food | And the final most powerful thing, most often overlooked, is the profound effects certain foods and ingredients can have on our bodies, fears, and thoughts.

Special thank you to Geert from ILovePanicAttacks.com for sharing his time and wisdom!  So grateful for the work you do, Geert.  It truly can change lives for people like me.

check out I Love Panic Attacks and Geert’s online course here

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updates on my battle with the panic disorder

By God’s grace, I have not had a panic attack in months.  Have I gotten rid of all anxiety and fear?  Not at all.  Far from it.

Two weeks ago, I got an official, “You’ve beaten this” from my counselor.  Weeks before that, David had said the same thing.

I couldn’t fully believe it.  I kept feeling, and sometimes get it still, that it will come back.  I can honestly say it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face – because it made every day, every moment so difficult.  Almost unbearable.

I finally realized something though.  And that was:

So what?

Some of you who’ve battled something that felt impossible may understand this – the fear of its return but also a true revelation that you can’t deny:

You’ve beaten it before.  You can beat it again.

This battle with fear or anxiety didn’t kill me.

It didn’t cripple me.

It didn’t end me.

It only propelled me forward, changed me for the better, and made me do things I never would’ve had the courage or care or “time” to do otherwise.

So life will bring hardships, worries, fear.  Bring it on.

Because if you actually let it, the pain will only make you stronger.

prayer

Dear God,

As we battle with fear and worry and doubt, Lord, be our stronghold.  Help us to see that You battle for us, that You’ve overcome every possibility, every worry, every evil – that You are with us if we’d only let You.  We surrender to You everything we’ve carried as a burden on our shoulder, because we know You love us and You care – and because we know You will take care of everything.

We can’t lean on our own understanding but, in all our ways and in all we do, we acknowledge You and know that You will direct our paths.

Thank You for hope, for change, for faith, for courage, for inspiration.  Thank You for Your patience and unfailing love. 

Your will be done, Lord.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Join me on my journey via Instagram and post your stories on #overcoming fears here.

With my love (and little knightly),

Drexelle