 |
|
|
See Below:
1. Spirituality in Counseling
2. What is a Panic Attack?
What Can I Do to Handle an Attack?
Spirituality in Counseling
Thomas Camp, M.Div., M.S., Pastoral Counselor
My commitment as a psychotherapist who is also spiritually aware is that I am intentionally aware of the spiritual dimension of a person and of a relationship between people. I remind myself through my praying, meditation, reading, and devotion each day of the spiritual dimension of life, so that I approach each counseling session in this awareness.
The ancient Hebrews struggled with their need and desire to talk about their spiritual awareness without labeling it in ways that limit it to a verbal conception. They resisted using a name for the spiritual presence, but eventually gave into the need to communicate and conceptualize, and began using words that have come to us today as “God,” “Allah” and “Jehovah.” I struggle with this same tension. When I use the word “God,” I find that some people have limiting conceptualizations of God and that it often does not promote awareness of the spiritual presence and spiritual dimension of life.
I notice that the issues that bring people to seek counseling are confusion, pain, brokenness, fear, and doubt. When people work through these issues in the counseling process, a spiritual transformation often takes place. Spiritual transformation is not religious conversion but an extra-ordinary experience in which one experiences and sees life in broader terms. It may be a husband who comes to a deeper and broader awareness of his wife’s perspective, or parents who come to appreciate their children’s experiences of the world. It may be a terminally ill person who begins to experience life as an abundant gift rather than death as a threat.
It usually helps the person seeking counseling for me to speak my realization of their increased awareness of life that I see the person having. My speaking that realization increases the likelihood that the awareness will move from the unconscious, intuitive level into the cognitive and conscious awareness and therefore stay with that person.
In summary, spirituality in counseling, or spiritually-sensitive, faith-based counseling is the intentional awareness (spoken or not, labels or not) of the spiritual dimension, and it often fosters spiritual transformations in the persons seeking counseling.
What is a Panic Attack?
What Can I Do to Handle an Attack?
When you experience extreme worry and panic, it is helpful to understand what is happening so that you can use some fairly simple methods to calm the panic. When the panic is calmed, you can think more creatively and find ways to handle the problem, or, in many cases, find that the problem is not as impossible or dangerous as it seems while you are in the state of panic.
A “panic attack” is an intense form of more generalized worry, and it can be debilitating and extremely distressful. Panic involves messages from the limbic system of the brain that there is imminent danger. The result of this message from the brain is the secretion of adrenalin and other chemicals that cause
- shortness of breath (sometimes including difficulty breathing),
- increased heart rate and blood pressure (sometimes including pounding in the chest),
- tense muscles (sometimes to the point of physical pain),
- scattered and unorganized thinking
- intensified fear.
These conditions interfere with rational evaluation of a situation and with problem-solving abilities. In a panic attack, the brain is overwhelmed with emotional energy of fear. In this state you are not able to engage the thinking parts of the brain to more accurately evaluate the dangers and to problem-solve.
Calm the Body
The major way to respond to a panic attack is to calm the body, therefore calming the emotional energy of fear. Taking slow, deep breaths and doing slow, gentle stretching of major muscle systems will help if continued over a period of time.
Breathing exercise
Breathe in to the count of 4, hold the in-breath for 2 counts, and exhale to the count of 5. Repeat three times. Then inhale to the count of 5, hold the in-breath for 3 counts, and exhale to the count of 7. Let the breathing return to natural rhythms.
Walk slowly around the room or yard for three or four minutes, and then repeat the breathing sequence.
Some physical stretching and movements
- Slowly and gently reach toward the ceiling or sky, stretching from the tip of the toes to the tip of fingers of raised hands.
- Bracing yourself with a steady chair, wall, or piece of furniture, raise a leg and hold it in the raised position for 3 counts, then lower it and raise the other leg. Raise legs to the front, side, and rear of your body, and be sure to balance the number of leg raises on each side.
- Stretch your arms out to the side. Gently rotate your body, twisting at your waist, to the right, hold 6 counts, and then to the left, holding for 6 counts. Repeat several times.
- Get down on your knees and hands (“on all fours”) and slowly rotate in a gently swinging motion, leaning forward, then leaning backward toward your heals, and to the right and to the left.
You may need to repeat these sequences every ten to fifteen minutes because the fear and panic will attempt to take over again.
Focus the Mind
When the mind is overwhelmed with fear and panic, it cannot think clearly and is scattered in its awareness. There are several ways to organize the scattered mind and focus on evaluation and problem-solving.
- a. Write on a sheet of paper a description of the fear. Describe it as accurately as possible. Notice that as you write (address the fear directly) it will initially increase. So, go back to the calming of the body exercises above.
As you describe the situation that causes the fear, you will find that the situation becomes clearer, more understandable. With more clarity about the source of the fear, you will be able to do problem-solving.
b. Outline the fear and begin addressing each aspect with at least one way to respond that will help to decrease the danger. This is the beginning of problem-solving.
- Talk to someone about the fear. This listening person must be someone who can stay relatively calm and listen without immediately offering suggestions.
- Focus the mind away from the fear by engaging in
- play or imagination
- meditation – focused awareness of your breath or of God’s presence,
- short-term entertainment such as watching a funny television program, listening to music.
You can return to the cause of the fear at any time. Temporary focusing away from the fear is a way to relax and refresh so that you can address the fear more creatively.
If the situation that caused the panic, once evaluated clearly, is not as dangerous as initially experienced, this may be all that is needed.
If you are able to calm the panic and do effective problem-solving about the situation, you may find that the situation is handled and is no longer a cause of fear.
If the fear returns, it is important to seek professional help to
- evaluate the reality of the danger,
- do effective problem solving,
- strengthen stress management resources, and
- handle the emotions of fear and the physical reality of panic.
Mindfulness based counseling, and increased awareness of your body and its messages, can actually strengthen the energy pathways in the mind that control panic and increase problem-solving skills.
Tom Camp, M. Div., M.S.
pastoral counselor, marriage and family therapist, spiritual guide, meditation teacher, crisis counselor, organizational consultant
|
|
