Why Panic Attacks Are So Difficult To Control

Persistent panic attacks are often linked to dysregulation in the brain's left frontal region, with QEEG mapping showing 4-6 times more slow wave activity than normal. This "under arousal" prevents the frontal lobe from managing emotions properly, explaining why traditional treatments like breathing techniques and cognitive strategies often fail.

• Panic attack physiology includes changes in breathing and CO2 levels, triggering massive adrenaline release
• Dysregulated frontal lobes show excessive slow wave activity, creating "under arousal" that prevents proper emotion regulation
• Traditional treatments often fail because they don't address the underlying brain dysregulation
• Neurofeedback gradually retrains the brain, helping the frontal lobe regain its regulatory capabilities
• Most clients seek neurofeedback after medications, therapy, and self-help approaches have failed

I'm Dr. Randy Cale from Capital District Neurofeedback. If panic attacks are changing your quality of life, call us for a free consultation to see if neurofeedback might be the solution you've been looking for.

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Chapters

• 1:05 Understanding Persistent Panic Attacks
• 1:31 The Physiology of Panic
• 2:08 Brain Mapping Reveals Excess Slow Waves
• 3:10 How Neurofeedback Rewires The Brain
• 4:54 Consultation Offer and Closing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:33

A lot of those panic attacks are so darn difficult to get rid of. If you've experienced panic attacks, you know Heart racing, you're sweating, your thoughts are racing, you may be thinking you're having a heart attack. Some of you may have been to the hospital which is wise just to make sure there's no physical cause. But those panic attacks often persist after therapy, after reading the books, after talking to other people. Why is that? Well, part of it is because there's a conditioning process that's occurring because typically our breathing rates have changed and the CO2 level in our bodies have changed, because we're breathing shallow. That sends off a cue in the brain to release tons of adrenaline. That sends off a cue in the brain to release tons of adrenaline. That creates that racing heart, the sweating, the feeling that everything's going to explode. And it's very difficult to override that with breathing strategies, with self-talk, with whatever techniques you've rehearsed or practiced or have tried. So we find at our clinic we do neurofeedback here at Capital District Neurofeedback we find that when clients come in and we map their brain using a QEEG that's a mapping system to look at the brain that there's an excess amount of slow wave activity and not just a little bit of an excess. We're talking four, five, six times as much slow wave activity in this left frontal region. So what does that mean? That means that the frontal lobe is not able to manage the data the way it should be. The frontal lobe is typically dealing with our emotions. When it's working well, it's sort of going like this it's going right. When we start to get emotional or something's happening, it's calming the system. But it's doing this all the time in the background, silently, just managing things. So when we have this elevated slow wave activity, it causes what's a condition called under arousal. In a sense, the frontal lobe is inadequately aroused, stimulated, it doesn't have the stuff it needs. We'll just keep it simple, right To be able to function adequately and to provide that sort of shh. So when we're experiencing stress, when things are building up, even in the half hour, the hour before a panic attack, that frontal lobe is not able to do its job and then, once that adrenaline starts to get released, it is certainly unable to manage the thoughts that start to emerge, the fearful thoughts. Now, if we are able to manage those fearful thoughts and we don't respond to that fear, it certainly is a wonderful way to deal with panic attacks. However, for most people it's just not practical. It's so difficult an ask and I find most of our clients are able to do that. And also most of our clients come from having failed treatments with medication, with therapies, with books, with everything else that they've tried. And so the beautiful thing about neuro feedback is that we're able to change that dysregulated frontal lobe so it's able to do its job. In fact, it doesn't happen overnight, but it's a gradual sort of rewiring of the brain so the brain is better able to do what it's intended to do in those moments, which is essentially keeping those emotions calm and even increasing our awareness when anxiety starts to escalate or when our breathing changes. The frontal lobe performs all those functions for us.

Speaker 1: 4:26

So if you're desperate, most folks you call usually are panic attacks have changed your life or are changing your life. Change the quality of life, change how you spend time with your family or friends. Some of you changed your work life. If that's the case and you haven't found a solution, give us a call here at Capital District Neurofeedback. I'm happy to have a free consult with you, talk about whether it's a good fit, and then perhaps we'll do a QEEG and you'll be able to see how that dysregulation makes it very, very difficult, regardless of the strategies or the medication very difficult to manage those panic attacks without changing the brain that's creating it. I'm Dr Randy Kale. It's been a pleasure to chat with you. I hope we get to speak soon Again. Just give us a call. There's no risk, there's no charge. You just get to learn more about how things work and whether this is a good fit for you. Take care.