'What if' thoughts...

[Laurence5905]

In session 2, Lucinda mentions some of the 'what if' thoughts that occur to most of us when we're having (or about to have) a panic attack...

There's one that occurrs to me all the time, which I've never heard anyone else mention: "What if this time it's NOT 'just' a panic attack? What if this time it's the real deal, and I'm actually having a heart-attack or a stroke or I'm losing my mind?"

That one keeps popping in my head, making it just about impossible for me to make any progress -- logically, I know full well that a panic attack can't kill me (or at least none of the trillions of panic attacks I've had in the past have killed me), but then that "what if this time it's not just a panic attack" thought pops in my head, and there's just no calming myself down... The only way to stop it is to pop some Xanax or something...

So how the heck do I get rid of this particular "what if" thought? And, God forbid, what if it really isn't' "just a panic attack"? How could I possibly know the difference at this point?

L.

[ElectrifiedBrain]

I say to ask yourself, "What if it is just a panic attack?" The last 9001 panic attacks you've had haven't been the real deal, so the likelihood of this being the same thing it's been each of the 9001 times it's happened is very high. After all, if it was the real deal, you'd feel different. For example, if you'd been having a heart attack, you'd be feeling an extreme tightness in your chest and tingling in your arms different from what you might feel now. In other words, you'd probably KNOW that something different from a panic attack was happening.

[Laurence5905]

I say to ask yourself, "What if it is just a panic attack?"

Now, THAT'S something that never occurred to me -- good one, that. I'll give that one a try...

The last 9001 panic attacks you've had haven't been the real deal, so the likelihood of this being the same thing it's been each of the 9001 times it's happened is very high.

Indeed -- logically, you're 100% correct. Of course, when I'm in the middle of a panic attack, logic simply doesn't exist. (And I *wish* it'd only been 9001 times.)

After all, if it was the real deal, you'd feel different. For example, if you'd been having a heart attack, you'd be feeling an extreme tightness in your chest and tingling in your arms different from what you might feel now. In other words, you'd probably KNOW that something different from a panic attack was happening.

Again, logically, you're probably right. I probably (hopefully!) would know the difference... But that stupid thought enters my mind and I'm off to the races... But if I could truly control my thoughts, then I wouldn't have this problem to begin with, would I? (Why didn't God hand out owner's manuals for our brains? Sure would come in handy right about now...)

The program talks about learning to control your thoughts, and maybe it's just too early to see it, but I've never been able to control my thoughts in any way... In fact, once a thought enters my mind, it's just about impossible for me to get it out of my mind... If someone says to you, "Don't think about a white horse," the first thing you're going to do is picture a white horse in your mind... To me, controlling my thoughts means that someone can say that to me, and I *won't* picture a white horse -- how *does* one learn to do that, anyway? Maybe I'm taking too big a leap here, but I really don't see if/when/how I'm ever going to be able to control what I'm thinking... At least not to any degree that will be helpful...

L.

[ElectrifiedBrain]

No, controlling your thoughts doesn't mean to not think of the horse if someone mentions a horse (that would be suppressing your thoughts). It simply means that you can override your internal critic with more positive thinking ("This is wrong because . . ." or "This is right, but . . ."). Personally, though, I think that controlling your thoughts is impossible, but that managing them is.

[finallyhere]

Hear ya. Definately in the what if habit. Habit. How to break a habit. Very trying day. Surprised myself by even logging on. What if I put money in a jar everytime I had a what if thought? Electrified said it for me. What if I am unable to break a habit? What if I can at least learn to manage it? What if I go to bed now because I'm exhausted?