Everyone who suffers from panic attacks knows how frightening they can be, and you never know when one is going to happen. Some people even go so far as to avoid activities they like to avoid an attack. Doctors are researching ways to cure panic attacks to give these people their freedom back.

During panic attacks, a sufferer will often experience symptoms such as a racing heart beat, a dizzy feeling, sweating and shallow breathing. These physical manifestations of panic usually go along with an overpowering sense of impending death or disaster. Confused by their speedy heart rate and shallow breathing, the sufferer might believe that they have a physical problem--indeed, many people mistake panic attacks for heart attacks.

Having panic attacks can start a cycle that is difficult to stop. This begins when a person becomes anxious when they experience even one typical symptom. For example, a person may begin to become fearful as soon as they start exercising because they feel their heart rate becoming faster. Your body will then react to your anxiety you will begin to experience more symptoms. This will cause more anxiety, which in turn causes more symptoms. This cycle can lead to more frequent attacks, and makes it difficult to stop panic attacks and prevent panic attacks from happening in the future.

What is wonderful to know is that now we have a proven therapy for stopping this vicious cycle, one that can actually cure panic attacks. It is termed Interoceptive Exposure and functions through exposing the anxiety sufferer to the physical manifestations of an anxiety attack over and over again in a controlled, safe setting. The subject causes these feelings by hyperventilating (sometimes breathing through a small straw) for a short while. As one purposefully copes with these sensations, he or she experiences several changes which offer the assistance needed to prevent panic attacks from plaguing his or her daily existence.

When you continually force yourself to experience the sensations that you fear, the first thing you find is that you will become less and less anxious about them. Facing your fears in a controlled situation teaches you over time that there is no reason for you to feel your irrational fear, and the cycle of anxiety which controls you can finally disappear.

While you go through the treatment program of exposure, you will find your panic attacks decreasing in number and in intensity. You will discover that the side effects of your attacks are less dangerous than you feared and you will learn to control them. The exposure treatment can often cure panic attacks, and will without a doubt help you get control over yours.