Anxiety Is 'Man's Best Friend'

Author and psychotherapist Michael Jones takes the dread out of panic attacks in his new book 'Nothing to Fear'

by Jessica Taylor

(WireNews+Co) - Los Angeles, California - 09 February 2012

Anyone who has experienced a panic attack knows how alarming they can be. The symptoms of shallow breathing, dizziness, racing heart, and sweating trick millions of people into thinking they’re having heart attacks or losing control. Despite these frightening signs, anxiety expert Michael Jones says panic attacks don’t merit the worry many people have about them.

In fact, in his new book Nothing to Fear: A Self-Help Guide to Overcoming Panic Attacks for Life, Jones calls anxiety “man’s best friend.” He writes, “Our species owes a debt of gratitude to it as anxiety has helped the human race survive and flourish.”

Jones explains that panic attacks are nothing more than the activation of the fight-or-flight response system. In conditions such as panic disorder, this defensive response is triggered by faulty perceptions of danger in the environment. The physical expressions of this activation are merely signs the body is preparing to fight or flee a dangerous situation.

In an interview from his office in Los Angeles, Jones commented that, “The fight-or-flight system is really an evolutionary marvel. It is a set of responses designed to protect the organism, not hurt it. By helping people understand the mechanics of panic attacks early in the book, I’m hoping their fear of them decreases.”

In Nothing to Fear, Jones explains the various symptoms of panic attacks. For instance, an individual’s heart rate will increase to help deliver more oxygen and redirect blood flow to areas of the body where it is needed to fight or flee a situation. This also serves to keep the person from bleeding to death from an injury.

He also writes that the body perspires not only to prevent overheating, but to make the person harder to grab and hold onto.

“Essentially, there is nothing dangerous about panic attacks,” Jones said. “If you understand what is really happening, that you’re not having a heart attack or losing your mind, and that the anxiety will never rise beyond what you can handle, you can begin to manage these episodes much more efficiently. Most treatments for panic attacks, both therapeutically and in this book, focus on reducing fear of the symptoms.”

The e-book version of Nothing to Fear is on sale now at Barnes and Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nothing-to-fear-michael-jones/1107843895?ean=2940013438262&itm=1&usri=nothing+to+fear+michael+jones), Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006GN7AMG), and other retailers. It is scheduled to be available on iTunes in March and a print version will be released later this year.

Michael Jones is a psychotherapist and anxiety expert in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He has taught graduate psychology students at universities and is currently working on a book series.