Bear Story

THE BEAR STORY

BY JANE VANTINE, M.S., L.P.C

Center Director of the Women's Resource Center.

YWCA Women's Resource Center

700 S. Boston, Suite 230 Tulsa, OK 74119-1629

Phone# (918)488-9415

Phone # (918)587-0200

Fax# (918)587-0277

This is the story of the bear. This bear is a very interesting little gal. She can be ferocious and life endangering, or she can be cute, soft, cuddly and nurturing. But our little tale starts out with the first kind. So Once upon a time, we will pretend you are walking out in the woods The sky is a beautiful blue; the sun is warm; the breeze is gentle and in the distance you hear the soft babbling of a brook. Life could not be more peaceful and you are so relaxed. Ahhhhhhhhh………….

But then all of a sudden, you hear a movement in a grove of trees.

Your uneasiness grows.

Then you see it.

A giant, slobbering

angry bear comes

crashing out of the

bushes and trees,

heading straight

for you!!!!!!!!!

YOU ARE IN TROUBLE!!!!?

The next few minutes are critical. And your heritage. as a human being has prepared you to respond to these emergencies in an ingenious way. It is call the 'Fight or Flight" phenomenon and this is how it works.

The brain has an area known as the limbic system which is the governor over the involuntary nervous system. Four important facts about this system are :

1. It monitors and directs all the activities of the body which do not require conscious thought (breathing, heart rate, digestion, blood pressure, temperature, muscle activity, etc.).

2. It perceives danger to the body and so is constantly readjusting the body physiology to keep the cardiovascular, musculature and chemicals at the right level.

3. It does not perceive things logically, but responds instinctually.

4. Its primary function is protection, not harm. This point is very important to remember.

So back to the bear. It is closing in on you.

What does the limbic system do to protect you? The limbic system responds, automatically, in record time, by alerting all the Systems in the body that need to be activated. It does this through electrical impulses that alert chemicals throughout the body.

Why does it do it? To prepare you for fight of flight. It's function, again is totally for protection.

What physical sensations would you feel and why? There are a myriad of bodily sensations that occur because of the rapid changes your body is making. The following chart will explains the what and why.

LIMBIC SYSTEM

WHAT DOES IT DO?

(1)Signals gland to produce chemicals (adrenaline epinephrine, cortisol sodium lactate)

(2)Increases breathing rate and depth of breathing.

(3)Increased heart rate.

(4)Increased blood pressure and changes pattern of blood flow.

(5)Muscles tighten.

(6)Stops digestion.

(7)Adjusts body temperature.

(8)Pupils dilate

(9)Shifts focus of thinking.

WHY DOES IT DO IT?

(1)To activate different Systems of the body for "Fight or Flight" protection

(2)To bring in more oxygen to burn the fuel stored in the body for energy.

(3)To move the oxygen en-riched blood around the body where it is needed

(4)Moves blood away from extremities to large muscles And internal organs. This Decreases blood flow to periphery so minor wounds bleed less.

(5)To prepare for running away extra strength, protection of body organs, and tightens throat muscles to reduce risk of aspiration of foreign matter into throat.

(6)Doesn't want energy taken from "Fight or Flight" for nonessential functions such as digesting rood.

(7)To avoid over heating or chilling by causing body processes that encourage heat retention or heat re- duction

(8)Improve visual clarity to perceive danger.

(9)To quickly identity danger while filtering out extraneous information.

BODY SENSATION

(1)Rush of sensations Body rushes/Waves Sense or impending doom

(2)Gasping, labored breathing, panting

(3)Racing heart Heart palpitations Irregular beating

(4)Numbness and tingling of hands fingers, and lips Dizziness, ringing in ears, unsteadiness, sense of fainting.

(5)Tightening of all muscles, especially large muscles in legs, arms , back, chest, stomach, jaws and abdomen.

(6)Nausea, diarrhea, and a sense of choking. Urgency to void.

(7)Shivers, chill bumps, flushing, sweating, clammy, cold skin.

(8)Visual disturbances Sensitivity to light.

(9)Sense or unreality Feeling detached. . Feeling depersonal. Confusion Memory loss Fears of dying, losing control and insanity.

Now of course, these thoughts, fears and feelings are exactly what happen during a real emergency and we would need all of these bodily changes to improve our chance of surviving, But these are also the same feelings we get during an "out of the blue" panic attack. So how are panic attacks different from a true emergency situation in which your body reacts this way.

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!!

This may be hard to believe and understand at this point. but there is absolutely nothing wrong with your limbic system and panic attacks are not dangerous. The body is trying to protect you The thing that is wrong is that this is a false alarm which means it happens at the wrong time when there is no real danger. But your limbic system is not over producing chemicals. It is doing exactly what it was designed to do. And you wouldn't want the limbic system changed.

SO WHAT'S THE DEAL?

Although researchers are not exactly sure, understanding of this disorder has come a long way in the last 20 years. what we do know now is there seems to be a generalized sensitivity in about 4% of the population who are genetically predisposed to over perceive danger. what appears to happen is people who are pail of this population tend to run higher with their chemicals because of the over perception of danger. This is partly genetics and pan learned fears. Over the course of a life span, many people who develop this disorder do so in their late teens or during their twenties. This is a time of major life transitions and challenges. Because their chemical levels are higher, they are not aware how closely their chemicals have taken then to the "Fight or Flight" panic attack level. So all it takes is a little extra excitement or stress (probably something they aren't even aware of). And then what appears to be an "out of the blue" panic attack happens. Without a proper explanation, the person begins to worry there is something severely wrong, and they develop a panic attack cycle. This is where the bear reenters the story. Remember I told you that the limbic system isn't logical. Well it doesn't know the difference between a real bear or a scary thought. And fear thoughts that there is something dreadfully wrong (because you are having panic attacks) is misinterpreted by the limbic system as a real attack or danger to the body. In the absence of a plausible explanation (like you were almost run over by a car) you will develop a panic cycle.

Without an explanation - develops a panic attack cycle

So the panic attack cycle develops and is perpetuated until a person can get the proper information and the proper treatment

Panic Attack Cycle

Initial Attack/No Explanation

Normal and Natural Fear of AnotherAttack

Body Scanning

Negative Anticipation (what if)

Increase in body sensation due to increased chemicals

Panic Attack (self generated)

So now you know the infamous "Bear Story". However, information, while important, in and of itself, is not enough to overcome the panic attacks (false alarms). The best treatment includes a combination of education, cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation training and possible medical intervention with medication. For further help, call the YWCA Women's Resource Center (918-587-0200) to schedule an appointment for an assessment.

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