The difference between anxiety and panic!

Did you know there is a difference between panic and anxiety? Knowing the difference can guide you to knowing what you really need.

Anxiety comes from the FEAR system deep in the brain. Panic come from the PANIC/GRIEF system also deep in the brain. These systems labels come from Jaak Panksepp’s work. Here are some differences:

• Anxiety produces fear of harm while panic produces the pre-cursor to the pain of separation.

• The goal of anxiety is to promote you to vigilance so that you don’t get caught off guard with something threatening. The goal of panic is to express the distress you feel at the loss of connection in attempt to elicit them to return and support you. 

• Anxiety is about avoiding threat. Panic is about avoiding abandonment. 

• Anxiety requires safety to be felt to turn off. Panic requires connection. If the demands of anxiety aren’t met it stays on until we get exhausted and dissociate or collapse. If panic isn’t met it eventually caves into despair and grief. We feel the pain of the alone-ness and helplessness to get our connection back. 

• These two systems obviously work together often. There was a study quoted in The Archaeology of The Mind where people with panic attacks were given anti-depressants. This stopped the panic attacks from happening but not the anxiety about having a panic attack. When the same people were given anti-anxiety medications as well they stopped having fear about having panic attacks too. 

• Panic attacks by and large are about the fear of abandonment or being alone in the face of something difficult. For example, public performance or speaking often stirs panic attacks because it is a scenario in which a person is likely (consciously or unconsciously) predicting abandonment (ie judgement, rejection, criticism, dismissing, etc.) in reaction to their performance and are feeling the need for reassurance of their connection.