Empathy is critical to being an effective negotiator and helping someone through a crisis. Learn more about what a person is experiencing, especially the physical symptoms, when they are in the midst of a panic attack via the Psy Blog:
With panic attacks, people often report that they happen spontaneously, without being cued by anything specific.
But this research suggests they are a result of being very vigilant to relatively small fluctuations in heart rate and breathing that build up over up to an hour.
...The classic psychological signs of a panic attack are:
- feeling of unreality,
- fear of losing control,
- and fear of dying.
The physical signs are:
- shortness of breath,
- heart racing,
- dizziness,
- chest pain,
- sweating,
- hot flashes,
- trembling,
- choking,
- nausea,
- and numbness