Panic Away’s “21-7 Technique”
The 21-7 technique is the name given to one of the cornerstone techniques for eradicating panic attacks in the Panic Away program by Barry McDonagh. Panic Away is a self help program for panic and anxiety sufferers developed by McDonagh based on research he did while he himself was suffering from panic, anxiety and agoraphobia.
He makes it clear that he’s not a doctor or mental health worker, just someone who suffered the misery of a life with chronic anxiety and panic attacks and managed to come through the other side. The technique is best explained by the man himself on the Panic Away website where has an introductory video showing how he came up with the program. Even the video goes some way to re-assuring you and it makes you very confident that he will be able to help you. There’s no pushy sales talk, just an explanation of the origin of panic attacks, how difficult life is for panic sufferers, and how difficult it is for other people to understand just how debilitating panic attacks are.
The 21-7 technique takes its name from its effectiveness in eradicating the symptoms of panic and anxiety quickly. If applied correctly, the technique promises to cause a cognitive shift very quickly, which will help you to stop a panic attack with a 21 second countdown and get general anxiety levels under control in 7 minutes with a mental exercise.
Anyone who suffers from panic attacks or indeed general anxiety will know how beneficial to their lives it would be to stop a panic attack so quickly after it starts and how much easier it would be to function without the nagging general anxiety that is characteristic of panic sufferers. Of course, those with panic and anxiety will also be aware that there is no quick fix for the condition, and that any prospective treatment will take a great deal of work before they see results.
The 21-7 technique itself is completely natural and based on self help rather than medication, about changing your thought process in a slow and controlled fashion. All it takes is some training and you should be able to apply both the ‘21’ part and the ‘7’ part very effectively in your own time and to follow it at your own pace. A lot of people would rather cure their anxiety naturally and Panic Away is one of the better resources if you want to go down this road.
Note however that a ‘quick fix’ shouldn’t be your goal when trying to rid yourself of general anxiety and panic attacks. The 21-7 technique is a remedy not a cure, a ‘system’ to help you get through the unpleasant feeling associated with panic and anxiety, but not designed to get to the root of the problem In order to completely free yourself from panic and general anxiety you will need to apply yourself to the rest of the Panic Away program and try not to get discouraged in the early stages, as it can take several weeks.
When using the program, I certainly found the 21-7 technique helpful for treating the short term symptoms and alleviating the feeling of tightness and tension that anxiety brings, but I stuck with the rest of the program to ensure that I didn’t have to rely on 21-7 long into the future. It works by programming you to take control back when you start to feel anxious or panicky and by getting your brain to accept the message that your are in no physical danger. The transfer of this message from your conscious to your sub-conscious mind can take a while and this is where the 21-7 technique comes in very handy as a stop gap.
Unfortunately I can’t give you all of the details of the specifics of the technique here without getting into copyright trouble! However, what I can say is that it does provide a great ‘crutch’ and gave me the confidence to get out and about and start doing the things I used to do without having the fear of suffering a panic attack in the back of my mind all the way. The 21 second countdown is a great quick tool which you can lean on as you get back out into the world, and it will rid you of the feeling of fear which you probably currently feel about doing mundane everyday things. Once you have the 21 7 technique to rely on, you begin to feel more and more comfortable and the panic attacks lose their control over you.
I was wary about buying the program initially as there are a lot of scams out there, but the fact that you can get all of your money back for up to 8 weeks after you purchase was enough re-assurance for me to go ahead and make the investment in my mental health. I’m glad to say I didn’t have to make use of the refund!