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From:  "Sharon Szymanski" <szy@n...>
Date:  Sat Feb 9, 2002  5:00 pm
Subject:  RE: [vocalist] Panic attack during audition

Just wanted to share a few more thoughts on the panic attack situation.
I think it might be helpful to clarify (probably need a doctor for this)
whether what you experienced was indeed a classic "panic attack". I
have experienced these and they are NO FUN! Here are symptoms I lifted
from a website.
Common Physical and Emotional Symptoms of a Panic Attack
* Shortness or breath or smothering sensations
* Dizziness or faintness
* Accelerated heart rate
* Trembling or Shaking
* Sweating
* Choking
* Nausea or abdominal distress
* Feelings of detachment or unreality
* Chest discomfort or pain
* Numbness or tingling sensations
* Hot flashes or chills
* Chest pain
* A fear of dying,going crazy, or losing control
If this is what you experienced, you may wish to consult with a
physician and/or a psychiatrist to assess your situation and to
determine whether this is something that needs to be addressed through
medication or therapy or both. It is truly a debilitating experience
and, unfortunately, can happen again. It can also lead to phobias
associated with the place or event that was present when it was first
experienced (for me it was bridges!). The good news is it can be
successfully treated (in my case with medication and therapy) so that
one can become free of these kinds of attacks.
On the other hand, this may not have been what happened to you. You may
have suffered simply a bad episode of performance anxiety which was in
no way related to a true panic attack. In that case many of the
wonderful suggestions given to you by other listers, good preparation
and more experience will definitely improve your handling of this
demanding audition routine.
Hope this is of some help,
Sharon Szymanski













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