Achieving Happiness: Gaining control over panic attacks

Larry felt his heart beginning to pound. Within 10 minutes he was sweating, trembling and could barely breathe. He thought he was having a heart attack because he was experiencing chest pains, nausea and was feeling faint.

Paramedics rushed Larry to the emergency room, where physicians examined him and determined he was having a panic attack. While one part of him was relieved, another side wondered if totally losing control in that way meant he was going crazy.

The emergency room doctor gave Larry medications that helped calm him down, and he continued taking them for several months after the episode. But they made him feel...