Panic attacks when trying to practice

[Feral Feline]

Every 1000 mile journey begins with one step, and you have taken that step!
Posting about your disability – that's a HUGE step in the right direction. Keep taking steps.
It is about the journey, not the destination, so when you reach the end of your 1000 mile journey, you'll have already got another journey planned or you may have taken a side-road on your original journey that takes you in a different direction and you never reach your intended destination.
Keep walking, one step at a time, you can do it, you've already taken that first step.

I have a friend who used to have panic attacks, at 21 he thought he was going to die of a heart attack, and the panic attacks gave him the same symptoms of a heart attack – a vicious cycle. [Edit: He sought councelling, it helped him, no more panic attacks.]

Someone else close to me is agoraphobic (fear of crowds/public spaces), but after having received councelling (not by me, a professional) I was able to take her through a Beijing subway jammed with people. She's still agoraphobic, but the councelling gave her the tools she needed to deal with it (understanding why she is agoraphobic, how it manifests etc) and she has overcome it, regained control of her life and is able to travel, attend concerts and do things so many of us take for granted.


Now, take another step.

 

[hrodbert696]

Some good ideas on this thread... some not so good. My personal take:

1) the panic attack thing sounds to me like an issue for therapy, not really a how-to-practice issue. If they really are severe enough to stop you doing something you want to do and are motivated to do, get a counselor and start talking it through.

2) I actually don't agree that getting a teacher is the answer here. If the OP is such a perfectionist and so self-critical that they're feeling embarrassed just practicing in the bedroom, playing in front of another person is probably not the way forward just yet.

3) OP, you need to give yourself permission to suck. Most of us suck. It's OK. I mess up songs live, in front of audiences, that I've practiced till I'm blue in the face. It happens. But when you make a mistake, it doesn't matter; it's gone into the void of time, past, over. All that matters is the NEXT note. There's a great Dave Grohl quote about how important it is to suck and suck and suck some more and then next thing you know your sucky garage band has turned into Nirvana. If you can give yourself that permission without therapy, excellent. If you need counseling to get there, that's OK too.

4) One thing that might be worth trying - try playing bass while you have something else occupying your attention. Watch TV or something and just noodle around with the thing, not really paying attention to the bass. There's a concept called neuroplasticity - I don't know how valid of a concept it really is, but the gist is that your brain can rewire new patterns this way. Might be worth a try.