A permanent healing of panic attacks

During my sophomore year of high school, I began to experience debilitating panic attacks that would sometimes be accompanied by lightheadedness and nausea. I hadn’t ever had problems with anxiety before, but I was dealing with a lot of school-related stress, as well as some difficult personal issues. The panic attacks were scary and confusing, especially since I’d never faced anything like this before.

I did immediately begin praying about this problem using what I’d learned in the Christian Science Sunday School. Our class had talked about and memorized a Bible passage that says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7). It was reassuring to understand that I couldn’t actually be subject to fear, and I turned to this idea frequently. But I also often found it difficult to pray in the middle of a panic attack, and the physical symptoms scared me. 

Concerned there might be something seriously wrong, I visited a doctor, who informed me that this problem was the result of stress, and that if I didn’t get on top of it, it could lead to bigger problems later. He offered some treatment suggestions, but this was a turning point for me. I knew from past experience that relying on God and Christian Science would lead to complete healing, rather than simply managing the problem indefinitely. While I appreciated the doctor’s good intentions, I decided to press forward with Christian Science, trusting that God would lead me to a permanent solution.