Summary

Have you ever wondered what do panic attacks mean spiritually? When your heart starts pounding, your chest feels tight, and a sudden wave of terror makes you feel completely out of control, you are often left feeling exhausted and full of shame. As a Christian woman, it is so easy to wonder if a panic attack means you lack faith, or if you are failing spiritually.

You are not alone, and you are in the exact right place! In this episode of the Arise Women of God podcast, host Tamara K. Anderson is joined by Licensed Clinical Social Worker Wendi Christensen to unpack the physical and spiritual truth behind panic attacks. Discover why a panic attack is simply a physical "fire alarm" in your nervous system—not a spiritual failure!

We dive into Psalm 55 to see how even King David experienced the exact physical symptoms of a severe panic attack, and we explore how Jesus Christ stilled the violent storm in Mark 4. Just as the Savior commanded the Sea of Galilee, He holds total authority to command peace over the physical storm in your body. Finally, Wendi walks us through a powerful, clinical breathing tool: how to relax your muscles, send oxygen to your prefrontal cortex, and physically "breathe in Jesus and exhale Satan out!" Tune in to reclaim your peace today!

Episode Takeaways

• The Fire Alarm Principle: What do panic attacks mean spiritually? They are a physical reaction, not a spiritual failure! A panic attack is simply your body's survival fire alarm going off. A loss of control in your nervous system does not mean you lack faith.
• David's Terror (Psalm 55): Even great biblical warriors experienced panic. King David described his heart being sore pained, trembling, and being overwhelmed by horror. Experiencing bodily terror means you are human, not that you are far from God.
• The Storm at Sea (Mark 4): When a sudden storm triggered absolute panic in the disciples, Jesus Christ did not shame them. He stood up and commanded the wind, "Peace, be still." The Savior has the authority to command the physical storm in your nervous system to be still!
• Breathe in Jesus, Exhale Satan: During panic, your body enters "fight, flight, or freeze," and you stop breathing deeply. By consciously relaxing your muscles and taking a deep breath (the "Breath of Life"), you send oxygen to your prefrontal cortex. This stops irrational thoughts and allows you to physically exhale fear and the adversary.

Free Resource: A Woman's Guide to Spiritual Warfare

Get our free A Mother's Spiritual Defense Guide: 6 Empowering Steps to Fortify Home & Family downloadable pdf here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/A-Mothers-Spiritual-Defense-Guide

Reflection Questions

• When a panic attack hits you or your child, do you tend to view it as a "spiritual failure" and feel shame, or do you recognize it as a physical fire alarm?
• How does knowing that King David experienced trembling and "overwhelming horror" (Psalm 55) change your perspective on your own anxiety?
• What happens to your anxious thoughts when you practice Wendi's technique of intentionally relaxing your muscles and "breathing in Jesus"?

Host & Guest

Tamara K. Anderson @tamarakanderson

Wendi Christensen @wendichristensencounseling

Transcript

https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/blog/what-do-panic-attacks-mean-spiritually

Hey, my friend, have you ever wondered what do panic attacks mean spiritually?

Because perhaps your heart starts pounding, your chest feels tight, and a sudden wave of terror makes you feel completely out of control, leaving you exhausted and wondering if you are failing. As a Christian mom, maybe you want to know if a panic attack means you lack faith or if your body is under spiritual attack.

Well, you are not alone and you are in the right place.

And by the end of today's episode, you'll know from a Christian counselor's perspective why panic is a physical fire alarm rather than a spiritual failure. How the Lord Jesus Christ commands peace over your nervous system and a simple clinical tool to breathe in light and evict fear instantly. Stay tuned.

Ordinary women Extraordinary faith When God calls, we say yes. Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the Arise Women of God podcast.

I'm your host, Tamara K. Andersen, and joining me today is the magnificent Wendy Christensen. Wendy is a licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of experience and also happens to be an amazing wife and mom.

And she is here to help us unpack the spiritual and physical truth behind panic attacks. Here's what we're going to talk about today.

First, the fire alarm principle, why a panic attack is a physical survival reaction, not a spiritual failure.

Second, we'll talk a little bit about David's terror in the Bible and the storm at sea and how Psalm 55 and Mark 4 prove that even great warriors face physical panic and how Jesus can still the waves that apply to your body.

Third, we'll talk about the Breathe in Jesus tool, how to relax your muscles, send oxygen to your prefrontal cortex, and exhale the adversary's lives.

Let's begin by addressing the deep shame many Christian women feel when panic hits by listening to Wendy explain what is actually happening in our bodies during a panic attack.

First of all, remember, a panic attack is. It's a reaction. It's almost like a fire alarm that goes off as a reaction to something that's happening outside of you.

And so there's nothing wrong with you for having some panic or experiencing panic. I think a lot of us have experienced panic before. A lot of it comes from that feeling of I can't control what's going on.

You might start feeling your heart beating and pounding really, really hard or difficulty breathing. Some people even describe it as it feels like a heart attack. So when that starts happening, you might feel this complete loss of control.

That loss of control does not mean that you have failed or that there is something wrong with you, because sometimes we think well, I'm a Christian mom. I should not be having these. I should be just fine. Why is my body reacting the way that it is?

It's a lot of times because of that loss of control in that moment. And so if you can do whatever you can to, and it might be not even you, maybe it's a child. I've definitely walked a teenager through a panic attack.

She thought she was expecting a huge punishment. And so we worked through the panic attack and got her calmed down. And on the other side of it.

Usually when you're in a panic attack, your mind is in a very irrational place. It is not making sense of the things around you. And it's really hard to connect. A equals B equals C when you're in a panic attack.

That revelation from Wende is so liberating. A panic attack is simply your physical body's fire alarm going off. It is not a spiritual failure, nor does it mean you lack faith in God.

If you have ever felt ashamed for having a panic attack, look at King David in the Old testament. In Psalm 55, 4, 6 and 16, David describes the exact physical symptoms of a severe panic attack. Listen to this.

My heart is sore pained within me, and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.

David was a warrior king and a man after God's own heart. Yet his body experienced trembling, a sore, pained heart, and overwhelming horror.

Experiencing a bodily reaction of terror does not mean you are far from God. It means you are human.

Think also of the disciples in Mark, chapter 4, verses 37 through 39, a sudden violent storm battered their boat, filling it with water and triggering absolute panic. While Jesus slept in the stern, when they awoke him in terror, our Savior did not shame or condemn them.

Instead, Jesus Christ stood up and commanded the storm, peace, be still. And instantly the wind died down and there was a great calm. A panic attack is simply a sudden storm in your physical nervous system.

And just as he calmed the Sea of Galilee, Jesus holds total authority to command the physical storm in your body to be still. I also love Psalm 91:5 that promises, Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day.

Panic attacks often feel like an invisible arrow or sudden terror coming out of nowhere. But God promises a protective shield against those sudden ambushes. We can cast out fear in the name of Jesus and bring in peace.

Now you may be wondering how do we practically calm our nervous system when a panic storm hits? Let's head back to Wendy as she walks us through a powerful physical and spiritual breathing tool.

So something that's really helpful is to take some deep breaths because when you're in panic and anxiety, the first thing you do is you quit breathing.

You almost go into a very shallow breathing like, because your body is in survival mode in that moment and it's, it's just doing whatever it can to survive in its fight, flight or freeze mind. And so think about in bringing in and inviting in in that moment the breath of life, which is Christ, which is Jesus.

And so take as big and a deep breath as you can. In fact, I like to have people know, walk you through something. I will have them.

So any listeners, I want you to tighten all your muscles as tight as you can. So tighten everything really, really tightly. And then I want you to take a deep, deep breath with those muscles as tight as possible.

And you can tell that it's really hard to breathe deeply. Now I want you to force everything to relax. Just relax every single muscle that you can relax. Let it just yourself just sink into that chair.

And now take a deep breath.

And you should be feeling and experiencing a very big difference in your deep breath because in a panic attack, your muscles are tightening and you're trying to get any breath in that you can, but it's not a lot.

But if you can think, I'm going to breathe in Jesus and allow him to come in and he is safe and he is good, you should be able to get a deeper breath in.

Now breath is really important because as you take a good deep breath, it sends oxygen to your brain and that sends a message to the rest of your body that it needs to relax and calm down. So if I can breathe in Jesus, I can exhale Satan out.

Because Satan is often attacking us in those moments when we're in our fight, flight or freeze brain.

Even though it's a natural normal part of the human body to, to get into that fight, flight or freeze with something going on, we want to access your prefrontal cortex where you process things better. You can actually become more rational instead of irrational in your thoughts.

So if you can just in those moments, even think during an anxiety attack or a panic attack, I'm breathing in Jesus, I'm exhaling Satan. And the negative that will get your body to start forcing it to calm down so you can start rationally thinking through things.

And then you can even more rationally through what, what is normal, what's good, what's what's healthy and what isn't. And I think that will help quite a bit because then you can get out of the I'm crazy, there's something wrong with me, I just need to fight this out.

We're making dumb decisions. But it will help you to get into a space where you can start going, I am a good person, I'm a good mom. I'm doing the best that I can.

I can get through this, I can survive, and I can be in a better spot.

If you or your children face sudden panic, anxious loops, or spiritual overwhelm, Wendy and I want to put a powerful step by step tool directly into your Hands down. In the show notes below, you can click a link that allows you to download our free digital guide. It's called a Mother Spiritual Defense Guide.

Six Empowering Steps to Fortify Home and Family. And once you get it, check out the Bonus Resource section where you will find the five Senses Grounding Checklist and the SOS box.

Step by step instructions to Physically de Escalate a Panic Attack on the spot Also, you will love our Cast out the Adversary Prayer script. It's a word for word declarations to cast out the adversary and bring peace back into your home and your soul.

Get your free copy today and bring peace back into your home. My dear sister, remember that a panic attack is not a sign of spiritual failure and it does not define your worth.

You are a cherished daughter of God. When the storm rises, call upon the Prince of Peace.

I bear testimony that Jesus Christ is near to all, all who call upon him, that his grace is sufficient in our weakest moments and that his peace can quiet every storm in your heart and home. Stand with him and by him and until next time, may you arise and do it God's way. God Strong.

If today's episode helped you feel a little closer to God, please like and subscribe. It helps us grow and ensures Heaven's whispers stay at the top of your feed whenever you need them most.