Psychic attack. Whose uniform did the Kappelites wear in the film Chapaev? What Causes Panic Attacks?

The impact on the human subconscious consists of interconnected, sequential methods, excluding one of which may not achieve results.

Methods of influence:

Pressure;
Attack;
Programming;
Manipulation.

During communicative interaction, these methods follow one after another, rarely violating the established order. After all, you cannot begin manipulation without preparing the ground with psychological pressure or attack.

Psychological attack is one of the methods psychological impact, the main goal of which is to weaken a person’s vigilance so much as to make him pliable to someone else’s will. This is the so-called springboard for successful manipulation. Many people mistakenly believe that main goal A psychological attack is the use of force and suppression to break a person’s will and force him to submit. But everything is much more complicated, this is just one type of psychological attack, which is called force, and is not the most popular and effective.

There are other types of attacks, they are aimed at different levels subconscious and influence various psychocomplexes (“ weak spots" person). If a forceful attack is mainly aimed at such a psychocomplex as fear, then a logical and value-based attack is aimed at self-doubt and low self-esteem. Emotional for sensuality, pity, guilt, and sexual for masculinity or femininity, depending on the gender of the interlocutor.
The logical type of attack is often used during discussions or negotiations, in cases where it is necessary to confuse the interlocutor, break his logical chain, make him doubt himself and his arguments, and cause a feeling of insecurity. If the attack is successful, then the interlocutor is completely demoralized and ready to agree with all the arguments of his opponent. Speech during an attack should be assertive, fast, loaded with terms and complex structures; NLP is often used. For example, an attacker says to his interlocutor: “You clever man, and you can’t disagree with me!” Firstly, the “not” particle is skipped by our subconscious, and our brain understands the phrase as follows: “You are an intelligent person, and you can agree with me.” Secondly, this phrase can confuse your opponent; he must either understand and agree, or admit that he is a fool.
The next type of psychological attack is value-based. It is aimed at instilling an idea in one person or group of people. Television advertising is a very clear example. Politicians also use value-based psychological attacks during their speeches. They affect such psychocomplexes as vanity and greed. Often, in order to achieve some goal, the attacker offers to make a bet, a deal, because of the desire to receive an imaginary benefit in the future, the person becomes controlled.
The next type of psychological attack is emotional. It works well when communicating with a person who has strong psychocomplexes: pity, guilt, modesty, self-doubt. If you make a person feel pity and guilt at the same time, you can do whatever you want with him, these are such strong feelings, which reinforce each other in pairs. Naturally, during business negotiations no one will use this type of attack, but it is good at dealing with common people.
A sexual psychological attack is considered a subtype of emotional, although it affects other psychocomplexes: masculinity or femininity. It works like this: they give you a slightly ambiguous compliment or hint. The result is a distraction of attention, a release of tension. And now you are no longer so focused, perhaps confused, and have forgotten half of what you wanted.

The main goal of any type of psychological attack is for the interlocutor to lose vigilance, relax and open his subconscious to the following methods of psychological influence (programming or manipulation).

Have you noticed in Lately that something has changed in your worldview? Strange attacks of some kind of unreasonable anxiety come over you in waves, you want to run away and hide from everyone, and at night you increasingly wake up in a sticky, cold sweat, trembling from the feeling that something invisible is nearby. If all of the above has been happening to you for some time and with enviable regularity, then most likely you have become the victim of a well-planned psychic attack, which has only one goal: to bring your mental and energy field into a state of complete imbalance, thereby weakening everything your defense systems and taking you out of the game called “Normal Life” for a long time.

Treatment of psychic attacks

If not accepted urgent measures, then this panic avalanche will spin you like a spiral and drag you into a whirlpool of paranoia and heightened unaccountable fears, because of which your entire way of life will instantly go to hell. So how to fight this evil? First of all, you need to calm down and pull yourself together. It is clear that doing this in such a situation is incredibly difficult, but in this moment a cold analysis of what is happening is your main key to salvation and getting rid of all the unpleasant and poisoning symptoms of a mental attack.

So, try to get into a comfortable position, take a deep breath and start thinking logically. Who have you crossed paths with recently and who might be interested in your similar condition? If you have not been able to decide on a candidate for the post of “psyche destroyer” or if several such “well-wishers” have turned up at once, then there is no need to despair. We will provide comprehensive protection.

Since the psychic attack was successful and achieved its goal, it obviously could not have happened without a strong specialist in the field of black energy, who directed a powerful negative impulse at you, thereby knocking down all the positive “settings” of your aura. You may ask, what to do now? Run to another “bioenergy hacker”? This is not at all necessary, especially since there are now countless charlatans in such areas. Let’s try to fight back on our own and carry out the entire necessary course of treatment for a psychic attack on our own, especially since your own energy storehouses contain limitless reserves that simply need to be extracted and used.

How to get rid of psychic attacks?

The first thing to do is sit down and relax. It is advisable to remain in absolute solitude in order to be able to fully concentrate on your internal sensations and not be distracted by extraneous stimuli. So, are you ready? Let's get started.

Now you can open your eyes. Look, only a couple of minutes have passed, but how the world has changed, right? There is no more panic, no more fear of the frightening dark unknown of the future. There is only a feeling of boundless peace and inner strength, which will now always be your lifeline and protect you from all troubles and troubles if only the latter have the audacity to appear on your horizon and you will never again have to think about how to get rid of psychic attacks. Now you are able to cope with them with one movement of thought, and all the “ghosts” hiding in the darkness will very quickly understand who is boss in the house and, bowing their heads, will doomedly crawl to the side, clearing your path.

Panic attack - an irrational, uncontrollable, intense, torturous attack panic anxiety, accompanied by various somatic and psychological symptoms, having cognitive and behavioral effects. IN modern medicine a panic attack is also described by the terms: “vegetative crisis”, “sympathoadrenal crisis”, “ vegetative-vascular dystonia with a crisis course”, “neurocirculatory dystonia”, “cardioneurosis”, which reflects the variety of manifestations of disorders in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Panic disorder introduced into ICD-10 (code F41.0).

To develop a strategy for getting rid of panic attacks, the severity of the disorder is assessed on a scale ( Zang Self-Rating Anxiety Scale). Seizures can occur as a result of a real reason ( life-threatening situation), so they can be far-fetched ( formed under the influence of the work of the subconscious).

In the absence of timely, adequate, complex treatment panic attacks can lead to a chronic disorder or develop into more serious problems psyche. With appropriate treatment, panic attacks can be successfully treated. It is possible to significantly reduce or completely eliminate the symptoms of the disease, allowing the patient to regain control over mental activity and lead a full life.

Symptoms of a panic attack

Signs of a panic attack in most cases are of a pronounced physical nature, symptomatically similar to a heart attack, so many people tend to assume that they have a heart pathology. However, even the strongest vegetative manifestations are a consequence of dysfunction of the nervous system and brain. A panic attack is characterized by an attack panic fear (phobic anxiety), accompanied by a feeling of internal tension, manifested by a variety of somatic ( bodily) symptoms:

Tachycardia (increased number of heart contractions);
Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating);
Chills, muscle tremors;
Hot flashes (instant sensations of heat);
Physiological or dystonic tremor;
Dyspnea (shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, feeling of lack of air);
Asphyxia (suffocation);
Irradiation of pain into left side chest;
Abdominal pain syndrome(abdominal pain);
Stool disorders (diarrhea, constipation);
Nausea, urge to vomit;
Frequent urination;
Feeling of a coma foreign body in the throat;
Paresthesia (feeling of numbness, tingling in the limbs);
Dysbasia (gait disturbance);
Deterioration of hearing and/or vision;
Dizziness, lightheadedness;
Increased blood pressure.

Also, a panic attack in most cases is accompanied by psychological symptoms, cognitive and behavioral disorders:

(feeling of unreality, vagueness, alienation of the surrounding reality);
(alienation from one’s own mental processes);
Disorientation (lack of ability to think clearly), confusion;
Obsessive fear of going crazy, fear of schizophrenia, fear of losing control of your actions ( details about);
(fear of death);
Insomnia (insomnia), interrupted sleep, nightmares;

Intensity of somatic ( bodily) symptoms vary widely: from a feeling of slight internal tension to a clear state of panic anxiety. In case they prevail somatic symptoms above the psychological components, there is a so-called “non-insurance” panic attack (“panic without panic”), and this problem A neurologist together with a psychologist can resolve it. If the main concern during panic attacks is emotional manifestations, it is recommended to undergo treatment with an experienced psychotherapist or psychiatrist.

The duration of the attack has a purely individual meaning; it can be several minutes or several hours (on average 15-30 minutes). The frequency of vegetative crises varies from 2-3 per day to 1 time per month. One group of individuals suffering from NCD describe the spontaneous occurrence of panic attacks. The second group of patients suffers from situational crises that arise in potentially “dangerous” situations for the individual. Panic triggers can include: moving in public transport, presence in crowded places, staying in confined spaces, the need to speak in front of the public.

Typically, panic attacks are not limited to a single panic attack. The experienced first episode of painful sensations is deposited in the person’s subconscious, which leads to the fear of “expecting” a repetition of the attack, which, in turn, provokes the occurrence of new attacks. A new repetition of an attack under similar conditions initiates the formation of chronic panic disorder, which leads to the formation of avoidance behavior ( conscious restriction by a person of being in places and situations in which the occurrence of painful symptoms panic). Ultimately, constant intense stress develops into an anxiety-phobic disorder, which is often accompanied by reactive depression.

Schematically, a panic attack can be represented in the following sequence:

A feeling of internal tension, discomfort → illogical intense fear → release of adrenaline into the blood → the occurrence of panic anxiety → even greater production by the adrenal glands and release of adrenaline → panic attack.

Causes of panic attacks

The exact cause of panic attacks has not yet been established. Factors predisposing to its occurrence include:

Genetic predisposition ( mental pathologies close relatives);
Improper upbringing (especially inconsistency, excessive demands and criticism on the part of parents) in childhood;
Being in an unfavorable environment as a child (for example: alcoholic parents, frequent quarrels in the family);
Features of the functioning of the nervous system, temperament;
Personal characteristics of the patient (suspiciousness, impressionability, impulsiveness, vulnerability, tendency to fixate on experiences);
, exposure to significant stress factors, both negative and positive (for example: death close relative or birth of a child);
Chronic somatic disease, disability or recent infectious disease with severe course, surgical intervention;
Borderline conditions (for example: neurasthenia).

To make a diagnosis of “vegetative-vascular dystonia with a crisis course” ( name of medical diagnosis for panic attacks) should be passed full examination see a cardiologist, endocrinologist, oncologist and other specialized specialists in order to exclude the following diseases:

Prolapse mitral valve(dysfunction of the valve located between the left atrium and the ventricle);
Hyperthyroidism (thyroid hyperfunction syndrome);
Hypoglycemia (pathologically low level blood glucose).
Organic mental disorder.
Schizophrenia, affective and somatoform disorders, phobias.

Should also be excluded negative impact on nervous system stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamine, caffeine and make sure that panic attacks are not a consequence side effect medications.

Modern medicine has in its arsenal effective means for completely curing panic attacks. Below are described various methods treatment.

Hypnosuggestive psychotherapy

Hypnosuggestive psychotherapy combines hypnosis and suggestion. In the process of work, the specialist forms new attitudes in the client, allowing him to look at and react differently to somatic manifestations crisis. In a state of hypnotic trance, the patient does not have artificially created protection, and with the help of verbal and non-verbal influence, the client receives certain information. Read more about hypnosis treatment on the hypnotherapist’s website https://hypnosis.ru/

Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy

Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy is recognized as the most effective method treatment of panic attacks that occur both with VSD and with anxiety-phobic disorders. The focus of this technique is aimed at realizing in a realistic light, correcting thinking patterns and behavioral habits, triggering a panic attack. During the sessions, the client develops and fixes in the subconscious a new model of beliefs, the essence of which is: during a crisis, nothing catastrophic can happen. As a result of therapy, panic attacks become less scary for the patient, the fear of death loses its significance, and the symptoms gradually disappear. Using cognitive therapy methods with consulting psychologist Irakli Pozharisky http://psyhoterapy.info/

Drug treatment

During panic attacks, pharmacological agents are used to relieve ( quick removal ) symptoms of an attack. Medications used in severe cases, however, they are not a panacea and do not completely eliminate the existing psychological problem. The following groups of drugs are used to treat panic attacks:

Tranquilizers benzodiazepine series. Show excellent therapeutic response very quickly (from 30 minutes to 1 hour). Qualitatively provide a reduction in vegetative manifestations of panic. However, drugs in this group are used for a short time, since they are addictive and in case of failure after their long-term use demonstrate severe symptoms withdrawal syndrome.
Antidepressants that do not have a stimulating effect on the nervous system. They show results 2-3 weeks after starting to take them. The course of treatment is from 3 to 6 months. Drugs of this class must be taken regularly, not only when a critical moment occurs.
B vitamins. They have a strengthening effect on the functioning of the nervous system.

No green pharmacy products (valerian, lemon balm, motherwort) can help with a panic attack, since they have an insufficient sedative effect compared to pharmacological agents, and their use to stop an attack is useless. Calming herbal teas can be used in combination with chemicals psychotropic drugs for the prevention of panic attacks in neurocircular dystonia.

Panic attacks: how to fight? Effective Self-Help Tools

For both regular and isolated cases of panic attacks, a professionally selected program drug treatment and psychotherapy techniques are necessary and irreplaceable. In order to cope with panic completely and completely, a person must make every effort possible. To everyone who suffers autonomic disorders, you need to follow a few simple steps.

Step 1. Study as much information as possible from authoritative sources about panic attacks: symptoms, warning signs, ways to combat them. In addition to mastering new knowledge and skills, a person will gain confidence that the sensations and manifestations of panic in most people are the same, they are not evidence of mental abnormality and can be completely eliminated.

Step 2. Completely stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Eliminate or minimize the consumption of drinks and products containing caffeine. Take with caution pharmacological preparations, which have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system.

Step 3. Learn specially designed breathing and relaxation techniques to help relieve symptoms.

Step 4. Observe the work and rest schedule. Avoid mental and physical overload. Receive sufficient quantity night sleep.

Step 5. You can eliminate the onset of a panic attack without taking medications. It is necessary to clearly know: during such critical situations, death is impossible. A person experiences a fear of death created by the subconscious, but there are no real prerequisites for a premature death. The main emphasis during an attack is to break the chain between the illusion of the subconscious and reality, not to promote anxiety, but to take measures to calm down.

Rinse your face, neck, hands with cold water.
Drink a glass of still cool water, after dissolving two teaspoons of sugar in it.
Take a comfortable sitting position.
Take ten sharp exhalations and deep breaths in any available container (plastic bag, plastic bottle, cupped palms).
Try to smile, or just fake a smile.
Silently or out loud say affirmations (positive statements) prepared and learned in advance or a prayer.
Try to switch attention from internal sensations to external objects: think about them, analyze, compare.

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How does a panic attack manifest?

Probably every person has experienced an acute, sudden feeling of unreasonable anxiety at least once. Such panic disorders are usually accompanied by sudden onset strong heartbeat, feeling of lightheadedness and trembling in the knees. Such a reaction is normal if a person really reacts to a threat or danger. But if such a condition is observed regularly, then we are talking about a psychoneurological disorder called a panic attack. Given pathological condition manifests itself without cause and covers a person in completely different life situations. This can happen in transport or in other places with a large number of people, as well as in confined spaces. Initially, it seems that there are no reasons for such a reaction. As evidenced modern psychologists, panic attacks are observed in approximately 5% of people who live in large cities.

Causes

Experts assure that panic attacks manifest themselves in a person as attacks in response to stressful situations and reflect a kind of internal struggle of consciousness with aggression from the outside world. Another reason why a person is bothered by the symptoms of a panic attack is the presence of certain psychological conflicts that the person cannot recognize and resolve. Of course, people susceptible to such attacks are primarily concerned with questions about whether such disorders are dangerous and how to cope with the manifestations of VSD. There is more than one forum on the Internet where people susceptible to such attacks are looking for an answer on how to get rid of such manifestations.

Most often, panic attacks, which are sometimes defined by doctors as heart attacks, etc., occur in people who have weak defense from the influence of stress due to lack of norepinephrine . It is these substances that effectively prevent the effects of emotional and physical discomfort on the body. Such people can maintain composure for some time, but when the stress is too strong and prolonged, they are overcome by a wave of panic attacks. Women are more susceptible to such manifestations. Panic attacks often appear during pregnancy, as well as in people who frequently drink alcohol.

Anything can serve as a trigger for a panic attack: stress , emotional fluctuations , lack of sleep . In this case, a panic attack overcomes the patient not at the moment when there is an objective danger, but at ordinary times. Accordingly, it is difficult for a person to explain to himself what the cause of such nervousness is.

Symptoms

The most pronounced, as a rule, passes the first attack of a panic attack. Nervousness in a person is accompanied by a sharp rise, a pronounced affect. The patient's heart beats rapidly, sometimes he may even lose consciousness. All subsequent manifestations of panic attacks are less pronounced in most cases.

After the first severe attack, a person should consult a doctor about how to deal with such manifestations. It is advisable to begin treatment of panic attacks immediately after the first cases of neuroses. How to treat the disease, and what methods are preferable in individual case, a specialist will also advise.

People prone to panic attacks typically experience high blood pressure V daytime, which accounts for the period of highest social activity.

Both during the first panic attack and during subsequent attacks, a person experiences pronounced autonomic symptoms : sweating, palpitations, pressure in the throat, headache, And . Such an attack lasts about ten to fifteen minutes, but sometimes can last about an hour. After the symptoms subside, the patient feels very weak and depressed.

A panic attack is a separate disease in which a person may not exhibit other symptoms. phobias . Despite this, patients susceptible to such attacks often also experience various emotional and affective disorders. Thus, panic attacks can be combined with Agarophobia (fear of open space) claustrophobic (fear of closed spaces), fear of crowds .

Sometimes panic disorder may be mistakenly taken by a person for other diseases. Such misconceptions are most often present among those who have only recently begun to experience panic attacks. Such attacks are easily confused with manifestations somatic diseases, with neurological diseases, as well as with some mental disorders.

How to spot a panic attack

There are objective criteria to determine whether a person is truly susceptible to panic attacks. You should accurately assess your condition and determine whether the symptoms described above are occurring, and also make sure that the following points are present.

In people prone to panic attacks, attacks occur suddenly and unexpectedly, with about four attacks per month. By at least, during one of the attacks, a person feels the fear of a new panic attack. During an attack, there is a feeling of unreality of what is happening, the person experiences fear of dying or getting sick. It can be assumed that a person is developing a panic attack if he has at least four of the following symptoms: strong pulse and heartbeat; tremors and chills; sweating; difficulty breathing; painful or difficulty breathing; discomfort in chest left; nausea; and a state close to fainting; a feeling of fear of going crazy or committing an inappropriate act; numbness or tingling in the arms and legs, sudden flashes of cold or heat.

Diagnostics

After a person complains of the symptoms described above, doctors initially conduct all the necessary studies to exclude pathologies internal organs– blood vessels, brain, etc.

Diagnosis is based on the definition clinical manifestations illness, as well as determining the degree of anxiety of a person. For this purpose, a special scale for assessing panic attacks and anxiety attacks is used.

Treatment

The optimal way to overcome panic attacks today is considered to be a competent combination of drug and non-drug therapy. The doctor adequately assesses the patient’s condition and selects an appropriate antidepressant drug. It should be taken over a long period. Sometimes this treatment lasts up to a year. In this way, you can regulate the content in the patient’s body. serotonin And norepinephrine . Modern antidepressants can positively affect the patient’s quality of life without causing unwanted side effects. side effects. A person’s frequency and intensity of attacks decreases, fear disappears, and overall health improves. psychological condition and mood. In addition, patients are prescribed tranquilizers and antipsychotics if necessary. If a patient is diagnosed with a vestibular form of panic attacks, then he is also indicated to take sedative neurometabolic stimulants.

As non-drug methods Therapy involves conducting psychotherapy sessions and changing lifestyles. It is important that as little as possible happens in a person’s life. stressful situations, and more positive emotions were observed.

In addition to these methods of treatment for panic attacks, it is sometimes advisable for the patient to undergo some physiotherapeutic procedures. MDM therapy (mesodiencephalic modulation of the cerebral cortex), electrosleep, color therapy, and aromatherapy are practiced. Reflexology, a relaxing massage course, are also sometimes prescribed. physiotherapy, aimed at relaxation, and later at increasing tone. However, exercises should be moderately intense and dosed, since heavy loads can worsen the patient’s condition.

It is also practiced auxiliary treatment herbal therapy, in which patients are recommended to take decoctions of certain herbs every day with a calming effect. You can prepare decoctions of veronica, oregano, nettle, lemon balm, mint, chamomile, hops, etc.

You should also pay attention to nutritional features. It is better to exclude from the diet spicy seasonings and products, strong coffee and tea, alcoholic drinks, since they have a stimulating effect on the nervous system.

How to reduce the intensity of an attack?

A patient who periodically experiences panic attacks must learn to cope with the situation independently, reducing the severity of the symptoms. Sometimes following simple recommendations can completely prevent the development of a panic attack.

So, initially, a person should always be aware of the fact that a panic attack does not threaten his health. This simple thought, however, is very difficult to comprehend during an attack. But if you try to master this method, then over time you can learn to control your consciousness even during a panic attack.

To stop panic, you need to try to take control of the situation that supposedly threatens the person. A simple paper bag is suitable for this; breathing into it will help you control the functioning of your internal organs with your eyes.

It will also help to have a person next to the patient who is aware of his problems and can help at any time. Even those people who are used to coping with all problems on their own should seek help. A person suffering from panic attacks should at least mentally give himself permission to seek help from other people if necessary, and not consider this rude behavior. You also need to remember that it is always possible to quickly call a doctor.

For a patient who is susceptible to panic attacks, awareness greatly eases the situation: the more he knows about the disease, about ways to overcome it and reduce symptoms, the calmer he will be about its manifestations and behave adequately during attacks.

The doctors

Medicines

Diet, nutrition for panic attacks

Author-compiler:- pharmacist, medical journalist Speciality: Pharmacist

Education: Graduated from Rivne State Basic Medical College with a degree in Pharmacy. Graduated from Vinnytsia State medical University them. M.I. Pirogov and internship at his base.

Experience: From 2003 to 2013, she worked as a pharmacist and manager of a pharmacy kiosk. Awarded with diplomas and distinctions for many years and conscientious work. Articles on medical topics were published in local publications (newspapers) and on various Internet portals.

Comments

Rita | 17:54 | 09.04.2019

Something unpleasant happened in the family. We invested money in a fashion franchise, but it did not bring any profit, only losses. The store had to be closed and the car sold for debts. After that, three weeks passed, my mother was worried all the time, my father closed in on himself, and against the backdrop of what was happening, I made money anxiety disorder. One evening, when we were already, as usual, gloomily digesting what had happened, each in our own room, I decided that we needed to do something to relieve this terrible state, otherwise we would also lose each other. So we got an appointment with a wonderful psychotherapist who helped us a lot both morally and with a prescription. We went to sessions family psychotherapy and the whole family took Grandaxin. It was this medicine that helped us come to our senses and understand what happened objectively, and not through the prism of our own guilt and anger, which each of us experienced within ourselves. It really became better mentally, we started having dinner together again in the evenings, watching entertaining videos on YouTube, and it also became easier to fall asleep. Good pills, help to put your thoughts in order, improve your sleep and generally reconsider your outlook on life with a fresh look. And the car...we'll earn more money, only now we'll do it wisely.

Vera | 18:14 | 07.09.2018

Very useful article. I’m drinking Ciprolex, everything is fine, but... I’m planning on pregnancy, how to stop drinking it, because pregnant women can’t, and if you don’t drink, everything goes back to normal (I tried it)

Elena O. | 10:17 | 25.11.2017

I have been suffering from panic attacks for more than 3 years. I tried a lot of things. Various sedatives. I can’t say that any of them cured me completely. But the most best effect was from skullcap and hops in relaxen tablets - after a month and a half, there were significantly fewer of them. And the general psychological state has improved, anxiety has gone away.

A psychic attack can come in many different forms. Sometimes it brings a truce, but more often it multiplies victims. Used since ancient times, this technique still exists today. “Attack of the Dead” is worth it alone.

They go beautifully

For those “over 30”, the concept of “psychic attack” is associated primarily with personnel famous movie"Chapaev." There, a detachment of “whites” marches in orderly columns to the beat of drums straight towards the trenches of the “Chapayevites”. The unyielding ranks of the White Guards, who had not yet fired a single shot, made such a terrifying impression that they forced some of the Red Army soldiers to flee in panic. And only the fearlessness of the commissar and the Anka machine gun save the situation.
Meanwhile, the phenomenon, which in the twentieth century was called a “psychic attack,” has deep roots.

Demoralize at any cost

Different encyclopedias interpret the term “psychic attack” differently. Thus, according to the Soviet Military Encyclopedia, edited by Marshal Grechko, this concept includes any attacks designed “to intimidate, suppress the will, and psyche of the defender.”

For some reason, Soviet encyclopedists believed that such attacks were used only by the armies of “exploiting states.”
However, in the United States they have a different opinion on this matter. Having studied the experience of the Korean War, the authors methodological manual: “The People's Liberation Army of China” came to the conclusion that the meaning of a psychic attack is for the attacking side to attack the enemy’s positions “wave after wave.” Moreover, the Chinese, as a rule, placed unfired recruits and poorly armed militias in the first rank of the attackers. At the cost of their lives, barriers and minefields were overcome, and the enemy was demoralized. The first rank was almost completely knocked out by enemy fire. But behind her were others, consisting of more trained military personnel. “After the defense is broken through,” the Americans write, “the regular army develops an offensive initiative and continues the offensive in the area where it was possible to break through the enemy’s defenses, simultaneously gaining a foothold on the occupied lines.”

It is characteristic that, based on the observations of American experts, during an offensive, despite rifle fire, troops move in close formation until they reach the attack line, which is less than 200 meters between the forward rank of the attackers and the positions of the defending side.

There is also a definition of “psychic attack” as “little studied by military science tactical technique" A psychic attack, according to this definition, often begins spontaneously during combat operations, without prior approval or input into the overall plan operations, and most importantly - without orders.

Woe to the frightened

Based on the Soviet definition, psychic attacks almost appeared with humanity. Suffice it to recall the descriptions of attacks by American Indians and other savages by fiction writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. What else, if not the calculation of “intimidation, suppression of the will, the psyche of the defender,” can explain the menacing combat coloring and screams of the Redskins who attacked the forts and detachments of the “pale-faced”.

The Scythians were masters of “psychic attacks.” The Greek writer, historian and geographer Arrian, who lived at the beginning of the first millennium AD, wrote that the military emblems of the Scythians were stuffed snakes and dragons, made from scraps of cloth and mounted on high poles.

When moving, these stuffed animals were inflated by the wind and wriggled like living creatures, while emitting a sharp whistle. Before the battle, the Scythians tried to give their horses a fearsome appearance by weaving multi-colored rags into their manes, which fluttered when moving and resembled writhing snakes.

Civil War Poster

The first attempts to take Pelusium by storm ended in failure. And the Persian king Cambyses resorted to a trick that had no analogues in the history of wars. This event was preserved in history due to the fact that the Greek historian Polyaenus described it in his famous book “Stratagems”. During the second assault, the Egyptian defenders of Pelusium saw an incredible picture: in the first rows... cats and dogs were marching towards the fortress. The Egyptians were shocked by this sight. The fact is that these animals were considered sacred in Egypt.

Their murder, according to the Egyptians, was fraught with retribution in the afterlife.
The Persians' "psychic attack" worked successfully. Taking advantage of the mass confusion among their opponents, they burst into the city...

Attack of the Dead

Several striking examples"psychic attacks" marked the history of the First World War and Civil War 1917-1922 in Russia.

In the summer of 1915, near Bialystok, the 13th company of the Zemlyansky Regiment was subjected to a gas attack by the Germans. The Russian troops did not have gas masks. When the Germans decided that no one should be left alive, they slowly moved to occupy enemy positions. However, the Russian soldiers, spitting blood, launched a counterattack. Swaying, they walked towards the enemy, resembling the living dead. The Germans could not stand such a spectacle and ran in horror.

By the way, as for the episode of the “White” attack mentioned at the beginning of the article, historians say that the famous officer regiment of Vladimir Kappel never took part in battles with Chapaev’s division. The “psychic attack” of the Kappelites took place, but was caused by despair: the White Guard ran out of ammunition.

With sabers on tanks

The more powerful and formidable the weapon became, the more questionable the effectiveness of the psychic attack became. Especially for the armies of those countries that did not have huge “human resources”.
On November 7, 1941, near the village of Musino near Moscow, a “psychic attack” of the 44th Cavalry Division took place on German tanks and artillery. The Germans targeted the riders who were practically helpless in front of them. According to Soviet reports, 700 soldiers died that day.