You’re sitting at your desk, or maybe you’re in a supermarket queue, when it hits. Your chest tightens. Your heart hammers so hard you can almost feel it in your throat. Your hands tingle, the room starts to close in, and a terrifying thought takes over: something is seriously wrong with me. If you’ve experienced this, you already know — panic attacks are one of the most frightening things a person can go through. And I’ve been through this first hand myself, years ago.
But here’s the thing: understanding what’s actually happening in your body and mind during a panic attack is the first step to taking back control.
So What Actually Is a Panic Attack?
A panic attack is explained as a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort that peaks within minutes. It comes with a lovely cocktail of physical symptoms — pounding heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, trembling, sweating — that can often feel incredibly overwhelming. Many people genuinely believe they’re having a heart attack, losing their mind, or about to die. For some (like myself when I experienced them) it can be a curious other-worldly feeling. I’ve had clients tell me exactly these things. It’s that convincing.
But here’s what’s really going on. Your brain’s alarm system — specifically a small almond-shaped structure called the amygdala — has detected what it thinks is danger. It fires off a distress signal before the rational part of your brain even gets a look in. Your body is then flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, triggering what we know as the fight-or-flight response. Your heart rate shoots up to pump blood to your muscles. Your breathing quickens to take in more oxygen. Digestion shuts down because, well, you don’t need to digest a sandwich when you’re running from a bear.
But there’s the reality check! There is no bear. There’s no actual danger at all. Your brain has essentially pulled the fire alarm when someone’s burnt the toast. According to the NHS panic attacks are not dangerous — even though they feel absolutely terrifying in the moment.
The Fear-of-Fear Trap
Here’s the rub and the nasty insidiousness of it all. After experiencing one panic attack, many people develop what psychologists call anticipatory anxiety — the fear of having another one. You start scanning your body for warning signs. Was that a twinge in my chest? Why did my heart just skip? Am I breathing properly?
This hyper-vigilance actually creates the very sensations you’re afraid of. You notice your heartbeat, which makes you anxious, which makes your heart beat faster, which in turn makes you more anxious. It’s a feedback loop — and it’s the reason panic attacks can become a recurring pattern rather than a one-off event. The American Psychological Association highlights that this cycle of fearing the fear itself is central to what sustains panic disorder over time. Incredible stuff, isn’t it.
Why It Feels Like You’re Dying (And Why You’re Not)
Perhaps the most fascinating dimension of calmness involves its impact beyond your physical body. Research shows that the Let’s address this head-on, because it’s the question almost every client who experiences these things asks me. The chest pain comes from your intercostal muscles tensing up due to rapid, shallow breathing. The tingling in your hands and face? That’s hyperventilation reducing the carbon dioxide in your blood. The dizziness? Blood pressure changes. The feeling of unreality? Your brain’s way of coping with the adrenaline overload.
Every single symptom has a logical, physiological explanation. None of them are signs that something catastrophic is happening. Your body is doing exactly what it’s designed to do under threat — it’s just misfiring and misreading things (like an allergic reaction in fact). And crucially, a panic attack will always pass. Usually within 10 to 20 minutes.
If you’d like to understand more about how your breathing affects anxiety, have a look at my article on why deep breathing helps anxiety and these breathing techniques for instant calm
How CBT and Hypnotherapy Can Break the Cycle
Managing panic attacks in the moment is pretty crucial — but if you want to stop them coming back, you need to address the root cause. This is where Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy work so effectively together.
CBT helps you identify and challenge the catastrophic thought patterns that fuel panic. “I’m going to die/have a heart attack/pass out,” “I’m losing control,” “Everyone is staring at me” — these feel like facts during an attack, but they really aren’t. They’re your brain’s panicked hypotheses. CBT teaches you to examine the evidence, reframe the ridiculous narrative, and gradually face the situations you’ve been avoiding. If you’re interested in how our thinking misleads us, take a look at my piece on bad thinking, illusions and leaves on a stream.
Hypnotherapy goes a layer deeper. Many panic responses are rooted in past experiences — perhaps a frightening childhood event, a moment of intense helplessness, or a trauma your conscious mind has filed away but your nervous system hasn’t forgotten. In the focused, relaxed state of hypnosis, we can access and reframe these deeper patterns, effectively recalibrating your brain’s alarm system so it stops overreacting to everyday situations. And learn to achieve all-important calm, your superpower.
Together, this evidence-based combination of conscious cognitive work and unconscious reprogramming is one of the most powerful approaches to overcoming panic I’ve seen in my practice.
You’re Not Broken — and You’re Not Alone
Panic attacks are highly common and affect around one in ten adults at some point in their lives. Including myself, as I’ve said. That’s a lot of people quietly struggling with something they often feel too embarrassed or frightened to talk about. If that’s you, or someone close that you know, know this: having panic attacks doesn’t mean there’s something fundamentally wrong with you. It means your nervous system has got a bit overprotective, and it can absolutely be retrained.
The worst thing you can do is suffer in silence and let avoidance narrow your world. The best thing you can do is start understanding what’s happening — which you’re already doing by reading this — and reach out for the right support. Being experienced in this area allows me to know exactly what feelings are going on and how to help.
Help from DOCwellness
If panic attacks are affecting your life and you’d like to explore how Hypnotherapy and CBT can help, [contact me today](/contact/) or call/text 07778 613268 to have a chat. We can work together in person from my clinic in Caterham, Surrey, or online via Zoom.