For many people, the fear of another attack becomes as distressing as the attacks themselves. Panic is frightening, but it is also highly treatable with therapy.

What is Panic?

Panic involves sudden surges of intense fear accompanied by powerful physical sensations. While many people experience one or two panic attacks in their lifetime, Panic Disorder is when these attacks occur repeatedly and create ongoing worry about future episodes.

This can lead to avoiding certain places or activities for fear they may trigger another attack.

Symptoms of Panic

Common symptoms include:

• Rapid heartbeat or chest pain

• Shortness of breath or choking sensations

• Trembling, sweating, or dizziness

• Feelings of unreality or detachment

• Nausea or abdominal distress

• Fear of losing control, going mad, or dying

The intensity of panic can feel overwhelming, but the physical sensations themselves are not dangerous.

Therapy helps you retrain how your body and mind respond to them.

How Therapy Can Help with Panic

Therapy can:

• Teach you to understand and reduce fear of physical symptoms

• Provide grounding and breathing techniques to calm your body

• Use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to challenge catastrophic thinking

• Employ exposure-based strategies to reduce avoidance

• Incorporate mindfulness and acceptance approaches to change your relationship with panic sensations

With support, many people find their attacks become less frequent, less intense, and far less frightening.

When to Seek Help

If panic attacks are recurring, or if fear of them is limiting your daily life, professional help can make a huge difference.

Therapy can help you regain control, restore confidence, and return to activities you may have been avoiding.