A panic attack can feel as though something has gone seriously wrong without warning.
Your heart races, your breathing changes and you may feel dizzy, shaky or detached from what is happening around you. The sensations can become so intense that you fear you are about to faint, lose control or experience a medical emergency.
Even when the feelings eventually pass, the experience can stay with you.
You begin wondering when it might happen again—and what you would do if you were driving, standing in a queue or somewhere you couldn’t easily leave.
For many people, the fear of another panic attack becomes just as disruptive as the attack itself.
What can a panic attack feel like?
Panic attacks can involve a mixture of physical sensations, thoughts and emotions.
You may experience:
- a racing or pounding heartbeat
- sweating or trembling
- feeling short of breath
- chest discomfort
- dizziness or feeling faint
- nausea or a churning stomach
- tingling or numbness
- feeling unusually hot or cold
- a sense that you or your surroundings are unreal
- fear that you are losing control
- an urgent need to escape
The intensity can make it difficult to believe that the feeling will pass.
Some people experience one isolated episode. Others become increasingly alert to the possibility of another.
Please have new symptoms checked
Several physical health problems can produce symptoms that resemble panic.
Please seek medical advice if the sensations are new, severe, changing or unexplained. Don’t diagnose yourself with panic from a webpage.
Call 999 if you have sudden chest pain that does not go away, severe breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness or another possible medical emergency.
For non-emergency concerns, speak to your GP or NHS 111.
Once the symptoms have been appropriately assessed, we can consider whether support with anxiety and confidence may be useful.
“What if it happens again?”
After a frightening episode, it is understandable to become more aware of your body.
You notice a change in your heartbeat and check it. You feel slightly light-headed and wonder whether the panic is beginning. A warm room, tiredness or an ordinary change in breathing can suddenly feel significant.
You may also begin planning around the possibility of an attack:
- sitting close to an exit
- avoiding queues
- carrying particular items to feel safe
- only travelling with somebody else
- staying close to home
- avoiding exercise because it changes your heartbeat
- leaving somewhere at the first sign of discomfort
- repeatedly checking how you feel
These precautions can be reassuring at first. Over time, they may strengthen the belief that you would be unable to cope without them.
When places begin to feel unsafe
Panic can become associated with places where leaving feels difficult or embarrassing.
Shops, public transport, traffic queues, restaurants, theatres and unfamiliar journeys can all become challenging. Sometimes the concern spreads until even previously familiar places feel uncertain.
The place itself may not be what you fear most. It can be the thought of experiencing panic there and being unable to get home, find help or escape quickly.
We can talk about the situations that have become difficult and what would give you more freedom in everyday life.
How hypnotherapy may help
Hypnotherapy can help relieve anxiety.
Once the symptoms have been assessed and my approach seems appropriate, we can work with relaxation, confidence and your response to familiar sensations or situations.
We begin by discussing what happens during and after panic, what you currently avoid and what you would like to feel more comfortable doing.
During hypnosis, I may use imagery and mental rehearsal connected with those goals.
You might imagine:
- noticing a sensation without immediately assuming the worst
- remaining in a safe situation rather than rushing away
- allowing your attention to move beyond constant physical checking
- travelling a little further from home
- waiting while an anxious feeling rises and settles
- remembering that you have choices even when you feel uncomfortable
You remain aware and in control throughout hypnosis. You can speak, move or stop whenever you wish.
I don’t promise that panic attacks will stop or that every anxious sensation will disappear. We work towards a steadier response and the changes you want to make in daily life.
Learning to respond differently to the sensations
When panic begins, the natural reaction is often to fight it, escape or urgently try to make it stop.
That effort can make every sensation feel even more important.
Where it is safe and appropriate, part of the work may involve allowing a feeling to be present without immediately treating it as an emergency. You can notice the sensation, let your breathing find a comfortable rhythm and keep some attention on what is happening around you.
This is something we can rehearse calmly in the session.
If your GP or another mental-health professional has given you coping strategies, we can consider how the hypnotherapy fits alongside them.
Taking practical steps outside the session
The work usually needs to connect with everyday life.
That may involve gradually returning to a place, making a journey or remaining in a situation a little longer than usual. The step should be safe, realistic and connected with what you want to regain.
You don’t have to make a dramatic leap to prove anything.
We can discuss what feels manageable and review what happened at the next appointment. If something was difficult, that gives us useful information rather than evidence that you have failed.
Panic attacks and panic disorder
Having a panic attack doesn’t automatically mean that you have panic disorder.
Panic disorder is a recognised condition involving repeated attacks and ongoing concern or changes in behaviour connected with further attacks. It should be assessed by a GP or appropriately qualified mental-health professional.
NHS Talking Therapies provides established psychological treatments for panic and anxiety, and you can often refer yourself without first seeing a GP.
Hypnotherapy can be considered as complementary support where it is appropriate. It should not replace medical assessment or recommended psychological treatment.
What happens at the initial consultation?
The consultation gives us time to talk about:
- what the panic feels like for you
- when it began
- whether the symptoms have been medically assessed
- where you feel comfortable now
- what you have started avoiding
- any treatment or support you already receive
- what you would like to do more freely
You can ask me questions and explain any concerns about hypnosis.
I’ll tell you honestly whether I think my approach is suitable and whether another professional should be involved.
There is no hypnosis during the initial consultation unless we have specifically agreed otherwise.
Would you like to talk about panic?
You don’t have to send me a detailed account of every episode.
Tell me briefly what has been happening, whether the symptoms have been assessed and what panic is getting in the way of.
Appointments are available at my practice in Hayle, Cornwall, and online.