Don’t Manage Panic Attacks—Eliminate Them!
When I write blog posts, I try to cover topics that people are actively searching for. One that comes up time and time again is how to manage panic attacks.
But that phrase always makes me pause:
Why manage them? Why not aim higher and eliminate them entirely?
The Language We Use Shapes Our Expectations
“Managing” implies that panic attacks are something we’re stuck with. That we have to learn to live with them, adjust our lives around them, and simply get by.
But what if I told you that’s not true?
What if I told you that panic attacks can be stopped—permanently?
This isn’t just wishful thinking. It’s possible. I’ve seen it, and I’ve helped people achieve it. The goal shouldn’t be to cope with panic attacks—it should be to free yourself from them.
Why Are We Settling?
I sometimes wonder whether people genuinely know they can overcome panic attacks. Or is it cultural? Have we been conditioned to seek ways to tolerate pain, rather than fix it? Whatever the reason, it’s time to challenge this mindset.
Managing panic attacks might feel like a responsible approach—but in my opinion, it’s not the solution. It’s a holding pattern.
Panic Attacks: What’s Really Going On?
Panic attacks often begin in childhood and typically fall into two categories:
- Random: They seem to come out of nowhere.
- Triggered: The person knows what sets them off.
Common symptoms include:
- Dizziness, nausea
- Sweating, trembling
- Rapid heart rate and breathing
- Hot flushes, feelings of doom
- Feeling faint or detached
- Fear itself
A panic attack is essentially a conflict between the conscious and subconscious mind. Your conscious brain may know you’re safe, but your subconscious believes you’re in danger. And guess which one wins?
So, What Causes Panic Disorder?
More often than not, the foundation for panic disorder is laid in childhood. A core emotional experience—often overwhelming and repressed—becomes lodged in the subconscious.
Repression: The Hidden Time Bomb
When we experience something emotionally overpowering, our mind may repress it. It gets pushed out of conscious awareness—but not deleted. Instead, it lives on as a hidden template for danger.
Because these events usually happen in childhood, we interpret them with immature emotional logic. We perceive things as life-or-death, even if they weren’t. And that belief can stick with us for decades.
Eventually, something in adult life may resemble that repressed event—and trigger it. The emotion resurfaces, and the symptoms of panic begin. But here’s the catch: the panic doesn’t always attach itself to the original event. It latches onto whatever’s happening at that moment.
Let me show you how this works.
A Real Case Study: From Fear of Flying to GAD
One client came to me after experiencing a severe panic attack on an airplane at age 29. Convinced it would happen again, he stopped flying. That avoidance seemed rational—but the anxiety didn’t stop there.
Soon, he felt panicked on trains. Then buses. Then taxis. Eventually, the only form of transport he could manage was driving himself.
But it didn’t stop.
Next came fear of confined spaces. Then anxiety in meetings. Then social anxiety—he feared being judged for his panic. Eventually, the panic even morphed into health anxiety. The original repression had spread, morphing into Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorder.
When we traced it back, the original trauma had nothing to do with planes or transport. It was a fight at age 11, when he’d been cornered and overwhelmed. The feelings of helplessness and entrapment were the same—and that’s what the brain had connected to air travel.
Treatment: Getting to the Root
Let’s be clear: panic attacks can be eliminated. But it takes the right approach.
Here’s how I work with clients to break the cycle:
1. Hypnoanalysis – Finding and Reframing the Root Cause
Hypnoanalysis allows a client to revisit the repressed experience and reframe it through the eyes of their adult self. We don’t just “dig up” the past—we change the emotional imprint. The shift is powerful and permanent. Most clients need 6–12 sessions. [More on Hypnoanalysis →]
2. BWRT (BrainWorking Recursive Therapy) – Changing the Reaction
BWRT doesn’t need to uncover the original trauma. Instead, it changes the emotional response to triggers. You choose how to feel next time the trigger fires—calm instead of fear. Fast and effective. [More on BWRT →]
3. Educational Therapy – Understanding Your Brain
Knowledge is power. I offer educational therapy to help clients understand what’s happening in their minds and bodies. Panic is just a misfiring of the fight-or-flight system. Understanding that you are safe, and that your body is simply overreacting, can lessen the fear and break the cycle.
Final Thoughts
This post isn’t just about traffic or promotion. I offer help locally and via Skype—but if you’re elsewhere and can’t reach me, this blog still has a purpose: to inform and inspire.
You don’t have to live with panic attacks.
You don’t have to manage them.
You can end them.
If this post resonates with you and you’d like to know more, feel free to reach out. You’re not broken—and you’re not alone. There’s a way out.
To book a free 30 minute consultation contact me here.
No more managing panic attacks, lets eliminate them.
Tim Grover - Bedfordshire Therapies 