Panic Attacks

Understanding Panic Attacks

If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you likely rank it as one of the most terrifying things you’ve ever endured. The fear feels overwhelming—so much so that many people are convinced they’re dying.

At Bedfordshire Therapies, panic attacks are one of the most common concerns I help people overcome. Whether they come on unexpectedly or are triggered by specific situations, BWRT and Hypnoanalysis are both highly effective at helping clients resolve panic at its root.

Two Main Types of Panic Attacks

Spontaneous (or Random) Panic Attacks
These occur without warning and seemingly without cause. You could be relaxing on the sofa or doing something mundane, and suddenly—your body sounds the alarm.
Triggered Panic Attacks
These are tied to a specific situation, environment, or internal cue—even if you don’t consciously understand the connection.

Both types can feel completely irrational. You know nothing is “wrong,” but your body insists something terrible is happening.

Everything Seems Fine… But It’s Not

A panic attack often begins with a strange sensation—perhaps a wave in the chest or a tingling feeling in the limbs. Then, a sudden surge of adrenaline takes over. The most common feeling?

“I’m having a heart attack.”
So real is this sensation that many people call emergency services. You might undergo an ECG and full check-up, only to be told, “Everything’s fine.” But in that moment, you were anything but fine.

This disconnect—knowing rationally that you’re safe, while your body screams “danger”—can be deeply unsettling. And often, people begin to worry there must be something wrong with their mind. But that’s not the case.

Your Body Is Trying to Help

Panic is a result of your survival system kicking in—just like it would if you were in a real life-or-death situation.

Think of someone lifting a car off a loved one trapped underneath. That’s the fight-or-flight response at its most intense. In a true emergency, it’s life-saving.

But when this system activates while you’re doing something harmless—like watching TV—all that energy has nowhere to go. It gets trapped in the body, and you experience symptoms like:

Racing heart
Sweating and hot flushes
Dizziness or light-headedness
Chest pain or tightness
Tingling limbs (“jelly legs”)
Shortness of breath
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea
Blurred vision
An overwhelming fear of dying or losing control

And perhaps the most difficult part? You try to fight it. You resist. But resisting often intensifies the symptoms.

The Fear of Fear: A Vicious Cycle

After just one panic attack, many people develop an intense fear of having another. You may find yourself scanning your body constantly for signs—heart rate changes, tingles, shortness of breath. And ironically, this hypervigilance can trigger another panic attack.

This creates a loop of fear:
Panic ➝ Fear of panic ➝ Panic again.

Many of the symptoms overlap with anxiety, but panic attacks are more intense and more physical. For example:

Sharp chest pain during a panic attack is often caused by hyperventilation and strain on chest muscles—not a heart problem.
Once you understand this, we can begin to use targeted breathing techniques to stop feeding the cycle.

Breaking Free from Panic Attacks

At Bedfordshire Therapies, I don’t just teach you how to cope—I focus on resolving panic at its root.

Using:

BWRT® – Which works directly with the subconscious brain to neutralise the trigger before panic even begins.
Hypnoanalysis – Which helps uncover and release the deeper cause of the panic response in a safe, supportive way.

Take the First Step Toward Relief

Panic attacks are not a sign that you’re weak, broken, or “crazy.” They’re simply your survival system misfiring—and we can fix that.

With the right support, you can:

Reclaim your peace of mind

End the cycle of panic

Stop living in fear of “the next one”

Overcome panic attacks, contact me here today