Feel safe in your own body again
Effective therapy for panic attacks, understand what's really happening, calm your body's alarm system and stop fearing the fear.
CBT, hypnotherapy & counselling in Fareham, Hampshire, and online
Panic attack therapy, so you stop bracing for the next one
A panic attack is terrifying, and the fear of the next one shrinks your life faster than the attacks themselves. Panic responds particularly well to therapy, often quicker than people expect.
Fareham, Hampshire, plus online therapy UK wide
Free · Confidential · No obligation · You set the pace
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What is a panic attack?
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear with strong physical symptoms: a pounding heart, chest tightness, breathlessness, dizziness, shaking, sweating, tingling, or a sense of unreality. It usually peaks within about ten minutes and then subsides, even though it feels as though it never will.
What is happening is the body's alarm system firing at full strength when there is no danger. Adrenaline floods in, your heart speeds up to move blood to your muscles, your breathing quickens, and every one of those sensations is your body doing exactly what it is designed to do, at completely the wrong moment.
That is why a panic attack, however appalling it feels, is not dangerous and will not harm you. Knowing that does not stop one happening. It does start to change what happens next.
Why it keeps happening
The panic cycle
Understanding this is usually the point things begin to shift, because every link in the chain can be interrupted.
A sensation
A skipped heartbeat, a wave of heat, a moment of lightheadedness. Something the body does routinely and you would normally not notice.
An alarming interpretation
Something is wrong. I am having a heart attack. I am going to faint, or lose control, in front of everyone.
The surge
Adrenaline arrives, and every symptom intensifies, which appears to confirm that something really is wrong.
Escape and avoidance
You leave, or you never go back. The relief is immediate, and it teaches your brain that the place was genuinely dangerous.
That last step is the one that quietly does the most damage. Each avoided place makes the world a little smaller and the fear a little more convincing.
You might recognise this
What a panic attack can feel like
Read these gently. Noticing them on a list is not the same as having one.
- Pounding or racing heart
- Chest tightness or pain
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness or feeling faint
- Shaking or trembling
- Sweating or chills
- Tingling in hands or face
- Nausea or stomach churning
- Feeling detached or unreal
- Fear of losing control
- Fear you are dying
- Waking in panic at night
Nocturnal panic attacks, waking suddenly in full panic, are common and particularly frightening. They are not a sign of anything worse.
When it becomes a pattern
Panic disorder and agoraphobia
A single panic attack is common. Panic disorder is when they keep happening and you begin living in fear of the next one, checking your body, and organising your days around avoiding a repeat.
Agoraphobia is often misunderstood as a fear of open spaces. In practice it is usually a fear of being somewhere you could not easily escape, or could not get help, if panic struck. Supermarkets, motorways, trains, cinemas, queues, being far from home.
It tends to spread. First the place it happened, then places that resemble it, then anywhere unfamiliar. That spread is not inevitable, and catching it early makes the work considerably shorter.
What the guidance says
Which therapy works best for panic?
Panic is one of the most treatable difficulties in mental health, and CBT has the strongest evidence by a wide margin. It is what NICE recommends for panic disorder, and it is usually where we start.
The work is specific. Understanding what is actually happening in your body, testing the frightening predictions rather than arguing with them, and gradually returning to the places you have been avoiding, at a pace you agree.
Hypnotherapy is used alongside it, and many people find it genuinely helps with the underlying physical tension and with sleep. The research behind it for panic specifically is thinner than for CBT, and we would rather say so.
EMDR fits where the panic began after something frightening, which is more common than people expect. Counselling gives you room to make sense of it all.
What changes
Getting your places back
The goal is not that your heart never races again. Bodies do that. The goal is that a racing heart stops meaning catastrophe.
- Attacks become less frequent and less intense, as the alarm stops being fed
- The dread between them eases, which for many people is the worse part
- Avoided places come back, one at a time, in an order you choose
- You get something to do in the moment, rather than only something to fear
Many people are surprised how quickly this moves once the cycle is understood. Panic is frightening, and it is also one of the areas where therapy has the clearest track record.
You are not going mad, and you are not alone
Two things people almost always say in the first session: that they thought they were dying, and that they were embarrassed to mention it. Neither is unusual, and panic attacks are far more common than the silence around them suggests.
No surprises
What happens when you get in touch
- 1
You send a message or call
A line or two is plenty. If phoning feels like too much, message us and we will reply that way.
- 2
A free 15 minute call
A relaxed, confidential chat with an experienced therapist. Nothing on the call will be difficult, and nothing is expected of you.
- 3
We match you with the right therapist
We suggest the approach and therapist we think fits, in person in Fareham or online, and you decide whether to start.
CBT, hypnotherapy and EMDR from £90 a session. Counselling from £72. See all fees
Your questions answered
Panic attack questions, answered
Can a panic attack actually harm me?
A panic attack is your body's alarm system firing at full strength when there is no danger. Unpleasant and frightening, but not dangerous in itself. That said, no website can tell whether what you are experiencing is panic or something physical. If symptoms are new or you are worried about chest pain, get it checked, and call 999 if you are concerned in the moment.
How do I know if it is panic or a heart problem?
You do not, and neither do we. That is a job for a doctor. Many people with panic disorder have been to A&E at least once, and there is no embarrassment in that. Once other causes have been ruled out, therapy is where the work happens.
Why do panic attacks come out of nowhere?
They rarely do, though it certainly feels that way. Usually there is a small physical sensation first, a skipped beat, a wave of heat, a moment of lightheadedness, which gets read as a sign something is wrong. The adrenaline that follows makes everything worse, which appears to confirm it. Learning to spot that first link changes a great deal.
What is the best therapy for panic attacks?
CBT has the strongest evidence by a clear margin, and it is what NICE recommends for panic disorder. Hypnotherapy helps many people with the physical tension and sleep, though the research behind it is thinner. EMDR fits where panic began after something frightening. A blend is common.
How quickly can this improve?
Panic often responds faster than people expect, particularly where it is recent and the avoidance has not spread far. Longer-standing panic with significant avoidance takes more time. You will get an honest, realistic idea after the first session or two.
Will I be made to go into places that frighten me?
No. Returning to avoided places is part of the work, and it is gradual, agreed with you in advance and entirely at your pace. Nothing is sprung on you, you choose the order, and you can stop at any point.
I have started avoiding places. Is that agoraphobia?
It may be the beginning of it. Agoraphobia is usually a fear of being somewhere you could not easily escape or get help if panic struck, rather than a fear of open spaces. It tends to spread, which is exactly why it is worth addressing early rather than waiting.
I wake up in a panic at night. Is that the same thing?
Yes, those are nocturnal panic attacks, and they are more common than people realise. They are frightening precisely because there is no obvious trigger, and they are not a sign of anything worse. They respond to the same work.
What if I am already on medication for panic?
That is common and it is not a barrier. Therapy works well alongside medication and many people use both. Any decision about your prescription stays between you and your GP, and we would never advise you to change it.
Can I have sessions online?
Yes. You can be seen in person at our Fareham practice or online from anywhere in the UK. Online is a good place to start if travelling or being away from home is currently difficult, and plenty of people move to in person later.
Whenever you are ready, we are here
Start with a free 15 minute call. A relaxed, confidential conversation with an experienced therapist about what has been happening and what would help, with no cost and no obligation.