Panic attacks can strike like a lightning bolt—sudden, intense, and leaving you with a racing heart, shortness of breath, and a sense of impending doom. If you’ve experienced panic, you know how disorienting and overwhelming it can be. But have you ever wondered what’s really happening in your body and mind during these episodes? Understanding the science behind panic can provide the first step toward finding lasting relief.
What Causes Panic Attacks?
Panic attacks are driven by a phenomenon known as nervous system dysregulation. In simple terms, your nervous system becomes stuck in “fight or flight” mode, interpreting everyday situations as dangerous—even when they’re not. This overactivation can be traced to various factors, including past trauma, chronic stress, or even subconscious patterns that the brain has learned over time.
The key systems involved in a panic attack are:
- The Amygdala: The brain’s fear center, responsible for triggering the body’s alarm response.
- The Sympathetic Nervous System: This system activates the body’s fight-or-flight response, flooding it with adrenaline and cortisol.
- The Prefrontal Cortex: The rational part of the brain that often gets “hijacked” during a panic attack, making it hard to think clearly or calm yourself down.
Understanding the Panic Cycle
Panic attacks often follow a predictable pattern:
- Trigger: A thought, sensation, or situation activates the brain’s alarm system.
- Physical Symptoms: The body’s fight-or-flight response kicks in, causing rapid heart rate, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
- Fear of Symptoms: These sensations feel overwhelming, creating a fear of the panic itself.
- Reinforcement: The fear and focus on the symptoms reinforce the brain’s belief that something is wrong, perpetuating the cycle.
To break free, you need more than symptom management—you need to retrain your brain to stop seeing panic as a threat.
During the worst of my panic disorder, I felt like I was failing as a mother, partner, and individual. On some days my panic was so sever that I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed. My children’s needs were urgent, yet I felt powerless, consumed by fear. My struggles just to deal with day-to-day life, only made my anxiety worse.
It wasn’t until I sought to understand the root cause of my panic that things began to shift. I realized that my body wasn’t broken—it was overprotective. My nervous system needed to be retrained, not silenced or fought against. This understanding changed everything.
My approach, the Panic Proof Protocol™, has helped over 90% of my clients stop having panic attacks after just one session. It’s not about masking the symptoms—it’s about teaching your brain and body a new way to respond to fear, one that creates calm and resilience instead of fear.
