Psychology for Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder
Are you feeling overwhelmed by sudden waves of fear, racing heart, or a sense of losing control?
Panic disorder can be frightening and isolating, but support is available. Therapy can help you understand what’s happening in your body and mind, identify triggers, and learn strategies to reduce the intensity and frequency of panic attacks. With the right support, it’s possible to regain a sense of safety, confidence, and calm in your daily life.
"In therapy, we find the courage to face our fears and the strength to overcome them"
Information about Panic Attacks
What is a Panic Attack
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort that can happen without warning. Symptoms may include a racing heart, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, trembling, nausea, or a sense of detachment or unreality. Some people feel like they’re dying or having a heart attack and may even go to the hospital—only to be told their heart is fine.
Panic attacks can be terrifying, especially when they seem to come out of nowhere. For some, they’re triggered by reminders of past distress—even events from many years ago. Your body may be responding to unresolved emotional pain, even if your mind hasn’t connected the dots yet.
What does a panic attack feel like
Panic attacks can feel overwhelming and frightening. Common sensations include:
-
Heart pounding or racing
-
Feeling short of breath or unable to get air
-
Dizziness or feeling faint
-
Shaking, sweating, or hot/cold flashes
-
Chest tightness or nausea
-
A sense of dread, fear of losing control, or fear of dying
Even though these experiences feel intense, panic attacks themselves are not dangerous. They are the body’s alarm system activating in moments when it isn’t needed.
What Therapeutic Strategies Can Help with Panic Attacks?
Different types of therapy can be effective in treating panic attacks and panic disorder. These include:
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Psychoeducation – Understanding what panic is and how the brain and body respond to fear can reduce fear of the symptoms themselves.
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Exposure therapy – Helps reduce avoidance by gradually and safely facing feared sensations or situations.
-
Schema therapy – Addresses deeper patterns and unmet emotional needs; can include rescripting techniques to help process trauma or early life experiences contributing to panic.
-
Cognitive-behavioural strategies – Assist in identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking patterns that fuel anxiety and panic.
-
EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation Therapy - This therapy can help to intergrate aspects of trauma that contribute to panic symptoms.
You don’t have to figure this out alone—therapy is tailored to your story, goals, and pace.
What causes Panic Disorder and why do Panic Attacks Keep Happening?
There is no single cause. Panic Disorder can develop due to a combination of biological factors, stress, past experiences, temperament, and how the body responds to perceived threat. Some people notice panic symptoms during times of chronic stress, major life transitions, or after fearful events. For others, it appears “out of the blue.”
After one or two panic attacks, it’s common to develop a fear of having another—especially in certain situations or places. This fear can create a cycle of anxiety, where the fear of panic actually triggers more panic. Over time, you might start avoiding places or situations you associate with past attacks, which can limit your freedom and confidence.
This pattern is known as panic disorder. But with support, it’s possible to break the cycle.
How Can Therapy Help?
Therapy offers a safe and supportive space to understand and manage what’s happening in your body and mind. Kylie Walls is a registered psychologist experienced in supporting individuals experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, and related concerns. Her approach is warm, collaborative, and tailored to your unique needs and goals.
Together, you’ll explore the factors contributing to your panic—whether that’s unprocessed trauma, chronic stress, or patterns of thinking that leave you feeling overwhelmed. Kylie can support you in building insight, learning practical tools, and gently breaking the cycle of fear and avoidance.
With the right support, many people find their panic attacks become less intense and less frequent—and that a sense of calm, safety, and control begins to return. You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Frequently Asked Questions on Psychology for Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder
Can Panic Disorder be treated?
Yes. Panic Disorder is highly treatable. Evidence-based therapies—such as Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—can help reduce both the frequency and intensity of panic attacks. Treatment focuses on understanding the panic cycle, developing new responses to symptoms, and building confidence in your body’s capacity to tolerate and regulate stress.
Treatment for panic disorder starts with understanding what keeps panic going, including a tendency towards catastrophic thinking when you experience panic sensations (e.g., racing heart, chest tightening, tightening in your throat, and feeling nauseas and dizzy).
Will I learn how to stop panic attacks from happening altogether?
The goal is not to eliminate all anxiety or prevent every panic sensation—because anxiety is a normal part of life. Instead, therapy helps reduce fear around the sensations themselves and teaches strategies that allow panic to pass more quickly and with less distress. Over time, this can greatly reduce the frequency of panic attacks and restore a sense of safety and agency. Some people find that they do not have panic attacks at all over time, but some will have occassional panic symptoms that they will be able to understand and manage more easily.
I have tried breathing exercises and they don’t work. Does that mean nothing will help?
Breathing techniques and other grounding techniques can be useful for some people, but they are not the main solution. Panic Disorder treatment focuses less on controlling symptoms and more on changing your relationship to them—helping the body learn that the sensations of panic are uncomfortable but not dangerous. Many clients find this approach more effective than trying to “calm down” in the moment. Other strategies to try to understand your underlying anxiety and triggers is also helpful in treating panic attacks.
Can faith or spirituality play a role in panic?
Yes, for some people the experience of panic is intertwined with their faith. Panic symptoms may arise during prayer, worship, contemplation, or times of deep responsibility or service to others. When a person’s faith is deeply meaningful to them, these experiences can feel confusing, frightening, or even shame-inducing.
For some individuals, panic may also occur alongside scrupulosity—a form of OCD that involves intense worry about sin, morality, or “getting it right” with God. In these situations, the body’s alarm response can become activated in moments of uncertainty, guilt, or self-evaluation. This can lead to cycles of reassurance seeking, over-analysis of thoughts, or fear that intrusive or distressing thoughts have spiritual significance.
Mental Health Support at Refuge Psychology does not assume the origin of your distress is “spiritual” (e.g., a demonic force, or weakness of faith). I recognise that many people experience anxiety and panic symptoms for many reasons, and these are not an indication that your faith is weak. In therapy, your faith can be honoured as a meaningful, grounding part of life while also exploring the emotional, cognitive, and physiological patterns that are contributing to panic.
Therapy can create space to:
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Understand your experiences without shame
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Differentiate anxiety-driven fear from your genuine beliefs and values
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Develop a more compassionate relationship with your internal world
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Reduce panic and fear around physical sensations
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Rebuild trust in your own ability to think, feel, and discern
Can panic attacks happen “out of the blue”?
Yes. Many people describe panic attacks as coming on suddenly, without an obvious trigger. Often, the body has been under stress for some time, and the nervous system becomes sensitised. The panic episode can feel sudden even though the underlying stress has been building gradually.
Can avoiding certain situations make panic better?
Generally not, avoidance can feel like it helps in the short term because it reduces immediate anxiety. However, over time it teaches the brain that the situation is dangerous, which can make fear stronger. A core part of therapy is gently rebuilding confidence in situations that feel overwhelming, at a pace that honours your capacity.
Why does it feel like something is physically wrong, like I'm going to pass-out or have a heart-attack?
Panic activates the fight–flight response, releasing adrenaline and increasing heart rate, breathing, and alertness. These changes are designed to protect us in danger. During panic, the body misinterprets something non-dangerous as threatening, so the response feels real, urgent, and physical—even though nothing harmful is actually happening.
I suddenly started having panic attacks after visiting a place connected to trauma from my early life. Why is this happening now?
It’s common for panic to resurface when you return to a place or situation that holds unresolved emotional memory from earlier in life. Even if you “haven’t thought about it in years,” the body may still store the felt-sense of those experiences — the fear, tension, helplessness, or vigilance you needed to survive at the time. This can be reflective of Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD).
When you encountered that place again, your nervous system recognised familiar cues — a smell, a street, a sound, a tone, the way the light fell — and responded as though the past were happening in the present. This reaction is automatic, not conscious.
Your body isn’t overreacting — it is trying to protect you.
This does not mean the trauma is returning or that you are “going backwards.” It means your nervous system has more to heal.
Therapy can support your system to learn that the danger has passed and that you are safe now.
Two approaches used in this work include:
Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy explores how early experiences shaped beliefs such as “I am unsafe,” “I am alone,” or “I have to stay on high alert.” Together, we work with the emotional and relational patterns that were formed in those early environments, helping your Healthy Adult self become stronger, kinder, and more grounded.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)EMDR helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they no longer trigger the same emotional or physical response. You do not need to retell the trauma in detail — instead, the focus is on helping the brain integrate the memory and release the alarm response attached to it.
Therapy can help the nervous system to:
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Separate past threat from present safety
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Reduce the intensity of panic responses
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Build internal stability and self-trust
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Reconnect to a sense of safety in your body and environment
What is a Panic Attack?
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort that can happen without warning. Symptoms may include a racing heart, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, trembling, nausea, or a sense of detachment or unreality. Some people feel like they’re dying or having a heart attack and may even go to the hospital—only to be told their heart is fine.
Panic attacks can be terrifying, especially when they seem to come out of nowhere. For some, they’re triggered by reminders of past distress—even events from many years ago. Your body may be responding to unresolved emotional pain, even if your mind hasn’t connected the dots yet.
What does a panic attack feel like
Panic attacks can feel overwhelming and frightening. Common sensations include:
-
Heart pounding or racing
-
Feeling short of breath or unable to get air
-
Dizziness or feeling faint
-
Shaking, sweating, or hot/cold flashes
-
Chest tightness or nausea
-
A sense of dread, fear of losing control, or fear of dying
Even though these experiences feel intense, panic attacks themselves are not dangerous. They are the body’s alarm system activating in moments when it isn’t needed.
What therapeutic strategies can help with panic disorder?
Different types of therapy can be effective in treating panic attacks and panic disorder. These include:
-
Psychoeducation – Understanding what panic is and how the brain and body respond to fear can reduce fear of the symptoms themselves.
-
Exposure therapy – Helps reduce avoidance by gradually and safely facing feared sensations or situations.
-
Schema therapy – Addresses deeper patterns and unmet emotional needs; can include rescripting techniques to help process trauma or early life experiences contributing to panic.
-
Cognitive-behavioural strategies – Assist in identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking patterns that fuel anxiety and panic.
-
EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation Therapy - This therapy can help to intergrate aspects of trauma that contribute to panic symptoms.
You don’t have to figure this out alone—therapy is tailored to your story, goals, and pace.
How can Therapy Help with Panic Attacks
Therapy offers a safe and supportive space to understand and manage what’s happening in your body and mind. Kylie Walls is a registered psychologist experienced in supporting individuals experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, and related concerns. Her approach is warm, collaborative, and tailored to your unique needs and goals.
Together, you’ll explore the factors contributing to your panic—whether that’s unprocessed trauma, chronic stress, or patterns of thinking that leave you feeling overwhelmed. Kylie can support you in building insight, learning practical tools, and gently breaking the cycle of fear and avoidance.
With the right support, many people find their panic attacks become less intense and less frequent—and that a sense of calm, safety, and control begins to return. You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Support is Available
Kylie, an online Psychologist and experienced counsellor, uses a combination of therapies to help break this cycle and support recovery. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) helps change negative thought patterns, while Schema Therapy addresses deep-rooted beliefs. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages embracing emotions and committing to actions that align with personal values. Emotional Focused Therapy and Gottman Therapy can also be used to address relational concerns that are contributing to depression.
Book a session through the online portal today, or phone on:
1300 618 377
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