It comes out of nowhere. Your chest tightens, your heart races, and suddenly it feels like you can't breathe. You might feel dizzy or detached, like you're not really in your own body. You may think you're having a heart attack - or even that you're dying.

Panic attacks are intense, often frightening, and deeply misunderstood. Many people who experience them feel overwhelmed, ashamed, or confused - especially when there seems to be “no reason” for them.

In our Edinburgh-based therapy practice, we often meet people who’ve been living in fear of their own body’s responses. Therapy doesn’t just help manage panic attacks - it can help you understand them. And that understanding can be quietly transformative.

A man in woodland with his face in his hands

What does a panic attack feel like?

Everyone experiences panic differently, but there are some common themes that clients often describe:

A sudden, overwhelming sense of dread
Racing heartbeat, chest tightness, or a choking sensation
Shaking, sweating, or feeling flushed
Dizziness or feeling faint
A sense of being disconnected from your surroundings - or from yourself
Intense thoughts like “I’m going to die”, “I’m losing control”, or “Something terrible is happening”

Panic attacks can last a few minutes or more. According to the NHS, the intensity and duration can vary from person to person and even from one attack to the next. What’s striking is how real the threat feels, even when there’s no danger in the environment. Your body and mind react as though something terrible is happening - because, in that moment, something is.

Why do panic attacks happen?

There’s no single answer. Panic is not random. It’s often the result of your nervous system being overwhelmed - sometimes suddenly, sometimes after years of cumulative tension.

While the trigger might not always be clear, the emotion underneath usually is. We often find that panic is the body’s way of expressing something that hasn’t had space to come out in words - grief, fear, helplessness, trauma, or even rage.

From a psychodynamic perspective, panic is not just a problem to be solved but a message to be listened to. It’s the emotional alarm bell going off after too long spent holding everything together.

Why panic attacks can feel so confusing

Panic often doesn’t make logical sense. You may have a panic attack in a calm environment - watching TV, walking into a meeting, or falling asleep. That mismatch between your external setting and your internal experience can make the whole thing feel surreal.

It’s common to feel:

Embarrassed or ashamed afterwards
Scared of having another attack
Frustrated by not knowing why it happened
Dismissed by others who don’t understand

But panic isn’t irrational. It just speaks in a different language - one your body has learned over time.

person sat hugging a pillow and hiding their face. They. look like they could be having a panic attack

How therapy can help

At Room for Therapy in Edinburgh, we don’t treat panic attacks as isolated events to be “fixed.” We offer a quiet, non-judgemental space to explore what might be sitting underneath your panic - and what your body has been trying to express.

We don’t rush you. We’re not here to analyse you. We simply offer the kind of consistent, steady relationship that panic doesn’t often get.

Together, we might explore:

What was happening in your life when the panic began
How emotions have been stored, managed, or suppressed over time
What your body might be trying to protect you from
How early experiences shaped your sense of safety

Therapy isn’t about stopping panic in its tracks. It’s about helping you develop a different relationship with it - one rooted in curiosity and compassion rather than fear.

A client example

A client came to us after a series of unexplained panic attacks. She described the terrifying sense that she was about to collapse, despite being told by doctors that “nothing was wrong.”

In therapy, we began to gently explore not just the panic attacks themselves, but her wider emotional world. She talked about always being the “strong one” - the person who coped. Panic had emerged not because she was weak, but because she’d been carrying too much, for too long.

As she began to feel safer in therapy, the panic started to lose its power. It didn’t vanish overnight, but it no longer held the same grip. It became something she could listen to, rather than fear.

You’re not broken. You’re responding.

Panic can feel like something is wrong with you. But often, it’s your body responding to something that has been wrong for a while - something that needed attention but never got it.

You’re not weak. You’re not irrational. You’re responding, the best way you know how, to something you may not have had words for yet.

Therapy can be the place where those words begin to take shape - and where your panic starts to make sense.

If you’re in Edinburgh or nearby and struggling with panic attacks, our team at Room for Therapy is here to help. You can learn more on our Therapy for Anxiety page or reach out to book an initial conversation. You don’t have to go through this alone.

To hear more about the support we offer or to begin a conversation with us, reach our using our contact form or email us at contact@roomfortherapy.co.uk

What a Panic Attack Feels Like (And How Therapy Can Help)