Panic Attacks: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How to Stop Them

A young woman sits on the floor, appearing contemplative and anxious, embodying the emotions associated with panic attacks, as highlighted by the article's title.

It can happen without warning. Your heart pounds so hard you are convinced it is about to give out. You cannot breathe properly. You feel dizzy, unreal, disconnected from your body. You are certain something catastrophic is happening. And then — after ten minutes that feel like an hour — it passes.

A panic attack is one of the most frightening experiences a person can have. It is also one of the most treatable. Understanding what is actually happening during a panic attack — and why — is the most important first step in taking back control.

What Is a Panic Attack?

A panic attack is a sudden, intense surge of fear or discomfort that peaks within minutes and involves a cluster of physical and cognitive symptoms. It is the body's fight-or-flight response activating at full intensity in the absence of actual external danger. The alarm is real; the threat, in most cases, is not.

Panic attacks can occur in specific contexts (triggered by particular situations, places, or stimuli) or seemingly at random (what is called unexpected or uncued panic). They can be a single isolated episode or part of a pattern that — when recurrent and causing significant life disruption — meets the criteria for Panic Disorder.

Panic Attack Symptoms

The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) lists 13 possible panic attack symptoms. Most people experience a combination of the following:

• Racing or pounding heartbeat (palpitations)

• Chest tightness or chest pain

• Shortness of breath or feeling smothered

• Dizziness, lightheadedness, or feeling faint

• Trembling or shaking

• Sweating

• Nausea or stomach distress

• Tingling or numbness in the hands, feet, or face

• Chills or hot flushes

• A feeling of unreality or detachment from yourself (derealization or depersonalisation)

• A fear of losing control or 'going crazy'

• A fear of dying

What Is Actually Happening in Your Body During a Panic Attack

When the brain's threat-detection system (the amygdala) fires, it triggers the release of adrenaline and other stress hormones. These prepare the body for fight or flight: heart rate increases to pump blood to muscles, breathing accelerates to increase oxygen supply, digestion pauses, and peripheral blood flow redirects to large muscle groups.

None of these responses are dangerous. They are, in fact, the body working exactly as designed. The catastrophic feeling during a panic attack — the conviction that you are dying or losing your mind — is itself a symptom of the anxiety response, not evidence of actual danger. Understanding this intellectually does not always prevent panic, but it is a crucial foundation for managing it.

How to Stop a Panic Attack: In the Moment

1. Recognise What Is Happening

The moment you can label the experience — 'this is a panic attack, not a heart attack or stroke' — you reduce the secondary fear (fear of the fear) that amplifies it. Panic attacks cannot harm you, do not indicate physical illness, and always pass.

2. Controlled Breathing

Hyperventilation during panic creates physical symptoms (tingling, dizziness) that intensify the fear. Slowing and deepening your breath — particularly extending the exhale — activates the parasympathetic nervous system and begins to bring the body out of fight-or-flight. Try breathing in for 4 counts, holding for 2, and breathing out slowly for 6 counts.

3. Grounding Techniques

Bring your attention into the present moment and the immediate environment. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique: name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste. This interrupts the catastrophic thought spiral and anchors you in the here and now.

4. Allow, Rather Than Fight

Paradoxically, trying to resist or escape a panic attack often intensifies it. Accepting the experience — 'this is uncomfortable and it will pass' — reduces the secondary layer of fear that sustains the peak. This is the approach taught in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Panic Disorder: When Panic Attacks Become a Pattern

When panic attacks recur and lead to significant avoidance (of situations where you fear they might happen) or persistent worry about future attacks, this meets the criteria for Panic Disorder. It is highly treatable — CBT for panic disorder has a recovery rate of 70-90% in clinical studies — but requires professional intervention.

Therapy for Panic Attacks in Dubai

At Journey Wellness Centre in Dubai, our therapists use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — both first-line, evidence-based treatments — for panic attacks and panic disorder. Treatment typically involves education about the anxiety response, graduated exposure to feared situations, and skills for both in-the-moment management and long-term prevention.

Attacks Are Treatable. You Don't Have to Live Around Them.

Our anxiety specialists at Journey Wellness Centre in Dubai provide proven, structured treatment for panic attacks and panic disorder.

Book a session now!