Panic attacks feel frightening, but the body's alarm response is not dangerous in itself, and panic disorder is treatable with the right support.
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear that brings very real physical symptoms: a pounding or racing heart, breathlessness, chest tightness, dizziness, sweating, trembling and a powerful sense of dread. It is the body's natural fight-or-flight alarm firing strongly when there is no real danger present.
Panic disorder develops when these unexpected attacks keep happening and you begin to worry about the next one, sometimes avoiding the places or situations where they have struck before. That worry can feed the cycle, but the cycle can also be understood and gently interrupted. As distressing as it feels, the alarm response is not dangerous in itself.
If you are having recurrent panic attacks, living with ongoing worry about when the next one will come, or avoiding everyday places and situations because of them, it is worth reaching out. Persistent panic is treatable, and a calm assessment can also help rule out other causes and put a clear plan in place.
We begin with an unhurried, one-hour consultation to understand your symptoms, what tends to trigger an attack, and how panic is affecting your day-to-day life. From there we build a plan together, starting with the approaches that tend to help first and adjusting as you go.
Working one-to-one with our psychotherapist to understand the panic cycle, gently challenge frightening thoughts and rebuild confidence in situations you may have started to avoid. Talking therapy is a first-line approach that many patients find helps panic feel more manageable.
Simple breathing and grounding techniques can help settle the fight-or-flight response and teach the body that the sensations of a panic attack, while intense, are not harmful. Some patients find these tools give them a way to ride out an attack rather than fear it.
We review sleep, caffeine, alcohol, stimulants, exercise and stress, since each can influence how often the alarm fires. Gentle movement, yoga, aromatherapy and relaxation through our Innovative Solutions can further support a calmer nervous system.
For treatment-resistant panic that has not eased with psychotherapy and first-line support, more specialised options may be considered for a small number of patients, always assessed individually and with full clinical oversight.
These options may include Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy and medical cannabis, both available only after careful assessment and with full clinical oversight.
Book a one-hour consultation with our team to understand what is driving your panic and start a plan to settle it. If you would prefer to talk things through first, call us on +356 2166 6903.
Medically reviewed by Dr Andrew Agius, Founder & Medical Director — last reviewed 29 June 2026.
