Hypnosis Cardiff Online

A panic attack can be an intensely frightening experience. It can appear to come from nowhere, leaving you feeling as though something is seriously wrong. Your heart may race, your breathing can become difficult, you might feel dizzy or shaky, and you may experience sweating, chest discomfort or a powerful sense that you are about to lose control.

Perhaps the most frightening part is not knowing when the next attack will happen.

After experiencing several panic attacks, it is common to become increasingly concerned about having another one. You may begin avoiding certain places or situations, changing your daily routine or constantly monitoring how your body feels. Over time, this fear of another attack can become almost as troublesome as the panic itself.

What Happens During a Panic Attack?

A panic attack is essentially an intense activation of the body’s emergency response. The nervous system reacts as though there is an immediate threat, even when there is no obvious danger.

This can produce powerful physical sensations. Your heart rate increases, breathing changes, muscles become tense and your attention becomes highly focused on what is happening inside your body.

Unfortunately, these sensations can then be misinterpreted as evidence that something terrible is happening. A racing heart may be interpreted as a heart problem, dizziness as a sign of fainting, or difficulty breathing as suffocation.

The resulting fear can increase the physical symptoms, creating a frightening cycle:

Physical sensation → frightening interpretation → increased fear → stronger physical sensations.

Understanding this cycle can be an important first step towards breaking it.

How Can Hypnotherapy Help?

Hypnotherapy can provide a calm environment in which to explore the experiences, thoughts and emotional responses associated with panic.

During hypnosis, attention becomes more focused and distractions can be reduced. This can make it easier to work with relaxation, emotional responses and the individual’s experience of panic.

For some people, learning to enter a calmer state can also provide an important contrast to the heightened physical state associated with panic. Rather than constantly anticipating the next attack, the person can begin developing a greater sense of control and confidence.

Hypnotherapy should not be presented as a guaranteed cure for panic attacks, and the research specifically examining hypnosis for panic disorder remains limited. A systematic review of hypnosis for anxiety disorders found only a small number of controlled studies and concluded that there was insufficient evidence at that time to establish hypnosis as an effective treatment for chronic anxiety disorders.

That is an important distinction.

There are, however, published clinical reports describing positive outcomes. For example, David B. Reid published a peer-reviewed case report describing a hypnosis protocol for panic disorder involving education about panic physiology, examination of contributing factors, physical activity and hypnosis. The individual in the case had been experiencing near-daily panic attacks and subsequently reported remaining panic-free six years after treatment. As this was a single case report, it cannot establish that the same result will occur for everyone.

Earlier research has also reported encouraging individual results. A 1990 paper in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis described the use of rational self-directed hypnotherapy and guided imagery with an individual experiencing panic attacks. Improvements included increased sense of control and cessation of panic attacks, although again, this was a single-subject study rather than a large clinical trial.

Other research has examined hypnosis alongside exposure-based treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia. A study involving 64 patients compared exposure treatment with exposure combined with hypnosis and examined whether treatment preference influenced outcome.

What Does the Wider Research Tell Us?

It is important to put hypnotherapy into the wider context of panic-disorder research.

The strongest evidence currently supports psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). A large systematic review and network meta-analysis examined 136 randomised controlled trials involving more than 7,000 participants and found CBT to be among the most effective psychological treatments for panic disorder.

An umbrella review of 38 systematic reviews and meta-analyses likewise found substantial evidence supporting CBT for reducing panic symptoms, while noting that the methodological quality of many of the underlying reviews was limited.

This does not mean that hypnosis has no place. Rather, it means that claims about hypnotherapy for panic attacks should reflect the current evidence rather than suggesting that hypnosis has been conclusively proven to outperform established treatments.

Taking the First Step

Living with panic attacks can gradually make life smaller. You may stop travelling, avoid crowded places, worry about being alone or constantly wonder where the next attack might occur.

Getting help can be the beginning of changing that pattern.

A consultation provides an opportunity to talk about what you have been experiencing, understand how hypnotherapy works and decide whether it feels appropriate for you. There is no need to make an immediate commitment.

If panic attacks are affecting your confidence, independence or enjoyment of everyday life, talking to a suitably qualified professional may help you understand what is happening and explore the options available to you.

You do not have to spend your life organising everything around the fear of another panic attack.

If you experience new, severe or unexplained chest pain, breathing difficulties, fainting or other potentially serious physical symptoms, seek appropriate medical assessment rather than assuming they are caused by panic.