CBT for panic disorder
When fear of another attack begins to shape your day.
What you might notice
Panic attacks are sudden surges of intense fear with sensations such as a racing heart, dizziness or breathlessness. Panic disorder involves recurring, unexpected attacks alongside ongoing worry about further attacks or changes in behaviour to prevent them. Avoiding activities or closely monitoring your body can gradually narrow daily life.
How CBT can help
We map the links between sensations, their feared meanings and the things you do to feel safe. CBT helps you test those meanings and gradually approach avoided sensations or situations through agreed exercises. New or unexplained physical symptoms should be medically assessed rather than assumed to be anxiety.
General information, not a diagnosis. Your experience and goals guide our assessment and the plan we agree together.
Further reading and sourcesHow the cycle can keep going
This example shows one way the pattern can be maintained. Your own triggers and responses may look different.
Read the cycle step by step
- Trigger: A sudden racing heartbeat
- Meaning: This means something is seriously wrong with me.
- Feelings and body: Fear rises; breathing and heartbeat change further.
- Response: Escape, scan the body or rely on safety habits.
- What keeps it going: Brief relief, but the feared meaning is left untested.
The short-term response can make the pattern more likely to repeat. This is an illustration, not a diagnosis or an individual formulation.
Is fear of another attack stopping you from doing something that matters to you?
A free 5–10 minute consultation is a chance to talk about what you need and whether we could work well together.
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