EMDR Therapy for Panic Attacks: Helping the Body Learn Safety Again
Panic attacks can feel sudden, overwhelming, and deeply physical.
For many people, they seem to come out of nowhere—heart racing, breath catching, body flooding with fear before there’s time to make sense of what’s happening. Even when the mind knows there’s no real danger, the body reacts as if there is.
Panic isn’t a sign of weakness or a lack of control. It’s a nervous system response shaped by past experiences, stress, and moments that didn’t get fully processed. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy offers a way to work directly with those stored responses, helping the body learn that the threat has passed and that it’s safe to settle again.
Table of Contents
What Panic Attacks Are—and Why They Feel So Intense
How Panic Gets Stored in the Nervous System
Why Panic Often Starts in the Body, Not the Mind
How EMDR Therapy Helps with Panic Attacks
Moving Out of the Panic Cycle
Finding EMDR Therapy for Panic Attacks
What Panic Attacks Are—and Why They Feel So Intense
Panic attacks are sudden surges of intense fear paired with strong physical sensations. They often escalate quickly and can feel overpowering, even when there’s no clear reason for them to be happening. For many people, the most distressing part isn’t the fear itself—it’s how convincing the body’s response feels.
During a panic attack, the nervous system shifts into emergency mode. The heart races, breathing changes, muscles tense, and the body prepares to respond to a threat that isn’t actually present. Because this reaction is automatic, panic can feel uncontrollable and frightening.
The intensity of panic often leads people to fear the sensations themselves—wondering when the next attack will happen or trying to avoid situations where panic has shown up before. Over time, this fear of panic can become just as distressing as the panic attacks themselves.
How Panic Gets Stored in the Nervous System
Panic doesn’t come from nowhere. It develops when the nervous system learns to associate certain sensations, moments, or situations with danger—even if the original threat has passed.
When fear or overwhelm isn’t fully processed at the time it occurs, the body may continue reacting as if the experience is still happening. Instead of being stored as something that’s over, the memory remains active in the nervous system. This is why panic often shows up as a physical reaction before conscious fear has time to register. Over time, the nervous system becomes quicker to sound the alarm. Small changes—like a flutter in the chest, a shift in breathing, or dizziness—can trigger panic because the body has learned to treat those sensations as warnings.
Why Panic Often Starts in the Body, Not the Mind
Many people notice that panic begins with physical sensations rather than anxious thoughts. The body reacts first, and the mind scrambles to make sense of what’s happening afterward. The nervous system is designed to respond faster than conscious thought. When it perceives threat—real or remembered—it activates protective responses automatically. Panic can begin with sensations like chest tightness, lightheadedness, or shortness of breath, even when there’s no obvious mental trigger.
Once the body reacts, the mind often follows with worry: What’s happening? What if something is wrong? What if this doesn’t stop? This sequence can make panic feel unpredictable and disconnected from stress, reinforcing fear of the experience itself.
How EMDR Therapy Helps with Panic Attacks
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy helps the nervous system process experiences that remain stuck in a state of threat. Rather than focusing only on managing symptoms, EMDR works with how panic is stored in the body and brain. Through bilateral stimulation—such as eye movements, tapping, or alternating sounds—EMDR supports the brain’s natural ability to reprocess distressing experiences. As processing unfolds, the nervous system begins to recognize that past fear is over, reducing the need to stay on high alert.
Research supports EMDR’s effectiveness for panic and anxiety-related conditions. A study published in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research found EMDR therapy to be effective in reducing symptoms across anxiety disorders, including panic, highlighting its impact on both emotional and physiological distress.¹ EMDR doesn’t just address one moment of panic—it explores the broader web of experiences, sensations, and beliefs that keep panic active. Common EMDR targets for panic attacks may include:
The first or most recent panic episode
Fear of having another panic attack
Physical sensations such as chest pressure, dizziness, or shortness of breath
Negative beliefs like “I’m not safe,” “I’m dying,” or “I’m out of control”
Early experiences of feeling trapped, dismissed, or powerless
Medical events, accidents, or situations where the body learned it wasn’t safe
These experiences are processed in a way that stays connected to the present. The goal isn’t to erase memories or sensations—it’s to change how the nervous system responds to them. As processing continues, panic loses its urgency, and physical sensations feel less threatening.
Moving Out of the Panic Cycle
After repeated panic attacks, the body often becomes vigilant, scanning for sensations that might signal another episode. This can create a cycle where fear of panic keeps the nervous system activated, making future attacks more likely. As EMDR helps resolve stored fear, this cycle begins to loosen. Physical sensations no longer automatically trigger alarm, and attention shifts away from constant monitoring. Panic becomes less frequent, less intense, or stops altogether.
The goal isn’t to eliminate sensation—it’s to help the body interpret sensations without sounding the alarm.
Finding EMDR Therapy for Panic Attacks
If panic attacks have started to affect daily life, relationships, or a sense of safety, working with a therapist trained in EMDR can be an important step. EMDR therapists receive specialized training to support nervous system processing and reduce panic at its source.
When searching for a provider, the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) therapist directory is a helpful place to start, as it lists clinicians who have completed standardized EMDR training. Seeking support doesn’t mean something is wrong—it means the body has been carrying a lot. With the right approach, it’s possible for the nervous system to learn safety again and for panic to lose its hold.
Until next time, don’t forget to take care of yourself.
– – Catherine Alvarado, LMFT
References
¹ Faretta, E., & Dal Farra, M. (2019). Efficacy of EMDR Therapy for Anxiety Disorders. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 13(4), 325–332. [View Article]
About the Author
Catherine Alvarado, LMFT 134744, is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant based in Redondo Beach, California, offering individual therapy to teens and adults through South Bay Psychotherapy & EMDR. She also co-owns Eunoia Wellness Studio, a collaborative space in Redondo Beach created to support holistic care. Her work attends to the thinking mind alongside emotional and bodily experience, with attention to how stress and life experiences are carried in the nervous system.
Catherine specializes in EMDR therapy and works with individuals navigating anxiety, panic, trauma, and patterns that feel difficult to shift, even with insight. EMDR is one part of a broader approach that helps connect past experiences with what shows up in the present, supporting greater ease, safety, and self-trust over time.
Her work is relational and reflective, often blending EMDR with somatic awareness and gentle exploration of inner experience. Therapy is approached as a space to slow things down, get curious, and build a more steady, trusting relationship with oneself.
She practices in Redondo Beach and offers both in-person and online therapy.
