Panic Attack, Anxiety, or Something Else? Making Sense of Scary Symptoms
Anxiety lives in the body as much as the mind.
It isn’t a flaw—it’s a signal, and that signal can come from many places at once: emotions, stress load, sleep, hormones, digestion, and past scares the body hasn’t forgotten. Today we’ll take a look at a common panic story, what to consider when looking for support, how anxiety can overlap with other conditions, and where approaches like EMDR and somatic therapy fit into the healing process.
Table of Contents
First Step: Seek Medical Attention
Clues Your Nervous System Is Still on High Alert
Step Two: Find Mental Health Support
The Power of Feeling Understood
Building Your Care Team
Where EMDR & Somatic Therapy Fit In
A Common Panic Story
On a Tuesday afternoon, Maya felt a small spark in her chest that quickly swelled into a rush—her throat tightened, her breathing sped up, and her hands tingled. Panic followed, with a single, urgent thought: “I’m having a heart attack.” A coworker drove her to the ER, where monitors beeped, vitals were checked, and every test came back normal. The nurse spoke softly: “This can be panic. It happens a lot.”
Step One: Seek Medical Attention
If an experience feels scary or similar to Maya’s—sudden chest pain, breath changes, dizziness, or anything that feels urgent—please seek emergency medical attention. Getting checked is always the right first step.
For many people, that visit can bring a wave of relief, but it can also stir up embarrassment if every test comes back “normal.” It’s important to remember this doesn’t mean what you felt wasn’t real—it means the body’s alarm system may have been signaling stress or anxiety in powerful ways.
Once urgent medical issues have been ruled out, it’s okay to take the next step and look more closely at how stress and anxiety may be affecting the body.
Step Two: Find Mental Health Support
After urgent medical issues are ruled out, the next step is often the most confusing one: trying to make sense of symptoms that feel so physical but don’t show up on medical tests. Chest tightness, dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, or a racing heart can feel like emergencies—yet they can also be the body’s way of signaling stress or another mental health condition. This is why people sometimes leave the ER relieved but also embarrassed, wondering “If nothing’s wrong, then why do I feel this way?”
Part of therapy is slowing down and mapping these patterns. Anxiety isn’t the only condition that shows up through the body, and symptoms can overlap across many different struggles. For example:
Anxiety Disorders can look like constant worry plus muscle tension, restlessness, and sleep changes.
Panic Disorder can feel like sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, or a racing heart—often leading to ER visits that show “nothing’s wrong.”
OCD may include stomach tension or tightness from the stress of intrusive thoughts and repetitive rituals.
PTSD / C-PTSD can bring hypervigilance, a pounding heart, and startle responses that mimic panic.
ADHD can cause restlessness, racing thoughts, and “time anxiety” that heightens the same body stress cues.
Depression may come with slowed energy, heaviness in the body, and ruminative loops that feel like worry.
Neurodiversity / Sensory Sensitivity can trigger overwhelm, shutdown, or irritability that looks similar to anxiety spikes.
This overlap is what makes anxiety—and its physical manifestations—so confusing. A therapist can help you sort through these layers, noticing which players are on the field and how they interact. From there, approaches like somatic therapy or EMDR can help calm the body’s alarm while working through the deeper roots.
The Power of Feeling Misunderstood
One of the hardest parts of panic or anxiety is being told “nothing is wrong” when every symptom felt urgent and terrifying. While medically reassuring, that moment can also feel invalidating—as if what you went through wasn’t real or didn’t matter. For many people, this adds shame or self-doubt on top of already overwhelming symptoms.
Validation changes that story. When a therapist explains how the nervous system sounds alarms, and why the body reacts in such powerful ways, it creates a sense of relief: it makes sense, and you’re not alone. Psychoeducation—learning about the body’s alarm system—reduces shame and brings clarity. Feeling understood helps transform fear into hope and opens the door to healing.
Building Your Care Team
Healing from panic and anxiety is rarely a one-person job. Support works best when medical and mental health care come together, each provider helping to keep part of the picture clear.
Primary Care Physicians (PCPs): Your PCP helps rule out and monitor medical factors that can mimic or worsen anxiety. Regular check-ins, annual exams, and basic labs (thyroid, iron, B12/folate, vitamin D, blood sugar) can uncover issues like reflux, sleep apnea, hormonal shifts, or nutritional deficiencies. Having this clarity makes it easier to understand what the body is really saying and to move forward with confidence.
Psychiatrists: For some, a psychiatry consult provides another layer of support—especially when panic spikes, sleep is disrupted, or symptoms begin to interfere with daily life. Carefully chosen or short-term medications can create stability while therapy helps the nervous system recover.
Therapists: Therapy ties the whole picture together. A therapist helps map patterns, calm the body’s alarm, and work through the deeper roots of stress and trauma. This steady space makes it possible to find relief while building long-term resilience.
When these supports work side by side, care becomes collaborative and tailored. The goal is always relief with the fewest side effects—integrated into the rest of your healing.
Where EMDR & Somatic Therapy Fit In
When anxiety or trauma keeps showing up through the body, talk alone sometimes isn’t enough. That’s where therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and somatic approaches can make a difference.
EMDR therapy helps the brain reprocess overwhelming memories that keep the nervous system stuck on high alert. By working through these experiences in a safe, structured way, the body learns it no longer needs to sound the same alarms. Over time, flashbacks, panic surges, and physical tension often lose their intensity.
Somatic therapy works directly with the body to notice where stress is held—whether in the chest, stomach, or shoulders—and uses grounding, breath, and gentle movement to release it. This builds a sense of safety from the inside out, so symptoms don’t just get managed but begin to shift.
Together, EMDR and somatic therapy provide both the mind and body with new ways to heal. Instead of being caught in a cycle of fear and physical symptoms, therapy supports resilience, steadiness, and relief in daily life.
Taking the Next Step Toward Relief
Living with panic, anxiety, or trauma can feel exhausting—especially when the body’s signals are confusing and tests come back “normal.” The truth is, your experiences are real, and healing is possible. With the right support, the body’s alarm system can learn to quiet down, and daily life can begin to feel lighter and more manageable.
At Catherine Alvarado, LMFT & Associates, we offer therapy in Redondo Beach and online across California, including EMDR therapy, somatic approaches, and trauma-informed care. Whether seeking short-term support or ongoing therapy, you don’t have to carry this alone.
Until next time, don’t forget to take care of yourself.
About the Author
Catherine Alvarado, LMFT 134744, is an EMDR Certified therapist and Consultant-in-Training (CIT) based in Redondo Beach, California. She specializes in trauma therapy, EMDR therapy, anxiety treatment, and somatic approaches that support healing for both mind and body. Catherine works with teens, adults, and families navigating panic, complex trauma, PTSD, and other challenges that touch daily life.
As the founder of Catherine Alvarado, LMFT & Associates and co-founder of Eunoia Wellness Studio, Catherine is dedicated to providing holistic therapy in the South Bay, blending evidence-based care with compassionate support. She offers individual therapy, intensive EMDR therapy, adjunct EMDR, couples therapy, and family therapy in Redondo Beach and online across California.
Her mission is to create safe, welcoming spaces where clients can feel understood, find relief from overwhelming symptoms, and move toward steadier, more balanced days. If you are experiencing distress, reach out today to schedule a free phone consultation.
