If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you know how frightening and overwhelming it can feel. Your heart races, your breathing quickens, and it can feel like you’re losing control or having a heart attack.
What you might not realize is that panic attacks can sometimes be connected to past unhealed trauma. Your body and mind may still be holding onto stress from difficult experiences, and these unresolved emotions can show up as panic attacks. The good news? There is help, and you don’t have to face this alone.
The Connection Between Trauma and Panic
When you’ve gone through something traumatic, your body’s natural stress response can get “stuck.” Even if the event is in the past, your brain may still perceive certain situations, sensations, or even thoughts as subconscious threats, triggering a fight-or-flight response.
This can result in panic attacks, where your body reacts as though you’re in danger, even when you’re safe. Unresolved trauma can also cause heightened sensitivity to normal bodily sensations, leading to a sense of fear or dread that feels impossible to control.
How EMDR Therapy Can Help
One highly effective way to address trauma-related panic attacks is through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR is a structured approach that helps your brain process and heal from past traumatic experiences.
Here’s how it works:
- Identifying Triggers: EMDR helps you uncover the root causes of your panic attacks. These may be tied to specific memories or unresolved emotions that are influencing your present-day reactions.
- Processing Trauma: During EMDR sessions, a therapist guides you through targeted eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation. This helps your brain reprocess painful memories in a way that reduces their emotional intensity.
- Breaking the Cycle: By resolving the trauma at its core, EMDR can help reduce or even eliminate panic attacks. The overwhelming fear that once felt uncontrollable becomes manageable, and you gain a greater sense of peace.
Beyond Panic: Reclaiming Your Life
Healing past trauma not only helps reduce panic attacks but also allows you to move forward with more confidence and self-awareness. Through therapy, you can:
- Build Emotional Resilience: Addressing your trauma empowers you to handle life’s challenges without fear of being overwhelmed.
- Develop Coping Strategies: Therapists can teach you practical tools, like breathing techniques and grounding exercises, to calm your body during moments of panic.
- Rewrite Your Story: By healing past wounds, you create space for a new narrative—one where you feel safe, strong, and in control of your life.
You Deserve to Heal
Panic attacks are not your fault, and they don’t define you. They’re often a signal that your mind and body are asking for help to process something from your past. Therapy, and particularly EMDR, offers a way to address the root cause, rather than just managing the symptoms.
At Integrate Counselling, all of our therapists are trained in either EMDR or AEDP, both therapies that have proven effective in healing past trauma. Book a free 15-minute consultation today to get help managing your panic attacks!
