Panic attacks can feel overwhelming, sudden, and at times, terrifying. Heart racing, breath shortening, thoughts spiraling—these moments can leave you feeling out of control and unsafe in your own body. At Create Wellbeing Therapy Collective, we understand that healing from panic is not just about symptom management; it is about creating coherence in the nervous system, building trust in the body, and integrating parts of ourselves that may have been fragmented by trauma, stress, or chronic anxiety.
Our 3-Stage Model of Care—Calm, Engage, Integrate—guides the process of addressing panic attacks in a compassionate, holistic, and evidence-based way. This model blends interpersonal neurobiology, somatic psychology, trauma-informed care, and spiritual wisdom to support a person in restoring internal harmony and resilience.
In this blog, we will walk you through how each stage of the Create Wellbeing Model of Care can be used to interrupt panic attacks and, over time, reduce their frequency and intensity. Whether you experience panic yourself or support someone who does, these strategies offer a roadmap for relief and long-term healing.
Stage 1: CALM – Establishing Physiological Safety
The first stage in our model focuses on calming the body and nervous system. During a panic attack, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system becomes dominant, flooding the body with stress hormones and initiating a fight-flight-freeze response. Our goal in this stage is to signal to the brain and body that safety is possible in the present moment.
Strategies for Calming the Nervous System:
- Orienting to the Environment
Orienting is a somatic practice that involves gently turning the head and eyes to look around the space. This signals to the brain that the environment is not dangerous. Try this: Slowly turn your head left and right, noticing five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear. - Breath Regulation
Panic often distorts breathing patterns, leading to hyperventilation. Slow, diaphragmatic breathing can regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels and reduce symptoms. One gentle method is box breathing: Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four. - Vagal Tone Activation
Stimulating the vagus nerve helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Practices like humming, singing, chanting, or splashing cold water on the face can all support vagal tone and signal a downshift in nervous system activation. - Supportive Touch
Place a hand on your heart or belly and say to yourself, “I am here. I am safe.” This kind of self-touch can be powerfully regulating, especially when accompanied by warm, supportive internal dialogue.
These techniques are not about ignoring panic but about offering the body new experiences of safety. With regular practice, they become more accessible even in the midst of distress.
Stage 2: ENGAGE – Attuning to the Roots
Once initial panic symptoms have softened, the next stage invites us to engage with the emotional and relational dimensions of panic. At Create Wellbeing, we see panic not as a disorder to be eliminated, but as a signal asking us to listen more deeply to ourselves.
Strategies for Engaging with Panic Insightfully:
- Tracking Sensations and Emotions
Somatic awareness helps identify what sensations and emotions are present. Ask: “Where in my body do I feel this panic? What color, shape, or temperature does it have?” These inquiries invite curiosity rather than fear. - Relational Repair and Co-Regulation
Panic often emerges from relational wounds or a lack of early co-regulation. Sharing the experience with a trusted therapist, partner, or friend can support the nervous system in co-regulating. Eye contact, soothing tone of voice, and gentle presence can all be healing. - Narrative Exploration
Understanding the stories we carry around panic can loosen their grip. Is the panic connected to past trauma, an unmet need, or a fear of vulnerability? Journaling, parts work (like Internal Family Systems), or guided imagery can help make sense of these stories. - Somatic Dialogues
Engage with the panic as if it were a part of you needing something. You might say internally: “Panic, what are you trying to tell me? What do you need from me right now?” This practice turns the panic into a messenger, not an enemy. - Spiritual Connection and Meaning Making
In this stage, many people find value in connecting to something greater than themselves—nature, spirit, ancestors, or a sense of purpose. Spiritual resources can reframe panic as a threshold moment, a call toward deeper healing.
This phase is not about fixing the panic but meeting it with compassion, curiosity, and context. Through engagement, we begin to see the wisdom beneath the symptoms.
Stage 3: INTEGRATE – Creating Coherence and Resilience
The final stage of our model is about integration: weaving together the insights, skills, and experiences from the first two stages into a coherent sense of self. Integration helps prevent future panic attacks by increasing nervous system flexibility and inner resilience.
Strategies for Integration and Long-Term Change:
- Neuroplasticity Through Practice
Regularly practicing calming and engagement tools rewires the brain. This is where mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, and breathwork shine. Even 10 minutes daily can build new neural pathways of regulation. - Lifestyle Support
Panic is often exacerbated by physiological imbalances. Supporting the gut-brain connection through nutrition, hydration, and sleep hygiene is essential. Reduce stimulants like caffeine and prioritize nourishing meals that balance blood sugar. - Therapeutic Integration
Working with a trauma-informed therapist can support integration over time. Modalities like EMDR, somatic experiencing, and sensorimotor psychotherapy help process unresolved trauma that may underlie panic. - Creative Expression
Art, music, dance, and writing can help integrate emotional experiences that words alone cannot capture. Creative practices also support right-brain activation, which is essential for emotional integration. - Ritual and Ceremony
Spiritual or symbolic rituals can mark the journey of healing. Lighting a candle, creating a small altar, or holding a personal ceremony can honor the strength it takes to face panic and emerge with greater wholeness. - Relational Integration
Sharing your journey with a community, whether through group therapy, spiritual circles, or trusted relationships, helps root healing in belonging. Relationships offer mirrors for the new patterns you are embodying.
Integration is a lifelong process. It is not about erasing fear but building trust in your capacity to meet fear differently. Through integration, the experience of panic transforms from a disruption to a doorway.
Final Thoughts: The Sacred Invitation of Panic
At Create Wellbeing Therapy Collective, we honor panic as a sacred invitation—an urgent whisper from the nervous system asking for care, presence, and alignment. Through the Calm, Engage, Integrate model, we offer not just relief, but a pathway to thriving.
Stopping panic attacks requires more than coping strategies. It asks us to become present with ourselves in new ways—to slow down, to listen, and to integrate the wisdom our bodies carry. Whether your path includes evidence-based therapies, holistic healing, spiritual guidance, or all of the above, know that healing is possible.
You are not broken. Your body is doing its best to protect you. With the right support and practices, you can transform panic into power, chaos into coherence, and fear into resilience.
If you or someone you love is struggling with panic, we invite you to connect with our compassionate team at Create Wellbeing. You are not alone. Let this be the beginning of a more integrated and empowered way of being.
Resources:
- Stephen Porges, “The Polyvagal Theory”
- Deb Dana, “The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy”
- Peter Levine, “Waking the Tiger”
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) by Richard Schwartz
- Gabor Maté, “When the Body Says No”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Wherever You Go, There You Are”
- Bessel van der Kolk, “The Body Keeps the Score”