Therapy for panic attacks that helps you trust your body again
A panic attack can feel like your body has turned against you. Therapy for panic in New York can help you understand what is happening, ride out the surge and stop living in fear of the next one.
Whether panic struck out of nowhere last month or has been part of your life for years, you deserve care that takes it seriously. I combine talk therapy, somatic and body-based regulation, relational work and integrative psychiatry to help you map your panic, build grounding tools that work in the moment and explore where the fear first took hold. Medication is part of the conversation when it is relevant.
“A panic attack is a fire alarm with no fire. It feels like an emergency, but it is your body's protective system misfiring, and it always passes.”
Knowing that in your bones, not just in your head, is one of the most important things we work on together.
What happens in a panic attack
A panic attack is a sudden rush of intense fear that peaks within minutes, often with powerful physical sensations and a conviction that something terrible is happening.
During a panic attack the body's survival response fires at full strength. Adrenaline surges, the heart pounds, breathing quickens and blood is redirected towards the muscles. This can bring chest tightness, dizziness, tingling hands, sweating, trembling, nausea, a choking sensation, or a strange feeling that you or the world are not quite real. Understandably, many people believe they are having a heart attack, losing control or going mad. These sensations are frightening, but they are the body preparing to fight or flee, and they subside on their own.
What often follows the first attack is a second layer of fear: fear of the panic itself. You may begin scanning your body for warning signs, avoiding trains, bridges, crowds, exercise or coffee, or staying close to home in case it happens again. This anticipatory anxiety can become more limiting than the attacks themselves, and it is a key focus of our work. When you stop fearing the sensations, the cycle has much less to feed on.
If you are experiencing chest pain or other worrying physical symptoms for the first time, please seek medical evaluation, and in an emergency call 911. Once medical causes have been considered, therapy for panic attacks can help you respond to these surges in a completely different way.
Panic, health anxiety and OCD
Panic does not always arrive alone. For some people it is tied to health anxiety, where a skipped heartbeat or headache sparks fear of serious illness. For others it is linked to obsessive or intrusive thoughts, where panic surges when a feared thought appears or a ritual cannot be completed. I work with panic in all of these contexts. Understanding what sets your panic off, and what it is trying to protect you from, helps us choose the right approach rather than offering generic advice.
Sudden onset or long-standing panic
Panic can appear suddenly during a period of stress, grief, illness or change, sometimes in people who have never thought of themselves as anxious. It can also be a long-standing companion that has shaped your life for years. Both deserve careful attention. Recent panic often responds well to early support, while longer patterns may invite us to explore earlier experiences, including trauma, that taught your body to brace for danger.
Is panic shaping your days?
You do not need to have a diagnosis of panic disorder to benefit from support. If any of the following sound familiar, whether they happen weekly or only occasionally, therapy can help you feel less at the mercy of your body and more confident moving through the world.
- Sudden waves of overwhelming fear
- Pounding heart or chest tightness
- Feeling unable to catch your breath
- Dizziness, tingling or trembling
- Feeling detached or unreal
- Fear of dying or losing control
- Dreading the next attack
- Avoiding trains, crowds or bridges
- Constantly checking your body
- Waking at night in panic
A body-first approach to panic
Panic is one of the most physical forms of anxiety, so our work gives the body as much attention as the mind. We combine practical tools for the moment itself with deeper work on what drives the fear, at a pace that never overwhelms you.
Mapping your panic
We trace your attacks together: what came before, the first sensations, the thoughts that followed and what you did next. This map reveals your personal panic cycle and shows exactly where new responses can break it.
Grounding in the moment
You will build a set of grounding and breathing practices tailored to you and rehearse them while calm, so they are available when panic rises. The aim is not to fight the wave but to feel steady enough to let it pass.
Befriending sensations
Gentle, consensual exercises help you experience sensations like a fast heartbeat or light-headedness in a safe setting. Over time your nervous system learns that these feelings are uncomfortable but not dangerous, which takes the fuel out of panic.
Where the fear began
Talk therapy helps us understand when panic first appeared and what was happening in your life at the time. Relational and psychoanalytic exploration can uncover feelings, losses or pressures that panic has been expressing on your behalf.
Reclaiming avoided places
If panic has made the subway, travel or exercise feel off limits, we plan small steps back towards them. You decide the order and pace, and we reflect on each step so your confidence grows on solid ground.
Thoughtful medication care
Some people benefit from medication for frequent or severe panic. I can assess, prescribe, review existing prescriptions and explain the pros and cons of different options. Any start, change or taper is gradual, collaborative and closely monitored.
From fear of panic to confidence
Panic is maintained by how we respond to it. Changing that response changes the cycle.
The panic cycle
- Noticing a sensation and fearing the worst
- Fighting the feeling, which intensifies it
- Escaping and avoiding the situation
- Watching your body for the next sign
- Your world gradually becoming smaller
What therapy helps build
- Recognising sensations as alarms, not danger
- Letting the wave rise and fall
- Staying present with grounding tools
- Trusting your body's capacity to settle
- Returning to the places you have missed
Getting started with panic treatment
We build safety first, then work outwards from there.
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1
Free consultation 15 minutes
A brief call where you can describe your panic, ask how I work and get a sense of whether we are a good fit. If panic is making it hard to leave home or travel, mention it and we can think together about how to begin.
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2
Full assessment 90 minutes
We take a detailed look at your panic, your physical and mental health, medications, caffeine and substances, sleep, stresses and history. This helps us understand your panic properly and decide whether medication is worth discussing.
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3
Tools and a plan
Early on you learn practical grounding skills so you feel less helpless when panic strikes. Together we agree a personalised plan that may include somatic work, talk therapy, gradual exposure and, if you wish, medication.
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4
Deeper, lasting change 60 or 90 minutes
With regular sessions we work on the fear of panic, reclaim avoided situations and explore what lies beneath the attacks. As confidence returns, we review the plan and decide together how often to meet.
Francesca Rome-Marie, PMHNP-BC
I bring together psychiatry, psychotherapy, somatic work and whole-body health, informed by years in primary care and further study in gender theory, feminist thought, culture and visual art.
I keep a deliberately small caseload so that every client receives consistent, unhurried and genuinely attentive care, held within one relationship rather than split across several providers.
Clear, upfront rates
I don't accept insurance. Modern Holistic Psychiatry is an out-of-network provider, so sessions are paid for directly. Depending on your plan, you may be able to claim reimbursement through your out-of-network benefits.
Find out how much your insurance may coverNeed urgent support? If you're in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.
Therapy for Panic FAQs
What does therapy for panic attacks in New York involve with you?
We map your panic cycle, build grounding and breathing tools you can use in the moment, and gradually reduce your fear of the sensations themselves. Alongside this, talk therapy explores where the panic began and what it may be expressing. Somatic work helps your body learn to settle. If it is relevant, we discuss medication. Each part is paced around you and adjusted as we learn what works.
How do I know it is a panic attack and not something medical?
Panic attacks can closely mimic heart, lung and other medical problems, so it is important not to assume. If you have new chest pain, severe breathlessness or symptoms that worry you, seek medical care, and call 911 in an emergency. As part of our assessment I will ask about your physical health and may suggest checks with your primary care provider, so we can work on panic with confidence.
Can panic attacks hurt me?
Panic attacks are intensely uncomfortable and frightening, but in themselves they are not dangerous. The sensations come from your body's survival response, which is designed to rise and then fall. Understanding this, and experiencing it repeatedly in a safe way, is often the turning point in recovery. That said, you deserve support rather than simply being told to ignore your symptoms.
What is the difference between panic attacks and panic disorder?
Many people have an isolated panic attack during a stressful time. Panic disorder describes a pattern of recurrent, often unexpected attacks along with ongoing fear of further attacks or changes in behaviour to avoid them. Whichever describes your experience, the same approaches can help, and early support can prevent occasional panic from turning into a more persistent pattern.
Should I take medication for panic attacks?
That depends on how often attacks happen, how much they affect your life and your own preferences. Some medications can reduce the frequency of panic over time, while others are used more sparingly. Each has benefits and drawbacks, including side effects and, for some, dependence risk. I will explain the options clearly, and any decision to start, adjust or stop medication is made together and carried out gradually.
Can panic be linked to past trauma?
Sometimes it is. A body that has been through frightening or overwhelming experiences can become primed to sound the alarm quickly, even when the present is safe. Panic may also surface around reminders of past events without an obvious link. As a trauma-informed and somatic practitioner, I can help you explore these connections gently, without needing to revisit painful memories before you feel ready.
Will panic ever go away completely?
I cannot promise that you will never feel panic again, and I would be wary of anyone who did. What many people find is that attacks become less frequent and less intense, and, crucially, much less frightening. When panic no longer feels like a catastrophe, it stops dictating where you go and what you do, which is often what matters most.
Feel safe in your body again
Book a free 15-minute consultation and we can talk about your panic and how we might begin to ease it together.