Panic Attacks and How IFS + EMDR Can Help You Break the Cycle

Panic attacks are the worst. It often feels like they come out of nowhere, completely hijacking your body and mind. Over time, life can start to revolve around trying to avoid them, and dreading the next one. What can you do to get out of this cycle? We combine Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR therapy, so we’re not just managing symptoms. We’re helping your system actually feel safe again.

What is a Panic Attack?

A panic attack is the activation of your body’s fight-or-flight system. Your brain’s job is to keep you safe, not make you happy. So it’s constantly scanning for danger. When a real threat is present, your system prepares you to fight or run. When no real danger exists, but your system reacts anyway, we call that a panic attack, a false alarm that feels very real.

Symptoms may include:

• Racing heart rate

• Shortness of breath

• Feeling of panic or impending doom

• Feeling of “going crazy” or losing control

• Sweating

• Tingling or numbness in hands, feet, face, or lips

• Feeling foggy or disconnected

• Feeling outside of your body

• A strong urge to escape

Most panic attacks are brief (5–15 minutes), though they can feel much longer. Many people initially think they’re having a heart attack. If that’s a concern, it’s important to rule out medical causes first. Once you know it’s anxiety, we can begin working with it in a different way.

The “Parts” That Show Up in Panic

From an IFS perspective, panic isn’t random. It’s your system trying to protect you.

Different “parts” of you may show up in the panic cycle:

• The Alarm Part: This is the one that triggers the panic. It scans for danger and sounds the alarm quickly, often based on past experiences.

• The Catastrophic Thinker: This part jumps in with thoughts like, “Something is seriously wrong,” “I’m going to pass out,” “I’m losing control,” or "I'm going crazy." It’s trying to make sense of what’s happening, but ends up intensifying the fear.

• The Escape Part: This part pushes you to get out, leave the store, cancel plans, avoid situations. It’s trying to protect you from feeling overwhelmed again.

• The Avoider/Controller: Over time, this part may organize your life around preventing panic—avoiding places, sensations, or situations that might trigger it.

• The Vulnerable Part (underneath it all): Often, there’s a deeper part of you that feels unsafe, overwhelmed, or alone. The rest of the system is working hard to keep this part from being activated.

None of these parts are the problem. They’re all trying to help, you just don’t feel in control of them.

Reducing the Fear of Fear

One of the first steps is learning how to respond differently when panic begins.

We use mindfulness tools to help you relate to the experience with a bit more space:

• Slow, steady breathing

• Grounding your attention in the present

• Noticing sensations without immediately reacting

You might tell yourself: “This is uncomfortable, but not dangerous. It will pass. I’ve gotten through this before.” From an IFS lens, you’re also beginning to relate to the part of you that’s panicking, rather than being completely taken over by it. This alone can start to reduce the “fear of fear” that keeps the cycle going.

How EMDR Helps Calm the System

Panic attacks often have a starting point, even if it’s not obvious. The first panic attack is frequently linked to a period of stress or overwhelm. After that, your brain begins to associate certain situations, sensations, or environments with danger.

Your brain essentially “bookmarks” the experience:

• where you were

• what you felt in your body

• what was happening around you

Later, when something similar shows up, your system reacts automatically, even if you’re actually safe.

With EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), we help your brain reprocess these experiences so they no longer trigger the same alarm response.

We typically work through:

• Background stress leading up to the first panic attack

• The first panic attack

• The worst panic attack

• The most recent panic attack

• Earlier life experiences that contributed to feeling unsafe

• Current triggers

• Distressing body sensations (like rapid heart rate or breathing)

• How you want to feel moving forward

This helps your brain update its understanding: “This isn’t dangerous anymore. I can handle this.”

Where IFS and EMDR Come Together

This is where the work becomes especially powerful. IFS helps us understand which parts of you are driving the panic, like the alarm part, the catastrophic thinker, or the avoider. Instead of fighting these reactions, we get curious about them and build a different relationship with them. EMDR then helps those parts actually release the fear they’re carrying. So instead of just calming yourself down in the moment, or just understanding your anxiety intellectually, you’re helping your system update at a deeper level. The alarm doesn’t have to go off as often.The catastrophic thoughts lose their intensity. The urge to escape softens.

Moving Out of Survival Mode

The goal isn’t just fewer panic attacks. It’s feeling like your life isn’t organized around avoiding them. When your system begins to feel safer, you can go places without scanning for exits, experience physical sensations without fear, and finally trust yourself again.

And instead of bracing for the next panic attack, you can get back to living your life.