Hypnotherapy for Panic Attacks

Panic attacks feel dangerous, but the NHS guidance on panic disorder states that they are not: an attack will not cause physical harm. Hypnotherapy can help you practice the calm, deliberate response that NHS guidance recommends during an attack. For panic disorder itself, though, the main treatments are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication, and hypnosis is best used as an addition to them.

What is the first step?

An assessment. Panic symptoms such as a pounding heart, chest pain or breathlessness can come from other conditions, so if yours have never been checked, see a GP before treating them as panic. The diagnosis also shapes the plan: occasional attacks in a stressful period are different from panic disorder, where the worry about the next attack starts to drive avoidance and the attacks themselves.

What does the NHS recommend?

During an attack, the NHS suggests:

1. Stay where you are, if possible.
2. Breathe slowly and deeply.
3. Remind yourself that the attack will pass.
4. Focus on positive, peaceful and relaxing images.
5. Remember it is not life threatening.

For treatment, it lists talking therapies and medicine as the main options. People can refer themselves to a talking therapies service for CBT-based treatment, in which a therapist looks at how you react during attacks and teaches ways of changing your behavior to stay calm. If CBT, medicine and support do not help, a GP may refer you to a specialist such as a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.

Where does hypnotherapy sit in panic treatment?

Look at the NHS list for the moment of an attack: slow breathing, a reminder that it will pass, and calming images. Those are skills that hypnosis sessions and self-hypnosis practice can rehearse directly. A session might:

• Rehearse an attack in imagination, from the first sensation to the point where it eases, with slow breathing and a calming image.
• Build a cue, a word or image linked during practice to a slower, calmer state, which you can use when an attack starts.
• Practice approaching an avoided place in imagination, as preparation for doing it in real life with your therapist’s guidance.

The research base calls for modest claims. A 2019 meta-analysis, as summarized in a 2024 review in Frontiers in Psychology, found that hypnosis reduced anxiety and worked better when combined with treatments such as CBT. The examples it covered were general anxiety, performance anxiety, dental anxiety and anxiety around medical procedures; panic disorder is not among the examples the review names. So for panic, hypnotherapy is best treated as a skills-based addition to CBT, not a substitute.

What else helps prevent attacks?

The NHS suggests reading a CBT-based self-help book for anxiety, learning breathing exercises for stress, regular exercise, and activities such as yoga or Pilates. It also advises avoiding sugary food and drinks, caffeine and alcohol, and stopping smoking, since these can make attacks worse.

How to use hypnotherapy for panic

1. See a GP first if you have not had your symptoms assessed.
2. Start or continue CBT, through your GP or a talking therapies service.
3. Add hypnotherapy with a practitioner who knows you are in CBT, and ask them to focus on the in-attack skills above.
4. Practice daily with a short self-hypnosis routine, not only when panic starts.
5. Track attacks: how often, how long and how much you avoid. Review the numbers with your therapist after a few weeks.

If you ever feel unable to keep yourself safe, call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Outside the United States, contact your local emergency number or crisis line.

This article is general information, not medical or psychological advice; talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation.