What is panic?
This page is about panic and panic attacks. What they are, why they happen, and how psychological support at Integro Health can help you overcome them in a safe, non-judgemental environment in South West WA.
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear accompanied by powerful physical sensations, such as a racing heart, breathlessness, chest tightness, dizziness, shaking, or a feeling of unreality. Because the sensations are so strong, many people fear they are having a heart attack, losing control, or even dying. They are not. A panic attack is the body’s alarm system firing at full force when there is no actual danger. It is intensely unpleasant, but it is not harmful, and it always passes.
Why panic happens
Panic attacks usually begin when the body’s natural alarm response, the fight-or-flight system, is triggered at the wrong moment. The physical sensations that follow are harmless, but they are so alarming that we understandably become frightened of them. That fear of the sensations then makes them worse, creating a spiral: a normal bodily flutter is read as danger, which fuels more sensations, which feels like more danger. Many people who experience panic also live with anxiety, and panic often develops during periods of high stress.
What we often see in practice is that the real difficulty is not the panic attack itself, but the growing fear of having one, which can lead people to avoid places and situations where an attack might happen. Understanding the cycle, and learning that the sensations cannot hurt you, is usually where meaningful change begins.
At Integro Health, we help you understand exactly what is happening in your body and mind during panic, which takes much of the fear out of it, and we build practical skills to manage and reduce the attacks.
How we work with you on panic
Panic responds well to focused, evidence-based support, and you do not have to keep white-knuckling through it. What we do is work alongside you, at a pace you can manage, using approaches grounded in psychological evidence and shaped by your individual story.
Understanding your experience
Your first sessions are about building a picture of you, not just the panic cycle, but your history, your relationships, your emotional world, and what you are hoping life might look and feel like. There is no rush here. We ask questions because we genuinely want to understand.
Understanding what happens in your body
Together, we make sense of exactly what a panic attack is and what is happening physically when one strikes. Understanding that the racing heart, breathlessness, and dizziness are harmless, not signs of danger, is often the single most powerful step in reducing the fear that drives panic.
Working with the underlying layers
Panic often develops on a background of stress, anxiety, or past experiences. We work with those layers too, using approaches like CBT and, where relevant, EMDR or schema therapy, so we are addressing what set the panic off, not just the attacks themselves.
Building new ways of responding
We help you change your relationship with the physical sensations so they no longer trigger fear, and gradually return to any places or situations you have been avoiding, so panic stops shrinking your world.
Ongoing support at the right pace
Change rarely happens in a straight line. Sessions are spaced to suit where you are, more frequent during difficult periods, stepped back as you gain ground. We are here for as long as the journey needs us to be, whether that is a few months or considerably longer.
Meet the Team
At Integro Health, you do not just book a clinic. You choose a practitioner who understands you. Our team of experienced psychotherapists brings clinical depth, genuine warmth, and a broad range of specialisations together under one roof. Take a moment to read about each of our practitioners and find the right fit for where you are right now.
Dr Paul King
General Practitioner
MBBS Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery
FRACGP Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Jools Fordyce
Social Worker & Family Therapist
Bachelor (Hons) – Applied Social Science with Diploma in Social Work
Postgraduate Diploma in Family and Relationship Therapy
Brooke Eden
Psychologist
Bachelor of Psychology
Graduate Diploma of Education
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Nicholas Kerr
Psychologist
Masters of Psychology (Organisational)
Bachelor of Arts
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Carli King
Office Administrator
As Practice Manager, Carli keeps the daily operations of Integro Health running smoothly, ensuring our clients always receive the highest standard of care.
What you can expect when you reach out
No judgement, ever
However frightening your panic attacks feel, and however much they have started to limit your life, you will be met with warmth and genuine care. Not a lecture, and not a checklist.
A whole-person lens
We look at every part of you, your mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing, because panic rarely lives in just one part of a person’s life.
Evidence-based approaches
We draw on CBT and related evidence-based approaches proven to reduce panic, tailored to you. Not a one-size protocol, but a genuinely individual plan.
In-clinic and online options
Whether you can get to our Eaton clinic in Bunbury or you need the privacy and convenience of telehealth, we can work with you wherever you are in South West WA and beyond.
What people get wrong about panic
The most common and frightening myth about panic is that a panic attack is physically dangerous, that you might have a heart attack, stop breathing, or collapse. Panic attacks are intensely uncomfortable, but they are not harmful. The body is doing something it is designed to do, just at the wrong time. Learning this is often a turning point.
Another misconception is that avoiding the situations where panic has struck will keep you safe. Avoidance brings relief in the moment, but it teaches the brain that those situations really were dangerous, so the fear grows and life gradually narrows. Gently reversing that avoidance is a key part of recovery.
We also see many people in South West WA who have lived with panic for years, sometimes after being checked out medically and told nothing is wrong, without ever being shown how to actually address it. Being told it is just anxiety is not the same as being helped with it.
Finally, many people believe panic is something they will simply have to live with. It is one of the most treatable of all anxiety problems. Individual therapy and counselling, delivered privately one-on-one at our Eaton clinic near Bunbury or by telehealth to locations like Margaret River, helps most people reduce panic significantly.
Is what I am experiencing actually panic?
It is common to wonder whether what you felt was a panic attack, especially the first time, when the physical symptoms can be so strong that a medical cause seems likely. If you have not had sudden or severe physical symptoms checked by a doctor, it is always worth doing so first, to rule out other causes and put your mind at rest.
If you experience sudden surges of intense fear with strong physical sensations, worry between times about having another, or avoid places in case one strikes, even some of the time, then it is worth exploring with a psychotherapist. You do not need to meet a formal clinical threshold to deserve support.
How panic shows up
Panic can show up in a few related ways:
Panic attacks themselves, sudden episodes of intense fear with strong physical sensations that peak quickly and then subside.
Fear of the fear, where worry about having another attack becomes a constant background anxiety in its own right.
Avoidance, where you start steering clear of places, activities, or situations linked to past attacks, which can gradually close life down and sometimes develops into phobias. You can read more on our phobias page.
At Integro Health, we are not primarily focused on which pattern fits you. What we care about is whether panic is getting in the way of you feeling well, thinking clearly, and living the way you want to. You can read more about what the first session looks like here.
Your questions answered
Yes, in many cases. A Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP provides access to a Medicare rebate for up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year with a registered psychologist. Your GP will assess your eligibility, and your sessions at Integro Health can be structured to make the most of those rebated appointments. It is worth speaking with your GP in Bunbury, Busselton, or wherever you are located to get a referral in place before your first session.
If you have had sudden or severe physical symptoms and not yet had them checked medically, yes, please see your GP first to rule out other causes. Once that is done, panic responds very well to psychological support. Many people find enormous relief simply in understanding what is happening and knowing it is not dangerous.
Yes. Everything you share in sessions is confidential. There are narrow legal exceptions, for example if there is an immediate risk of serious harm to yourself or another person, but outside of those circumstances your privacy is protected. We will explain these boundaries clearly in your first session so there are no surprises.
Yes. We offer telehealth sessions across South West WA and Australia-wide, which means you can access support from anywhere, whether you are in a regional area like Manjimup or Collie, or simply prefer the privacy of attending from home. Telehealth sessions work in the same structured, safe way as in-clinic appointments.
Panic is often one of the faster problems to improve with the right approach. Many people notice a real difference within a handful of sessions, particularly once they understand the cycle and start reversing avoidance. Where panic sits within longer-standing anxiety, we may work a little longer. We review progress with you throughout.
We will give you practical, proven tools to use in the moment, and just as importantly, help you change how you interpret the sensations so they stop being frightening. Rather than fighting an attack, you learn to let it pass, which is what takes its power away. We practise this together so it becomes second nature.
No referral is needed to book a session. If you wish to access Medicare rebates through a Mental Health Treatment Plan, you will need a GP referral first, but you are welcome to contact us directly and we can guide you through that process if needed.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the most established and effective approach for panic. It helps you understand the panic cycle, reinterpret the physical sensations, and gradually reverse avoidance. We also draw on ACT and, where past experiences underlie the panic, on EMDR. We tailor the approach to you.
Medically reviewed by
General Practitioner
The clinical information on this page has been reviewed for accuracy by Dr Paul King, General Practitioner at Integro Health. It is general information, and not a substitute for personal medical or psychological advice.
