Does Meditation Help with Panic Attacks? The Truth You Need to Know

Meditation, breathwork, and relaxation techniques are often suggested as ways to manage anxiety and panic attacks. But do they actually work? The surprising answer is no—at least not in the way you might think.

Many people turn to meditation hoping it will calm their panic, only to find that it doesn’t stop the cycle. In fact, in some cases, it might even maintain the problem. Let’s break down why that happens and what actually helps.

The Problem with Using Meditation for Panic Attacks

Meditation techniques like:

• Breathwork

• Single-point meditation

• Guided meditation

• Progressive muscle relaxation

...are commonly recommended for anxiety. But when it comes to panic disorder, these methods don’t get rid of the root issue. Here’s why:

1. Panic Attacks Are Driven by Fear of Symptoms
   Panic isn’t just about feeling anxious—it’s about the fear of anxiety symptoms. When you feel your heart racing, your breathing changing, or your vision blurring, you interpret these sensations as dangerous (e.g., “What if I’m having a heart attack?” or “What if I suffocate?”).

2. Trying to Control Symptoms Makes Them Worse
   Techniques like breathwork are often used to “calm down.” But in a panic attack, trying to control your breath sends a message to your brain that there’s a real threat. This fuels the panic cycle, making symptoms more intense.

3. Temporary Relief Isn’t the Same as Healing
   Some people experience short-term relief from meditation—often due to placebo effects. But the panic cycle remains coded in your brain. The next time stress levels rise, panic symptoms return just as strong.

The Three Core Panic Fears

Panic attacks usually involve three main fears:

1. Cardiac fears – “What if I’m having a heart attack?”

2. Respiratory fears – “What if I can’t breathe?”

3. Mental fears – “What if I lose my mind?”

Even if meditation temporarily reduces symptoms, it doesn’t erase these fears—which means panic will return when triggered.

What Actually Works for Stopping Panic Attacks

If meditation and breathwork don’t work, what does?

1. Exposure Therapy (Facing the Fear Head-On)
   The true way to break the panic cycle is to stop avoiding symptoms. Instead of resisting sensations, you allow them to unfold. This tells your brain, “These symptoms are uncomfortable, but they are not dangerous.”

2. Mindfulness with Exposure (ACT-Based Mindfulness)
   Unlike traditional meditation, ACT-based mindfulness helps you accept symptoms without judgment. Instead of using meditation to escape panic, you use mindfulness to observe your sensations and let them be.

3. Systematic Desensitization (Building Tolerance Over Time)
   In structured therapy, you gradually expose yourself to feared sensations. This helps your brain learn that nothing bad happens, breaking the cycle of fear-driven panic.

Letting Panic Attack Symptoms Run Their Course

One of the most effective ways to stop panic attacks is to let them rip—without interference. This means:

• Allowing your heart to race without trying to slow it down.

• Letting your breathing feel tight without fighting it.

• Observing dizziness or depersonalization without reacting with safety behaviors.

By doing this repeatedly, you retrain your nervous system to stop overreacting to anxiety symptoms.

Should You Meditate at All?

While meditation is great for general stress reduction, it’s not a primary tool for stopping panic attacks. If you want to practice meditation, use it as part of a larger exposure-based approach—not as an escape.

Final Thoughts: How to Get Real Panic Attack Relief

If you’re struggling with panic disorder, you don’t have to do this alone. I specialize in helping people overcome panic and anxiety, and most of my clients experience at least 50% symptom reduction in 2 months.

Get Professional Help

I offer free 15-minute consultations to discuss your situation and recommend treatment options. We also accept insurance and offer multiple pricing levels (Pricing is accurate as of 2/16/2025. Please consult our pricing page for up to date pricing.):

• $75 per session – Supervised Graduate Clinician

• $150 per session – Associate Clinician

• $300 per session – Lead Supervising Clinician

🔗 Book a Free Consultation Here

Stay Connected for More Anxiety Tips

Subscribe to my newsletter for ongoing strategies and exclusive insights on overcoming panic disorder.

🔔 Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for regular videos on panic and anxiety recovery!