You're not going crazy.
A panic attack is your body reacting as if something terrible is about to happen, even when you know you're safe.
This page explains what is happening, why panic keeps coming back, and how you can feel calm and in control again.
“I've had the sensation, but … I have been able to understand the feeling before it actually gets any worse.”
– John, no panic attacks since his first session
Clem Kelleher, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychologist (MSc Psychology). In person in Limerick, or online anywhere in Ireland.
If two or three of those are familiar, keep reading.
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear with strong physical symptoms: a racing heart, a tight chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, shaking, or a feeling that things aren't real. It usually peaks within minutes.
It is your body's alarm system going off when there is no real danger. It happens in four steps, faster than you can think.
None of that is a choice, and none of it means there is something wrong with your mind.
â–¶ Watch: what happens during a panic attack (2 minutes)
Panic shows up in different ways. Most people recognise one or two of these.
After a first attack, you start to fear the next one. You watch your body for signs. You avoid the places where it happened.
Each of those makes your alarm more sensitive, so the next attack comes more easily. That cycle of fear, anticipation, monitoring and avoidance is what keeps panic going.
The good news is that the cycle was learned, and it can be broken.
â–¶ Watch: why panic attacks keep coming back (2 minutes)
I work on the root of it: the automatic response that sets the alarm off.
In the first session we find your pattern, meaning what triggers the panic and what your mind and body do next. Then, using hypnosis together with the psychological tools I bring as a psychologist, we change that underlying response so that your body stops raising the alarm when there is no danger. Hypnosis here means a focused, relaxed state. You're awake, you hear everything, and you're in control throughout.
When the response changes, the fear of the next attack eases, and you can go back to the places and situations you have been avoiding.
Most people notice a difference after the first session. In my experience, most clients see a significant improvement within three to five sessions, and we review how you are doing after each one.
▶ Watch: how I help with panic attacks (2½ minutes)
“It has changed my coping mechanism completely … If I choke now, I laugh. Whereas before, I was in a panic.”
– Denise, who developed a fear of choking after a medical procedure
“I thought everything was gone, because it was affecting every aspect of our life. It wasn't just mine, it was our life.”
– Mary, 73 days without a panic attack when we recorded her story
I'm Clem Kelleher, a clinical hypnotherapist and psychologist based in Corbally, Limerick. I hold an MSc in Psychology from the University of Derby. I'm a certified member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, a Graduate Member of the Psychological Society of Ireland and a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society.
I've worked as a professional hypnotherapist since 2010. Anxiety is the main thing I work with: panic attacks, social anxiety, fear of public speaking and confidence.
Anxiety and Other Uncomfortable Feelings: Five Facts About Your Anxiety and How to Overcome It
What anxiety is, how the feeling is created, and a method you can use yourself, with ten real-life stories from clients.
First session
Best value after your first session. You save €100.
In my experience, most clients see a significant improvement within three to five sessions. That's why, after your first session, you can book a block of three for €350.
What the research says: across 17 clinical trials, the average person treated with hypnosis ended up less anxious than about 79% of people in the comparison groups. At the longest follow-up that rose to about 84% (Valentine et al., 2019, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis).
Sessions are in person at Celtic Hypnosis, Corbally, Limerick, or online. Both work the same way. To book, send me a message on WhatsApp. I reply myself, answer any questions, and we find a time.
These fees do not cover the stop smoking program, which is priced separately.
A panic attack feels dangerous, but it is not harmful in itself. It is your body's alarm going off without a real threat. If you have chest pain or other symptoms that have not been checked by a doctor, see your GP first to rule out a physical cause.
It is rare. The dizziness is real, but fainting is caused by a drop in blood pressure, and during a panic attack your blood pressure goes up. If you have fainted, talk to your GP.
They often seem to come out of nowhere, but there is usually a trigger your mind has learned to react to, even if you can't see it yet. Finding that trigger is the first thing we do together.
Yes, for many people. Panic runs on an automatic response, and hypnotherapy works directly on that response. A 2019 analysis of 17 clinical trials found that the average person treated with hypnosis ended up less anxious than about 79% of people in the comparison groups (Valentine et al., 2019). Those trials covered anxiety in general, not panic attacks alone. The same analysis found hypnosis worked better combined with other psychological approaches than on its own, which is how I work.
In my experience, most clients see a significant improvement within three to five sessions. Some people need fewer. We look at how you are after each session and decide from there. If you want to keep going after your first session, a block of three more sessions costs €350.
Yes. Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, a bit like being absorbed in a film. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can stop at any point.
Yes. Online and in-person sessions work the same way. I'll send you simple instructions for setting up at home.
Send me a message on WhatsApp and tell me, in a line or two, what happens when the panic hits. I'll reply myself.
