CupTalks Blog

Panic attacks feel like a medical emergency, but they are a false alarm that the brain learns to fear. This review explains the fear-of-fear loop that keeps panic going and weighs the evidence for what actually breaks it. Interoceptive exposure, deliberately and safely triggering feared sensations, emerges as the strongest ingredient of cognitive behavioral therapy, while muscle relaxation and breathing drills add little. Guided CBT beats unguided self-help, SSRIs and SNRIs are first-line medications, and in-the-moment tools like grounding are best treated as optional aids, not rituals.