What We Treat
Evidence-based, individualized treatment for panic attacks from licensed clinicians, in person in San Pedro or online.
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear that peaks within minutes and brings a flood of physical sensations. Your heart races, your chest feels tight, you may feel short of breath, dizzy, or detached from your surroundings, and it is common to fear that you are dying, having a heart attack, or losing control. The sensations are real, but they are your body's alarm system firing without an actual threat.
What turns an isolated attack into panic disorder is the fear of fear. After one frightening episode, you start watching your body for the next one, and that vigilance makes the sensations more likely. Many people begin avoiding the places where panic struck, which can narrow life down until driving, crowds, or leaving home feel unsafe.
A racing or pounding heart, chest tightness, or shortness of breath that peaks fast.
Dizziness, trembling, sweating, or tingling that comes on without warning.
Feeling detached from yourself or your surroundings, sometimes called derealization.
A fear of dying, having a medical emergency, or losing control in the moment.
Worry about the next attack that keeps watching the body and feeds the cycle.
Steering around places, activities, or situations linked to past attacks.
Panic rarely travels alone, and our clinicians treat the whole picture rather than a single label. Each area below has a page that explains how we approach it.
Ongoing worry and tension that often sets the stage for panic and keeps the nervous system on edge.
Fear of judgment that can trigger panic in social and performance situations.
Focused fears that can set off a panic response, treated with gradual exposure.
Intrusive thoughts and rituals that can drive panic-level distress, treated with exposure and response prevention.
Panic rooted in past trauma, where the nervous system stays primed for danger.
Panic and depression often occur together, so we treat them as one connected picture.
Panic has first-line, evidence-based treatments, and our clinicians are trained to deliver them. We build a plan with you and work at a pace you can manage.
A first-line treatment for panic. It helps you recognize and reframe the catastrophic interpretations that turn a normal body sensation into a perceived emergency, so a racing heart no longer means something is terribly wrong.
Where lasting change happens. At a pace you set, you deliberately bring on the sensations you fear and approach the situations you have been avoiding, so your nervous system learns they are uncomfortable but not dangerous.
Helps you make room for anxious sensations and thoughts without fighting them, so you can keep moving toward what matters instead of organizing your life around the next attack.
Addresses panic where you feel it, in the body. Grounding, breath, and nervous-system regulation skills give you ways to settle the physical surge in the moment and over time.
| Approach | Best suited for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| CBT | Catastrophic thoughts about body sensations | Reframes the interpretations that turn a normal sensation into a perceived emergency. |
| Interoceptive exposure | Fear of the physical sensations of panic | Deliberately brings on feared sensations so the nervous system learns they are not dangerous. |
| ACT | A life organized around avoiding the next attack | Builds room for anxious sensations while you keep moving toward what matters. |
| Somatic work | The physical surge of panic in the body | Grounding, breath, and regulation skills settle the body in the moment and over time. |
Starting therapy should feel clear, not overwhelming. Here is how it works at Coastwise.
We start with a short, private conversation to understand what you are dealing with and what you want from therapy.
We pair you with a licensed clinician who treats panic and fits what you are working through, not whoever happens to be free.
Your clinician builds a plan with you and works at a pace you can manage, so progress feels steady and sustainable.
We work with adults and teens whose panic ranges from a few frightening episodes to frequent attacks and agoraphobic avoidance that has reshaped daily life. Because panic so often travels with anxiety and depression, our clinicians treat the whole picture rather than a single label.
See us in person at our San Pedro office or work with a clinician securely online anywhere in California. CBT and exposure translate well to telehealth, and practicing skills in the settings where panic tends to strike is often an advantage.
We use CBT to help you understand and reframe the catastrophic thoughts that fuel panic, and interoceptive exposure to safely face the physical sensations you fear so they stop signaling danger. We often add ACT and somatic work to help you stay grounded in your body. Your therapist builds a plan with you and works at a pace you can manage.
A panic attack is a surge of the body's alarm system. A racing heart, chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and a feeling of unreality are the same responses that would protect you from real danger, firing when there is no threat. They feel terrifying, but they are not harmful, and therapy helps your nervous system learn that.
Many people notice meaningful change within a few months of consistent work, though it varies with severity and how much avoidance has built up. The goal is not to guarantee you never feel anxious again but to break the fear-of-fear cycle so a wave of sensation no longer controls your day.
Yes. CBT and exposure work translate well to secure video, and practicing skills in the places where panic tends to strike can help. We see clients in person in San Pedro and virtually across California.
We work with insurance, and many clients use their benefits toward therapy with us. Call (424) 536-3002 to learn how your insurance can help cover the cost of therapy.
Panic responds to the right treatment. Call us for a free, confidential consultation and we will match you to a clinician who treats it.
Call (424) 536-3002 Get Started