Panic Attacks: It’s Not “Just Anxiety” — It’s Your Nervous System Firing on All Cylinders
Let’s get one thing straight: panic attacks aren’t weakness, and they’re not “all in your head.” They’re a full-body event. The kind where your heart races, your chest tightens, your vision blurs, and it feels like your system’s short-circuiting.
But here’s the deal — your body thinks it’s saving your life.
The Physiology of Panic: Why It Starts
When a panic attack hits, the amygdala — your brain’s emotional alarm system — sends out an SOS. That triggers your hypothalamus, which flips the switch on your autonomic nervous system, launching you into fight-or-flight mode.
Cue the sympathetic nervous system:
Heart rate spikes (thanks to adrenaline and norepinephrine)
Breathing gets shallow and fast (to pull in more oxygen)
Blood flow gets redirected from your gut to your muscles (prepping you to run or fight)
Muscles tense
Vision narrows
Digestion shuts down
Your body is gearing up for a threat that isn’t physically there. And if you’re already physically active or constantly pushing limits, your system may be extra sensitive — trained for high performance, but also hyper-reactive under stress.
Why It Keeps Going: The Feedback Loop
What happens next is what keeps the panic alive:
You notice your heart racing —> you feel fear —> fear increases adrenaline —> your symptoms get worse —> and now your brain’s convinced something is really wrong.
This is called a viscero-somatic feedback loop — your body sensations create emotions, and those emotions trigger more body sensations. It’s a loop, and it’s exhausting.
The Role of Osteopathy: Breaking the Loop Through the Body
Osteopathy works with that loop — not by shutting it down, but by helping your body process it and come out the other side.
Using manual techniques, we release tension in key areas that often stay stuck in “threat mode”:
Diaphragm & rib cage (to restore full breathing)
Neck and cranial base (to reduce vagus nerve irritation)
Spine & pelvis (to unlock nervous system pathways and reset postural tension)
These are the structural places where stress lives. Releasing them helps signal safety to the brain.
Cranial Sacral Therapy: Recalibrating the Inner Pulse
Cranial sacral therapy (CST) takes it deeper — working with the craniosacral rhythm, the gentle movement of cerebrospinal fluid through the spine and brain. This rhythm is often disturbed during chronic stress or trauma.
CST gently guides the body back toward parasympathetic dominance — that “rest and digest” state. It’s subtle, quiet work that has a powerful effect on the brainstem, vagus nerve, and whole nervous system tone.
The Lifestyle Piece: You Can’t Out-Treat a Chaotic Routine
Even with the best hands-on care, your daily rhythm matters. That’s why we help you build nervous system-supportive rituals:
Breath patterns that signal calm to the brain
Recovery strategies (not just workouts)
Sleep support
Nervous system-friendly nutrition (think blood sugar stability, magnesium, hydration)
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about stacking small habits that keep your system grounded — so panic doesn’t have a place to land.
You’re Not Broken — Your Body’s Just Been in Survival Mode Too Long
Panic isn’t weakness. It’s your body doing its best with the tools it has. We just help it remember a different way — through structure, breath, rhythm, and rest.
You don’t have to push through. You just have to rewire the loop — one layer at a time.