Soothing Guidance Out Of A Panic Attack – And Back To Safety

This gentle, somatic meditation supports you in moments of acute panic or intense anxiety. I softly guide you through the waves of tension and panic, lead you back to deeper breathing, and help you step by step to return to a sense of safety.

Along the way, I offer calming (vagus nerve-activating) techniques such as gentle tapping, humming, and other soothing practices that signal additional safety to your nervous system. You can choose what feels right for you in the moment, or simply stay with the breath. My calm voice offers reassurance and comforting words, so you don’t feel alone in this experience.

Musik: Epidemicsound
Gilded Stillness - DEX 1200
Lunga - Elm Lake

Transcript

Hi,

I'm Miriam and together we'll get through this.

I personally know how hard these moments of panic and anxiety are,

So let's see if we can just start with deep breaths.

I hope you've found a comfortable place to sit or even lie down and see if you can breathe deeply into your belly so that your belly becomes big on your in-breath and then you can exhale through the mouth as if you're blowing out a candle.

And you can take another deep breath in through the nose and make your belly as big as a balloon and then breathe out through the mouth.

And then the next time when you breathe in,

Once you're all full up with air,

I invite you to just take one sip more air through the nose and exhale everything through the mouth as if you're blowing out a candle with pursed lips.

And for now,

The only thing that is important is to breathe.

We can leave everything else for later.

There is no solution that you have to find right now.

You just concentrate on your deep breath in and one sip more and out through the mouth.

And your belly rises and falls and this feeling will pass.

The only important thing is that your exhale is longer than your inhale.

You can slow your exhale down by breathing out the mouth through pursed lips.

And this feeling will pass.

I know it feels unbearable right now like something is really wrong but I'm here and we will guide your nervous system through this moment.

All that's happening right now is that your nervous system just doesn't feel safe right now but in reality you are safe even if it doesn't feel like that and we want to show your nervous system that it is safe.

So if staying still like this makes you more anxious you can try tapping on your chest with your fingers or gently pat down your body with your hands.

And if you notice that you need more movement you can even shake your hands and your arm or your whole body or get up and stomp your feet and jump.

But if that doesn't feel like a fit right now you can just keep on taking these deep breaths.

And by doing this you show your nervous system that it can release all that tension.

Just breathing in,

Taking one sip more and breathing out,

Elongating your out breath.

And with each exhale allow yourself to sink a little bit deeper.

Into the surface beneath you.

All your muscles can let go,

Can relax.

And everything is going to be okay.

And you can also tap gently on your face with your fingertips.

Giving this activation in your nervous system a place to go but in a really soft way.

And listen to yourself here.

Notice what makes the feeling ease even just a little.

And you can stay with these deep breaths.

And just see what of the suggestions that I'm offering you,

You want to add on to your deep breaths.

If something increases your activation just simply let it go and perhaps just come back to the breath.

You're also allowed to use other coping strategies anytime you need them.

Here there is no failing.

Everything is allowed.

Whatever brings you safety is the right thing to do right now.

And as you're taking these deep breaths,

Noticing how your belly rises and falls.

And with each breath you let your body sink deeper into the surface.

Release all the tension that you're holding.

I'm going to suggest you a couple more techniques that you can add on if it feels good.

You can cross your arms in front of your chest and bring your hands to opposite shoulders and just gently stroke up and down your arms.

And just notice the sensations that you're generating on your arms.

And see if you like to increase the pressure of your strokes or if you just want to run your fingertips over your arms and notice the fabric or the texture of your skin as you do.

And if you're sitting you can also sway from side to side and just giving yourself this gentle havening touch which signals safety to your nervous system.

And if you like you can also start to hum with each exhale.

Just a soft and gentle on each exhale.

Seeing if you like to have a higher pitch or a lower pitch but it shouldn't feel uncomfortable in your throat.

If it does,

If it feels tight,

Just see if you can increase the pitch a little bit.

And just let yourself be soothed by the gentle humming noise because the vibrations stimulate the vagus nerve and the vagus nerve helps our nervous system to come back into rest and digest into a safe and open state.

It helps us relax and calm down.

And just see how it feels to hum if you can notice the vibration that you're creating in your throat or even in your chest.

Or perhaps you notice this vibration in your nose even.

And just keep on breathing deeply.

Perhaps stroking over your arms.

Perhaps humming softly on your exhales.

And just let your body sink into the surface.

Letting your belly relax.

Letting your legs relax and your feet.

Letting your eyes relax and your mouth open.

And what you can also try is to flutter your lips on your exhales like this.

And see if that feels nice.

Or to even sigh on each exhale.

Make noises.

Let all this tension,

All this frustration,

All this anxiety,

All this sadness.

Let it out with your voice.

It doesn't matter if it sounds silly.

Just let it out with each exhale.

We want this energy to get out.

And however it likes to express itself,

That's the right way.

And if anxiety affects your digestion,

That's simply because the moment you let go of your muscles inside your belly are tense through this anxiety.

So you can just remind your belly to relax,

To melt into the surface with each out-breath.

I know it feels overwhelming,

But it will pass.

We stay in the present with a breath and everything else can wait.

For everything else,

There will be time later.

Right now,

It's only about taking care of this moment and of yourself.

And feeling like this does not mean you have failed.

It is simply a very sensitive human moment that most of people experience and it will pass.

As you take your deep breaths,

As you perhaps hum or stroke over your arms,

You can even look around in your space and find something beautiful to look at.

You can see what colors or shapes this object has,

The shadow it casts.

And sometimes speaking out loud what you fear often helps rather than keeping it inside.

And with each exhale,

You can let all of the tension go.

Your belly is allowed to relax.

Your face is allowed to become heavy.

You can perhaps move your jaw around.

Let your tongue fall down to the floor of your mouth.

Your eyes are allowed to become soft.

Your breath is allowed to be deep.

Your arms are allowed to be heavy.

Your hands are allowed to be heavy.

With each out-breath,

You can melt your body into the surface even deeper.

And with each out-breath,

You can let all of it go.

Doesn't serve you any longer.

Can let go all your worries.

Just focusing on this moment.

With each exhale,

Your legs become so heavy.

You can see if you tense your muscles in your groin area and just relax them too.

Your knees are allowed to just be soft.

Your coughs are allowed to be heavy.

And your feet can just be soft and heavy.

And if you like,

You can also move and wiggle your toes.

Perhaps bring your attention into your feet.

Move your feet around.

And the only thing that's happening in your body is that your nervous system is in overdrive.

That something has pushed it out of the window of tolerance.

But that's okay.

It's nothing to worry about.

You are safe.

And this feeling will pass.

Your body is designed to come back into a state of safety,

Of relaxation.

And what we're doing here with our deep breaths,

With our gentle soothing touch,

With our vagus nerve stimulation,

Is helping the body come back into that state.

Through the language of the body,

Not telling it to calm down,

But showing it that it's allowed and it's safe.

To let go of that tension.

And you can keep on taking your deep breaths.

And on your exhales,

You can sigh and make sounds.

Or hum.

And just let all of your body be really heavy.

And perhaps you can find a neutral place in your body.

Perhaps your feet.

And just focus on the sensations that you can notice there.

And you can also wiggle your toes.

Move your feet and gently move your legs.

And see if your arms even want to move around or even stretch.

And from here,

You can see what you need.

Perhaps you'd like to do a body scan or relaxation,

Which you can also find on my profile here on Inside Timer.

Perhaps you'd like to signal a little more safety to your nervous system.

And for this,

You can also find exercises on my profile.

You can also see if you'd like to take a nap or if you'd like to repeat this meditation.

And if you experience panic or anxiety often,

Which I'm sure you do.

I used to.

You're very welcome to check out my course here on Inside Timer called Nervous System Regulation for Anxiety,

Stress and Overwhelm.

Because working with the nervous system was the thing that truly made a difference for me after years of panic attacks and anxiety.

And in the course,

You'll get a lot of somatic exercises to help you on your journey and a lot of theory that makes it easier to understand yourself and to apply the tools.

I hope you feel a little bit more open,

A little bit more settled.

And you're definitely not alone in this feeling.

I encourage you to talk to someone about this,

To let yourself be held by someone through this.

And I hope I could be that person for you in this moment.

Wishing you all the best.

I'm Miriam Amavi and see you soon.

Bye.

Reviews

I'm in full agreement with Patricia. Miriam, your tracks are among the best on I.T. and you course on Somatics has been so helpful. I've taken it twice and plan to repeat it again!
This new track offers so much for the times of intense anxiety. I deeply appreciate you and your offerings. Love and blessings🙏

Good tips that actually works and different options to find what works for you. It helped me with PTSD and I recommend.

This all in one place episode is absolutely a must for anyone with anxiety. Her voice alone is soothing and reassuring. Have all Miriam’s courses saved. Highly recommend. 🙏