Panic attacks have several symptoms. It usually starts with a feeling or sense of doom. There may be an actual preceding trigger or nothing at all. One usually feels a tightness in their chest, has a hard time breathing, and even heart palpitations. The individual may even feel as though they are going to die. One may feel that they have a panic disorder, which is possible, though not always the case. Panic attacks are common with trauma survivors due to increased hypervigilance, and the biological effects of trauma due to adrenaline and stress hormones.

To treat panic attacks one can learn how to do surface activities such as deep breathing, meditation, grounding techniques, etc. in order to calm down and get through the moment. Further core trauma treatment can help decrease and eliminate them.