The Play-by-Play of a Panic Attack

A first-person look at what happens in the brain and body when panic sets in

V Wegman
Elemental
Published in
8 min readJan 17, 2020

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Image: Andrzej Wojcicki/Getty Images

I’I’ve had panic attacks since I was 11 years old. I vividly remember the first one. I was in New York City for the first time, eating dinner with my grandparents at a Greek restaurant near Times Square. I was struggling to eat, overwhelmed by sensory stimulation. My grandfather…

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V Wegman
Elemental

V is a Science Communication and Info Resource Specialist at NOAA HQ. They enjoy animation, animals, and ancient history among topics that do not begin with “A”