f you bought this book, you are either curious about panic attacks, experience them yourself, or know someone who does. You may have heard about what it is like to have a panic attack and want to find out more, or you know all too well how it feels to have one – how frightening and distressing it is – and would like to understand them better.

All of us have been and will go through anxious situations at various points in our lives. For example, taking exams, going to the dentist, having injections, speaking or performing in public, having to stand up for yourself or others, getting a piercing, or asking a manager for a raise, among many, many others. Experiencing nervousness and anxiety in these situations is entirely normal and, for better or worse, we have on the whole managed to cope with such situations.

Panic attacks feel somewhat different.