Panic attack dissociation

@AnxiousScout One great way to combat panic attacks are grounding techniques which can be defined as strategies that aim to reconnect your mind to your surroundings and your body. So this seems to be the route to take in your situation. There are a ton of different ones to choose from but it's really anyway to refocus your mind on what's around you. Theres the five senses technique were you try to name 5 things you can currently see, 4 things you can currently touch, 3 things you can currently hear, 2 things you can currently smell, and 1 thing you can currently taste.

Another great technique is to pick a shape and look around you to find as many examples of that shape you can see. This is my go to strategy and I tend to pick circles because they are everywhere: the clock on the wall, the area rug on the floor, the ring on my finger, the pattern on someone else's shirt, the door knob, the screws holding the lightswitch cover in place. I've noticed that when I'm in an attack, I'll only see the really obvious things at first and I might feel like I've got all the examples after a few things. But the more I focus on the task of hunting down circles, the more I will eventually see. And by the time I'm pointing out the really minute details, I'll realize that my mind isn't racing with the thought that led to a panic attack in the first place. I'm in a much calmer mindset.

Last great technique I wanted to share: tactile grounding techniques. This pretty much means you become hyper aware of the things you are touching at the moment. "I am sitting in bed. My legs sink into the soft surface of the matress but my back is against a hard head board. The matress feels warm to the touch because my cat just moved and her body warmth left a spot behind. The blanket resting on top of the bed and against my leg is made from a soft material. Very different form the headboard which is made of wood. If I run my hand across the surface I can feel the direction of the grain.... Just keep describing things until you truly feel pressent in the moment and reconnect with your immediate surrounding. If you are having a panic attack in a situation where your body is not making much contact with anything (like standing in the middle of the room) you can describe how your clothes feel on your skin. Again, you'll probably start off very vague and slowly get more detailed as your mind stops racing and you're calm again.

I hope these help you! I know how scary panic attacks can be and we all want them to end as soon as possible. And side note: what you deescribed sounds a little like derealization/depersonalization. If you think that's what you're experiencing, we have a whole subforum dedicated to people asking about how to deal with that. Maybe you can check them out. If you have trouble finding it, let me know. I'll try to track it down and link it to to you here.