Every time you let panic come and go without interference:

Your amygdala learns that these sensations are not dangerous.

Your prefrontal cortex (the rational part of the brain) gets stronger at stepping in and saying, “This is safe, I’ve been here before.”

Your overall nervous system becomes less sensitive to small triggers.

This is why, with practice, panic disorder gets weaker. You’re literally retraining your brain’s alarm system to stay calm.

So the method isn’t about being passive or helpless—it’s active learning. By “doing nothing,” you’re actually doing the most powerful thing you can: teaching your brain that panic is safe to feel and doesn’t require rescue.