Think of panic like a wave. It rises, peaks, and then naturally falls.

If you escape at the peak → your brain never learns it would have fallen on its own.

If you stay and do nothing → you experience the full wave and prove to your brain: “the wave always passes.”

The more waves you ride out, the less scary they become. This is how exposure therapy works—and it’s why most psychologists today agree that the best response is not to fight panic, but to let it happen.