Panic
An acute fear response defined by intensity and physiological override, often disproportionate to or disconnected from the actual threat level.
How it shows up
Panic can arrive suddenly, sometimes in an obvious threat and sometimes out of nowhere, in a supermarket or at night. It may bring a pounding heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, and a powerful sense that something terrible is happening. The body's alarm response appears to be firing at full strength. Its defining feature is that intensity and physical override, often out of proportion to the actual danger, which can make it frightening in itself.
How it differs from Fear
Fear is scaled to an actual threat; panic is an intense physiological surge that often exceeds or is disconnected from the real danger.
Notice
If you have known panic, notice in hindsight what your body did first, before any thought caught up.
Where it is felt
Felt most in the chest, throat and stomach.
Based on Nummenmaa et al. (2014), bodily maps of emotions, and related research. The map shows where people report bodily sensation, on average; individual experience varies.