My therapist shared her secret and surprising trick for ‘snapping out of’ a panic or anxiety attack instantly

Experts have revealed that eating sour candy is a great way to immediately ‘snap out of’ a panic attack – and it works quicker than tried-and-tested therapy methods.

Taylor, from the US, frequently experiences panic-related symptoms and asked her therapist for methods to manage her anxiety disorder.

‘My therapist told me to eat a Warhead (an American sour hard candy) whenever I feel a panic attack coming on, and when I say I’ve never had anything rip me out of the throes of a panic attack faster – I mean it,’ she said.

The intense taste acts as a distraction and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, a part of the brain that puts the brakes on an anxiety attack. 

Licensed mental health therapist Katie Pankonin also shared that eating something very spicy like sriracha or tangy like salt and vinegar chips will have the same effect.

‘The more harsh the taste – sour, spicy, anything in between – the more likely your brain is going to step outside of that anxious thought and more into what you’re tasting,’ Ms Pankonin previously told DailyMail.com.

Eating something sour increases saliva production in the mouth, which is the first step in re-engaging that digestive system.

‘When we have high levels of anxiety, or when we’re in panic attack mode, our body is in fight or flight. Your mind thinks there’s either a perceived or an actual threat,’ Micheline Maalouf, licensed mental health counselor previously told FEMAIL.

Such anxiety manifests in shallow breathing, and increased heart rate, and slowed digestion.

However, the intense taste from sour candy or a spoonful of hot sauce activates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps the body relax.

‘I think more than anything, if it’s not a taste that you’re used to having on a day-to-day basis, it’s going to do the trick,’ Ms Pankonin said.

Ms Maalouf cautioned that sour candy isn’t a long-term solution: ‘It’s pretty much a Band-Aid to an issue, it’s not something that you just want to depend on. It doesn’t get to the root of the problem.’

Many admitted to the hack working for them – and shared other distractions that similarly did the trick. 

‘My first panic attack I thought I was having a heart attack and went to call 911, but my desire to not talk on the phone snapped me out of it,’ a woman shared.

‘If warheads don’t work, try eating raw lemons, wasabi, chillis, chilli bonbons,’ another shared.

‘Cold water on the back of my neck has changed my life,’ a man said.