"feeling of suffocation"

An Unpredictably Racing Heart: Panic Attacks and the Hidden Story of the Pulse

Have you ever experienced a moment when your heart suddenly felt like it was going to burst, your breath caught in your throat, and cold sweat poured across your entire body? That feeling, as if your heart is wildly out of control and an overwhelming terror engulfs you as though something terrible is about to happen right now, is difficult to put into words. How can we understand and soothe this unpredictably racing heart?