Anxiety, Panic, and the Search for Inner Peace: How Reconnecting to Presence Can Heal the Soul

"I can't breathe. I'm overwhelmed. The pressure is unbearable," Michal said, struggling to catch her breath.

"We’re drowning in debt. My relationship with Yonatan is a mess. One day I thought I was going to faint. I went to the ER, and they told me it was a panic attack. I can’t breathe, I can’t calm down," she said with despair in her voice.

"It sounds like you’re going through a really difficult time. Let’s try to help you get to a place mentally where you can start addressing your challenges calmly, without feeling like the world is closing in on you," I told her.

The first step in helping Michal move toward healing is to help her feel a sense of presence- a sense that she’s not alone, and that something greater is holding her up.

The soul naturally longs for presence as this provides us with emotional security. Every person needs to feel the presence of someone in their life- a parent, a partner, a friend, and ideally, a higher power.

To reach that inner sense of presence, Michal needs to go through a full emotional journey- a process based on the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, composed of three stages: Submission, Separation, and Sweetening.

The first and most essential step is submission- helping her face herself honestly, without filters. This is often the most painful part of healing, because it requires letting go of defenses and emotional walls we've grown attached to- the layers of self-protection that now hold us back.

Only after reconnecting with our true self can we move on to stage two of separation, where we begin to distinguish between the positive and negative energies within us. Eventually, we reach stage three of sweetening, where we begin to feel peace, clarity, and a deeper presence in our lives.

Rediscovering Presence

"Michal, would you like to understand where your anxiety is coming from?" I asked.

"Of course. It's my mom’s genes, and honestly, I have plenty of real reasons too."

"You’re right, your reasons are real. But at its core, anxiety is a result of losing your sense of divine presence in your life. Because of your childhood, it’s hard for you to reconnect to that basic emotional foundation- the feeling that you’re not alone, that you’re held and safe. When a child grows up in a loving, secure environment, with stability, affection, and consistent connection, they internalize a deep sense of emotional presence, provided by the parents. It’s no coincidence we say: For a child, parents are like G-d. When that bond is missing or broken early on, the child loses their anchor, and they grow up feeling like no one is really there for them."

What Is Fear, Really?

"Fear," I explained, "is that feeling we get when we sense that something bigger than us is threatening. That’s what you’re feeling- everything feels too big. Deep down, it’s not just about external problems, but about a spiritual and emotional disconnection."

"Other than the whole ‘divine presence’ part," she replied, "you’re not telling me anything new. I know it’s because of my childhood."

I continued: "All these emotional struggles, these panic attacks are your soul’s way of calling out for more. They’re signals, asking you to grow, to expand, to wake up. Right now, your mind is creating new problems so you don’t have to face the real one. The anxiety becomes a distraction from the deeper work your soul is asking you to do."

The Role of G-d in Healing

"But I don’t understand, what does G-d have to do with this? How does He help?" she asked.

"Michal, fear at its core isn’t bad. In fact, it’s healthy and necessary. The soul needs to stand in front of something vast, something greater than itself. That experience expands us and allows us to grow. Think of a little girl at the playground trying something new. Why doesn’t she feel scared? Because she sees her mom watching her. She feels her mother’s presence. That presence gives her courage to try, even if she might fall."

Why Does My Fear Paralyze Me?

"Because your soul doesn’t feel a strong, stabilizing presence above it, it feels like everything is bigger than it can handle. Life becomes overwhelming. The bank account? Too much. The relationship? Too much. Everything feels like it’s closing in and that turns into a terrifying, paralyzing fear. If you can begin to feel the presence of something infinite- a loving, steady force greater than you- that’s when the fear starts to change. It no longer crushes you. It grounds you and you begin to feel supported, not attacked.

These anxieties you’re experiencing, they're happening because your soul has forgotten the original, pure experience of fear: standing small in front of something infinite and good. That kind of fear doesn’t shrink us- it is healthy and helps us grow".

Returning Fear to Its Source

"Let’s go back to that little girl at the park. Why do some kids cling to their mothers and refuse to try anything? Because they’re afraid, and they’re looking for something or someone to hold on to. When fear arises, the soul’s natural instinct is to grab onto something stable.

Anxiety freezes us. It disconnects us from our instincts and our power. We need to restore the original, healthy experience of fear and to let it become a source of growth again.

When you bring G-d back into the picture- not as a concept, but as a felt presence- you’ll rediscover infinite love and security. He’ll become the one you hold on to when life gets shaky. He’ll be your emotional anchor."

If Michal stops running from her fear and looks it in the eye- if she lets herself feel it without resisting- it will eventually return to its true role: a feeling of awe, of being small in front of something endless. That is what it means to experience Presence and that is the soul’s natural, healed state.

This article was inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Eliyahu Levi.