I've started having panic attacks again after a few years but they are a lot more severe. I start feeling a scary unfamiliarity, like I'm in a foreign body and my mind doesn't recognise me. It's frankly quite terrifying and difficult to describe in words. I guess it's a type of dissociation. 

I actually had my most severe one whilst with my therapist. It apparently lasted 50 minutes (I had zero concept of time during the ordeal) and was completely "lost" and "unfamiliar" to myself. As she went to open the window to let some fresh air in, I caught a whiff of her perfume and it immediately brought me back to something familiar and I came back to myself. I was really embarrassed that I said that out loud to her but she said it was really interesting for her and that I should think of other scents that are calming and safe that I could use to ground me during another attack.  

I have always been extremely sensitive to smells and have seen it more as a hindrance (apart from the ability to smell mold before it can be seen. That was my super power in our shared kitchen at college) but if I can use this technique to ground me I am willing to try it. 

Does anyone else have experience with aromatherapy? What types of smells are calming and safe for you?