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Dan Harris’ Panic Attack (and Discovery of Meditation) | Big Think

Big Think | January 13, 2026



Dan Harris’ Panic Attack (and Discovery of Meditation)
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ABC News anchor Dan Harris recounts having a panic attack live on “Good Morning America.” Harris went on to encounter a number of snake-oil-selling self-help gurus before he finally discovered the effectiveness of traditional Buddhist meditation. Harris is the author of 10% Happier.
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DAN HARRIS:

Anchor, ‘Nightline’ and ‘Good Morning America’ Weekend Edition
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ARTICLE:

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One of the greatest things that we can do for our minds is give them a break. From our hectic schedules, the demands of our careers, and the demands we put on ourselves, we can let the pressures build until they demand to be heard. Dan Harris, the co-anchor of “Nightline” and the weekend editions of “Good Morning America,” discovered this on live television, while having a panic attack, in front of 5 million people. Harris, a popular anchor, flourished in the world of fast-paced television news. But he relieved his stress with recreational drug use, and it caught up to him, changing his life.

“I was doing a job that I’d done many times before which was filling in as the news reader on ‘Good Morning America,’” says Harris, recalling the unforgettable incident. “The job basically entails coming on at the top of each hour and reading a series of headlines to the audience, bringing them up to date on the news of the day. And I was happy and excited to be there. I had no way to foresee what was about to happen.”

What happened next was a physiological reaction to stress and his unhealthy coping method for dealing with that stress. An “irresistible bolt of fear” shot through him, his heart was racing, palms sweating, and it became hard to breathe. Panic attacks are not unusual, what’s of course unique about his experience is that the moment was preserved on tape. “You can see it and hear it on the tape. I’m gasping for air. It would have gotten a lot worse, it would have become something like the famous clip from Broadcast News where Albert Brooks breaks out in flop sweat except for I did something halfway through my newscast I’d never done before, which is I quit,” he says. “I punted. I sent it back to the main hosts of the show.”

Harris set off to understand what happened to him, and how he could adopt healthier ways of dealing with stress. This led him to a meeting with renowned author Eckhart Tolle. His most famous book, The Power of Now, created a movement about embracing the power of the present, the sanity of a single breath. Some readers have complained that the book’s writing style is too dense and confusing.

“Eckhart Tolle says we all have a voice in our head. He’s not talking about hearing voices in the schizophrenic sense. He’s talking about our inner narrator, the thing that wakes us up in the morning and yammers at us all day long,” explains Harris. Unchecked, this inner-narrator can lead us to self-defeating behaviors, as Harris admits that it did in his life.

To read the full transcript, please visit: https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/meditation-2/

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Comments

This post currently has 48 comments.

  4. @JamieTateJamieTate

    January 13, 2026 at 5:12 am

    Read his book 10% Happier yesterday. Never read a book in one day before. I took notes and today it's still hanging with me. Things are brighter and I'm feeling optimistic and almost joyful for no reason. Mindfulness, as he says in his book, is like a software update for your brain. Huge skeptic, but this is working. I can see this being a new way of thinking and living my life now. It'll take effort to keep myself on track while I incorporate it into my daily routines. I don't want to over-sell it, as I've been meditating for about six months already, but this was a huge missing piece of the puzzle for me. So very grateful for this book and my willingness to venture into this area.

  6. @matheus2000legal

    January 13, 2026 at 5:12 am

    It is interesting to see how the search for perfection, when affected by some barrier, such as a panic attack, has more repercussions on the anxious person than on others. Much of the fear we feel during an event like this comes from worrying about what other people will think. In reality, people don't really care about us that much. I'm sure if his panic attack had been worse, to the point where he started screaming live on air, the news about what happened wouldn't have lasted more than two days. He, on the other hand, even having gone through an event that was almost imperceptible to those watching, will think about the "shame" he went through for the rest of his life.

  11. @williwin1554

    January 13, 2026 at 5:12 am

    I’ve had panic attacks for twenty years, almost everyday. I have never done drugs, nor alcohol or anything. It’s over now but once you’ve had panic attacks, it will be part of your life forever. It will never go away for good. You will always be fragile and aware or scared that it could come back anytime. I’d rather die than experience it for a long time again.

  23. @JohnRay1969

    January 13, 2026 at 5:12 am

    I have always loved seeing you on different news shows. I'm so glad you have made the changes you needed to keep going. Everything in life adds to what makes you a wise and sagely being. Experience. Keep it real. You rock.

  37. @areshuan

    January 13, 2026 at 5:12 am

    Very simplistic approach to Tolle and Buddhism. Tolle didnt get his "wisdom" from Buddhism even if it sounds similar. The truth is the truth wether you find it in the Himalayas 2500 years ago or in Germany in modern times.
    And yes , meditation is a nice practice

  38. @kangjhha

    January 13, 2026 at 5:12 am

    if you continue with meditation long enough you'll find that nagging little negative inner voice of yours was just you all along, then you can simply shut if off

  46. @fergalfarrelly8545

    January 13, 2026 at 5:12 am

    I can use meditation to stop a panic attack but i can't stop them from coming on. The drug perscribed helped only to keep my heart rate down but it actually made the attacks worse when they did happen because it inhibited my meditation. So i just use meditation to stop them but no one will ever understand. It really made me hate people. It made me mean and resentful. Now i never speak of my pro lems and am very self focused when before the panic attacks all i ever wanted to do was reach out to help others until i realized others are not good enough to deserve help often.

  47. @fergalfarrelly8545

    January 13, 2026 at 5:12 am

    This happened to me everyday at work as soon as the morning meeting starts and thoughout the day often. Just speaking and not shaking was olmost impossible. Just not trembling almost impossible. Everyone thought i was on drugs. They still do even though I've said over and over its panic attacks.

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