Hi Hellion, I can relate to that.. And yes it's absolutely ok to say how you feel. That's what a therapist is for.
I downplay it because of the experience I made when opening up to others about it. For instance when I tried to tell people close to me about how I felt, I was told to not exaggerate, because it was just a feeling and not a 'real' illness. They thought I was looking for attention, when in fact I was distressed. Those reactions made me ashamed of myself for sharing about how much it affected me. Now I know that other people who haven't experienced the level of anxiety that I have can't possibly imagine how bad it is. I can be open with my pdoc at least. It might help if you write down how you feel during anxiety and read that to your therapist.