Question:
Hi Pete, very similar to other posters. I am often calm in a crisis esp where my children’s safety is involved. When the crisis is all over and have had time to think about it my panic can creep back. Bungy jumping….i don’t think i would ever be calm about doing that…well i would never try it. Vanessa 
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Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
Hi Pete, I can address this issue from several perspectives. Before I experienced my first panic attack, I was rather adventureous. As a mountaineer, I nearly lost my life during a climb. As an alpine camper, I faced bears that could have killed me at will. I stared down a drug crazed friend with a machete, to say nothing of car accidents and so on. But I always managed to overcome my fear and act appropriately. I truly thought I understood fear before my first panic attack, but I really had no idea of how bad fear could get. Like many people, I thought I was dying during my early panic attacks. Doctors assured me otherwise in the first few years. It was truly terrible, but I didn’t recognize how terrible until I started to interview military combat veterans who had obviously faced the worst of fears. Even the veterans I spoke to admitted that their panic attacks were as bad, if not worse, than facing death in combat. The fear experienced during a severe panic attack is so bad that even people with panic disorder have a hard time recalling the severity. The mechanisms of fear within the mind and brain literally dysfunction in very severe ways. There are no words to descibe it. We can lose our ability to move or talk at times. Best Wishes, Arthur
Response:
Wouldn’t we all be cured?? lol I find it really bizarre that we all seem to react the same way in real anxiety situations–better than everyone else–the normies. Why is that? Hmm maybe I need to change careers and become an emergency worker. 
cathie — "some days it’s all fetching and no pats on the head" Me and my doc were just talking about this, the ability to fight | fear on a moments notice yet i am afraid to go to the store, but i could | help do cpr in a crowd if someone were lying there.. werid isnt it? if i | could put the anxiety to good use 24/7 i would be cured. lol
Response:
e same way in real anxiety situations–better than everyone else–the normies. Why is that?
anxiety is an adaptive mechanism it is not all pathology, it is an emotive response to a set of perceptions of danger. Others are less prepared to experience it and less desensitized to adrenaline. Anxiety patients are usually of higher intellect and have more acute instincts for survival, so partnering all these perameters together, indeed if you could handle the more continuous level of stress and excitement, being an emt would be a good choice-my anxiety worked towards my advantage in many emergency situations LM
Response:
Anxiety patients are usually of higher intellect and have more acute instincts for survival
We are highly evolved indeed. xo Anne
Response:
Hi Imogen, stangely enough I too react the same way as Jessica, so your response using my name still applies LOL Vanessa )
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Duh, I mean Jessica, sorry lol. Imogen Ditto, exactly for me to Vanessa. Imogen Hi Pete, In the face of real danger I have been able to hold my own. What I did find was that a few days after the event, when I again felt some sense of being safe the anxiety returned. And was heightened for a period of time. Jess [I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
Response:
Duh, I mean Jessica, sorry lol. Imogen
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ditto, exactly for me to Vanessa. Imogen Hi Pete, In the face of real danger I have been able to hold my own. What I did find was that a few days after the event, when I again felt some sense of being safe the anxiety returned. And was heightened for a period of time. Jess [I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -[I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
I’ve been in life threatening situations once myself and once when a friend was in danger of dying, and I didn’t lose my cool either time. Things worked out fine in both of them. Doug
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
You are right that much that is called *excitement* by some people (like bungee-jumping etc.) is interpreted as *anxiety* by us. Still, we often function very well under stress and when in real danger because we are very familiar with that *fight, freeze or flight response* that danger evokes. When in real danger or under a lot of stress we can put it to good use. The thing is that we often pay the price afterwards: when the danger is gone we may remain stuck in the fight or flight mode and, in other words, will feel unnecessary anxiety. This is one of the hallmarks that distinguishes people with an anxiety disorder from you dreaded *normies* Of course there are all kinds of exceptions to this rule, there is no one size fits all reply. Philip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
Response:
I haven’t specifically had danger, but a couple emergency situations (does that make sense?) And I found that I reacted very well, in the sense that I thought "ok what exactly is the situation? OK here’s what we are going to do". I sort of take charge and become very focused on the situation at hand, while the ‘normiess’ (people with out anxieties & PAs) are all freaking out. It’s a weird reversal of roles. cathie — "some days it’s all fetching and no pats on the head" | | Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is | confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise?
Response:
Ditto, exactly for me to Vanessa. Imogen
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Pete, In the face of real danger I have been able to hold my own. What I did find was that a few days after the event, when I again felt some sense of being safe the anxiety returned. And was heightened for a period of time. Jess [I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
Response:
[I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
Response:
Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suspect it has happened to someone.
Hello Pete, yes this has happened to someone. I for one, usually do better than the ordinary person in a crisis. I believe that people with pd are most afraid of the imagined or "unknow" and not so much as those things that can be seen as hands on real. I’ve known several pd’ers who react this way. – K
Response:
Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise?
their performance in self preservation is better then others. Emergency situations are dealt with in a more organized and highly efficient reflexive manner. It is only when they are allowed to precognate about an event, that they become self sabotoging. Even under extreme circumstances one will usually rise to the occassion and do what is necessary for survival of self or others. LM
Response:
Hi Pete, In the face of real danger I have been able to hold my own. What I did find was that a few days after the event, when I again felt some sense of being safe the anxiety returned. And was heightened for a period of time. Jess
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
Response:
interesting question…. My parents own a bar, so i been thru fights, robbery attempts and other situations. As well as, helping out at car accidents and other things. I tend to do more than well with those situations. calm, right to the point, where as other people are freaking out and all. Me and my doc were just talking about this, the ability to fight fear on a moments notice yet i am afraid to go to the store, but i could help do cpr in a crowd if someone were lying there.. werid isnt it? if i could put the anxiety to good use 24/7 i would be cured. lol brian s.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
Response:
:I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong :arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A :patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for :example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Hi Pete, You`d be surprised how well people with anxiety and panic handle emergencies and whatnots…..it`s after the fact, when all is said and done, that we fall apart. It`s standing on line, going shopping, driving, eating in restaurants, etc….. that are the truly dangerous things we face Jackie ~*~All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another~*~ ~Anatole France~
Response:
Hello Pete, I don’t think you can generalise. I have faced danger before and after PD. My responses have not changed. I react calmly, if appropriate, during the crisis, I crash later when it is safe. I can recall one occasion when it was different. I was in an awful car accident. I started blathering. Fortunately two witnesses told me to keep quiet and that got straight through to me. My long term response to that incident was that I took a long while to relearn to drive. Meryl
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [I have a friend who suffers with incapacitating P & A. I am also a health care professional of sorts, so I have some legitimate need to understand P & A.] Does anyone know what happens when a person who suffers with P / A is confronted with a truly terrifying event, voluntarily or otherwise? I suppose P / A patients are not likely to be people who take up sky diving, bungee jumping, or roller coasters, but sometimes similarly frightening events occur which can’t be avoided. Perhaps a mugging, or being a soldier in a war, a dog attack, or an accident. I suspect it has happened to someone. Healthy people experience strong arousal in such situations, but usually continue to function. Do P / A patients behave similarly, or do they have an extreme response, for example, curling up in a fetal position and becoming non-functional? Just curious Pete
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