racheH
Well-known member
Wondered if anyone might be able to shed some light on an incident in an Art lesson when something was going on that was actually my worst irrational fear, but which I've never divulged, on account of never having seen it mentioned by anyone else and not having a clue how to explain it. What's significant is, that it was something that is completely out of my control, unlike talking to people etc, and where the only thing to do was to excuse myself from the situation as much as possible without arousing suspicion and just sit it out for the rest of the time.
Basically, it was especially bad that lesson, which was a double so I knew I was there for the long haul, and my stress was rising so much that I didn’t think I could physically control my symptoms for much longer. I expect many people here know the dilemma of whether or not to run away and face three times the disapproval later; that’s what I was feeling. Desperate to escape somehow.
Just as the situation took a sudden turn for the worst, my mind and my fear both stopped. I felt and knew nothing. :| My senses were working, as afterwards I could remember vaguely where I had been looking and what was said. However, at the time, there was no mental or emotional response to any of it. This lasted for maybe 15 seconds, until the worst part of the situation had played out.
Now some time ago I saw a program which featured a story of a woman who had fallen out of a window, hung on for a while, then dropped with surprisingly few injuries. It described a state of mind where the brain decides that your best hope of escaping serious damage is to completely relax your body and mind. By preventing panic, you won’t put yourself in worse danger, and by relaxing your muscles, any accidents will be less severe. Having already experienced a typical adrenaline rush, this woman went completely calm and let go.
I’ve been thinking about it. That survival technique would only be useful at times when your best bet is to do absolutely nothing, which must be quite rare. The worst that could have resulted from that situation would have been whatever my irrational emotions could do. If what happened to me was what was described on TV, doesn’t that imply that my brain actually thought I might kill myself with fear? It’s not unknown – young, healthy people can literally be scared to death, but I can only think of one time, when a girl was convinced she was going to die – tied by the neck to a post halfway down a huge well, and of course she didn’t have the option of relaxing and letting go.
I wondered if this has happened to anyone else or if anyone can name the mystery phenomenon for me, as I’ve looked but can’t find anything about it. :?
Thanks
Basically, it was especially bad that lesson, which was a double so I knew I was there for the long haul, and my stress was rising so much that I didn’t think I could physically control my symptoms for much longer. I expect many people here know the dilemma of whether or not to run away and face three times the disapproval later; that’s what I was feeling. Desperate to escape somehow.
Just as the situation took a sudden turn for the worst, my mind and my fear both stopped. I felt and knew nothing. :| My senses were working, as afterwards I could remember vaguely where I had been looking and what was said. However, at the time, there was no mental or emotional response to any of it. This lasted for maybe 15 seconds, until the worst part of the situation had played out.
Now some time ago I saw a program which featured a story of a woman who had fallen out of a window, hung on for a while, then dropped with surprisingly few injuries. It described a state of mind where the brain decides that your best hope of escaping serious damage is to completely relax your body and mind. By preventing panic, you won’t put yourself in worse danger, and by relaxing your muscles, any accidents will be less severe. Having already experienced a typical adrenaline rush, this woman went completely calm and let go.
I’ve been thinking about it. That survival technique would only be useful at times when your best bet is to do absolutely nothing, which must be quite rare. The worst that could have resulted from that situation would have been whatever my irrational emotions could do. If what happened to me was what was described on TV, doesn’t that imply that my brain actually thought I might kill myself with fear? It’s not unknown – young, healthy people can literally be scared to death, but I can only think of one time, when a girl was convinced she was going to die – tied by the neck to a post halfway down a huge well, and of course she didn’t have the option of relaxing and letting go.
I wondered if this has happened to anyone else or if anyone can name the mystery phenomenon for me, as I’ve looked but can’t find anything about it. :?
Thanks
