Stress Center Peer Support

Okay, so I have read a ton of literature and self help books on anxiety and they all have incorporated the same theme that you will "not lose control during a panic attack". However, I have lost complete control 2 times during an anxiety attack in public. The very thing I feared most...happened. Has this ever happened to anyone else? Let me be specific: my body was shaking, then trembling. Next, I was jerking all uncontrollably. I was in a cloud, completely frightened, and confused. It lasted several minutes and then when it was over I felt exhausted and slept. When I followed up with my primary doctor he told me this can happen. He told me I just won't die. I need to know if anyone else suffering from anxiety has had body jerking and what appeared to be loss of muscle control? Please tell me your experience.

Not exactly to that extreme, no. My body would become numb, my heart would beat very fast, and I became extremely paranoid. Sometimes panic would take over me. I've taken myself to the emergency room several times, and the first think they asked was "did you smoke any crack?" The point is we can work ourselves up to think the worst thing is going to happen to us. I'm sorry i've never heard of losing control of your muscle functions.

Yeah, I've gone to the emergency room several times as well. In fact, the last time I had this jerking I went to the hospital and they were convinced I was on drugs! They kept saying "what did you take?" "Tell us what you took!" Finally, when the blood work came back they knew that I was telling the truth and did not take anything. The only thing that helped me was they brought in the chaplain and she read Psalm 91 to me and prayed with me. The anxiety subsided and I went home.

For me, the culmination of a REALLY bad panic attack, worst case scenario, is gagging/dry-heaving (I really don't vomit, I just go through the motions). That's when I'm like a 9-10 on the 'Scared Scale'. And it has happened in public (my worst fear). Oddly enough, though, after I get done with my little faux puking spell, I tend to feel better and calm down. I'd just like to avoid getting to that point in the first place!

Hmmm...thanks for sharing. I'm starting to worry that something may be wrong with me since no one else has ever had this happen. My therapist couldn't even help me out with an answer.

I've had several panic attacks where I shake uncontrollably. Teeth are chattering and my whole body is shaking. This has happened to me a few times at my therapists office, oddly enough. It's visible to others so it's a little embarrassing b/c I can't hide that I'm having an attack. It seems to happen to me when I'm unable to leave the situation I'm in, like sitting at the therapists office.

"This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss--good, not evil--success, not failure--in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it." I don't know the source of this quote, but I do know this much: I'm so grateful to God for a BEAUTIFUL day with my little granddaughter yesterday, and NO WAY would I let anxiety interfere with our precious time together. I used the day for good and praised God often. The precious present moment is good; anxiety and panic are bad, not of God. I've wasted MANY YEARS of my life on them and will NOT do it any more. Determination and prayer and scripture reading get me through (yeah, I skip the scriptures that are depressing to me and concentrate on the joyful promising ones).

me~n,

Yes, I know exactly what you are explaining. I've experienced all your mentioned symptoms too.

Finally, my therapist explained to me why the body jerks. She explained that it has to do with the nervous system & when it gets to a point where it is overloaded the body shakes, and can even jerk. Again, I've only experienced this extreme twice, and both times I have been under extreme stress, anxiety, and having multiple panic attacks in a day.

Kathie,

Thank you for your encouraging words & insight. It's an inspiration to hear what works for others. Reading my Bible helps me stay focused too. I've been the prodigal daughter several times in my life and every time I walk out His doors, inevitably worry, anxiety, stress, and panic eventually seep back into my life stronger than before.
I'm so thankful that God is a God of mercy, grace and forgiveness. I'm thankful that these attributes are new everyday!
I know that my Father does not cause these negative things to happen to me, but rather He allows me to go through them to bring me back home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sldo6sa_HQ