Lore, thank you for your perspective -- I had not thought of it that way!
One of the things that I really wonder, and have not seen addressed here is that besides the very few panic attacks that I've had, in relation to the extreme avoidance I practice, is how these attacks come about.
Can anyone relate to this? I will be actually enjoying myself in a store or something like that, and it's like I'm so engrossed in what I'm doing.. and enjoying myself.. Then, my mind just sort of wakes up and goes "wait! What are you doing? Wake up and panic!!!" Something like that. I'd read some things regarding trances, and how some people have issues with fluorescent lights causing mini-trancing, and when you are startled out of it, you have a panic attack because you're suddenly hyper aware of your surroundings. Much like being woken up suddenly from a deep sleep. I notice that this happens to me when I'm in stores with high ceilings, and often I've figured it out that it happens when a heater or air blower type noise starts up. LIke I'm groovin' along totally lost in what I'm doing, but something in the environment changes (like a heater blower coming on, or a new sound like that) and off I go into panic thoughts.
Has anyone experienced anything like that? I don't believe that I have a Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but it's more a situational thing, with extreme avoidance now that I'm working through thanks to this program.
