"THE BEAR"
Imagine you are on a pleasant
walk through the woods. Without
warning, you hear a terrifying growl and
turn, horrified to see a grizzly bear
charging towards you. Your heart pounds,
your thoughts race, your palms sweat,
and your hands and feet turn cold.
You fear you are about to die. The
bear stops, turns and runs the opposite
way. Shaking but grateful for your
escape, you return to camp, possibly
vowing never to go into those woods
again. You have reacted normally
to a life-threatening event.
Now,
imagine a neighbor or friend relaxing in
his favorite easy chair, suddenly
experiencing the same distress signals
that you felt encountering the bear.
He feels faint , his chest hurts, he
feels his body tremble, and he thinks
death is imminent. He may be
having a heart attack, or he may be one
of an estimated three million Americans
suffering from panic disorder.
Why would similar terror overcome both
individuals? Some people have a
nervous system which misfires sending
danger signals at inappropriate times.
They experience the same sudden physical
and emotional responses of a
life-threatening situation when there is
actually nothing to fear. These
panic attacks usually last a few minutes
but may, in rare cases last for longer
periods of time. The fear is so
intense that the person usually feels
certain that something serious is wrong
such as a heart attack or that they may
being going crazy.
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