that what happened to me was not a random panic attack. BF wasn't even in my thoughts or on my mind at the time and I didn't even make a connection until the incident of the following night. In my case, I was simply walking along enjoying myself and the night and it was if I'd walked straight into a wall.
The feeling was overwhelming and happened out of the blue with no reason or warning. It literally stopped me dead in my tracks. I even backed up some and bedded down right there instead of my intended spot. And I didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night.
I've had the jitters before when camping solo, and I tried to convince myself that was all it was. I've camped my whole life and that was the worst night out I've ever had. And as I said, I never thought of a BF possibility until the following night, as I am in a state not really known for BF encounters.
I can tell you, that it was an oppressive, palpable, and highly tangible feeling the likes of which I have never experienced before. And I have since had diagnosed panic attacks which have been work and stress-related (divorce, workload pressure, etc.). They are not even comparible with what happened to me that night.
It's easy for folks to shrug things like this off as a "panic attack." Until it happens to you, you won't understand what it's really like and the longevity of the effects. I fully understand the statement "they never went back...." I have been back, but not at night.
And there are numerous reports similar to mine. As I said, I have no idea what happened to me that night and I'm not sure what happened the following night. But the anecdotal evidence of the similar experiences would suggest that something real does happen. But HOW it happens? Who knows? It's another piece of the puzzle.
And if anecdotal evidence is going to be shrugged off, you might as well shrug off about 90% of the overall reports.
Posted on Mar 22, 2002, 10:02 AM from IP address 65.101.41.250