The description of a panic attack by a patient of any age,it follows a consistent pattern: "I feel like dying ... I can not breathe ... my heart beats like crazy ... I'm afraid of losing control ... " Panic attack is basically the fear of fear, fear of dying, fear of going crazy. Sufferers, tends to associate and to explain the panic with the place and conditions where this occurs: "I was in the car, since then I am afraid to drive ... I drank a glass of cold water, halts the digestion and are went to the emergency room but I had nothing, I have a shot of Valium, ever since I drink only warm water every time even if I up the anxiety. "

The conditions can be very different, though often the panic attack occurs when the patient feels forced into a situation as a means of transportation, the subway, plane, car, or situations that seem to force in a hopeless position as the cinema, or a traffic jam, on the contrary, in open environments where you feel lost and without reference points. For the patient, the association of panic attack and the environment in which this occurs, a fact becomes almost magical. In fact, avoiding the place or situation where he felt ill, he seeks to control and to remove the fear of fear: "if I avoid driving, I'm not going to happen, if not go to the movies will not try anxiety." It is the same mechanism of superstition when it assigns a number to a certain circumstance, a color, a negative influence. The advantage is that by avoiding the negative charge of the situation, giving the illusion of keeping away the bad luck. Phobic defense, initially, seems to work because the person living the illusion of being able to control the problem by avoiding some isolated situations.

Unfortunately, the initial relief was short-lived, in fact, gradually increase the situation "dangerous" to significantly limit a person's life that can, in some cases, reaching close to home to avoid social gatherings. Everything becomes difficult, even the simplest actions like going to work, meet friends, take a walk. The fear of being afraid, and narrows the range of up to a minimum and even if the person is compelled to go out, work, face a trip, all lived with great difficulty and anxiety ruining the pleasure of living everyday life.

Apparently the patient participates in a business meeting or watch a movie but in reality it is immersed in its own parallel world that only he knows where you mentally repeats a series of "negative mantras" of the kind. "I feel bad, I fear, my heart breaks, I will be a heart attack, when the movie ends I will return home immediately, where the nearest hospital, who can help me." If unable to contain the anxiety, the person will feel bad but try to hide his condition, or the anguish will take you by the throat and then the monster called "fear of fear" will force him to leave the movie theater or meeting of work.

Apparently the person in the grip of this kind of anguish, participates in the situation that is going through but it is separated from the outside by a glass slide on which the emotions and feelings like drops of water on an impermeable surface. He does not listen to anything, it does not get the heat or the vivacity of the external environment, is alone, totally isolated, even when surrounded by people who feel affection for him but he can not perceive because of its saturated negative mantra.

The physical appearance of the person in the throes of this agony without a name, it is precisely that of someone who is gripped by powerful claws at her throat and it feels to die, go crazy, go to pieces. It 'a terrible feeling but also harmless, this is the paradox, there is no danger the patient does not die and will not be attacked by any green monster with sharp claws. The paradox is that there is no danger to health or the safety of the person, yet it suffers horribly as ever in his life.