• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Is it possible to die from panic?

Status
Not open for further replies.

New member

New Here
Hi, I'm new this is my third post. I am currently in assessment for trauma reactions, I have not gotten any type of diagnosis yet, but I'm here to give and receive support. The thing is that one of my triggers is vomiting. It might be helpful to look at my other post if you want to know more about why and blah blah. My biggest fear is that my dad is going to vomit some day from a flu or something different. I have a very real fear that I am literally going to die if that happens. I think that I am going to die from the panic and the physical feeling of panic. I was once on a streetcar with my boyfriend and some guy maybe drunk threw up, and it felt like I was actually dying I wanted to run away but froze and could not move. At some point I felt completely numb, my body is completely floppy, cant speak, and not feeling scared anymore and it felt like I was not there and that my soul had left my body and that my body was an object (haha i know it sounds crazy but this is how i felt).

My boyfriend later told me that he didn't notice anything before i kind of fell over to his side and didn't answer to him speaking to me. So my fear is that if my dad does vomit I am either going to die from panic and fear, or that i am going to be gone from my body and actually disapper forever and never come back to myself. My psychologist said that this is not possible and that i won't die or disappear. But I don't BELIVE HER!, Ok my rational brain knows it is not possible but I do have a very real fear that I am actually going to die or disappear. So can someone please explain to me why I'm not going to die or disappear. I just need some reassuranse that I'm not going to die and maybe some tips on coping skills if my dad or someone else vomits?
 
Unless you have a heart condition, or do something stupid (like running blindly into traffic) a panic attack can’t kill you anymore than getting a nice morning workout in can kill you. Your body is designed to do exactly what it’s doing.

The adrenaline response (fight/flight) is a life-saving mechanism. When it’s functioning correctly? Most people don’t even notice it. All they notice is that they feel strong & capable (heart rate speeding up to increase blood flow to lungs, and super oxygenated blood flowing to organs and muscles), running feels good (endorphin rush/runners’s high... which is what happened when you “flopped”, by the by. A sudden flood of endorphins similar to an orgasm or runners high, that allows animals to “Play dead” and escape, or at least not be in pain as they’re killed/eaten), or how exciting something is, or how fast they moved when they really needed to, or, or, or.

All a panic attack really is? That system tripping over when it’s NOT needed, and there’s nowhere for it to go. The system is supposed to trip over when we’re in danger, or exercising, or excited. We’re used to that. We’re also used to it starting to come online, and backing off/self regulating once the danger is past (like a near miss on the road... heart skips a beat, ice water for blood... and whew! Deep breath. Okay. Shakey for a minute or two, and then fine). But when it doesn’t come on gradually, like when we’re exercising? And it doesn’t self-regulate once the danger is past, like the near miss? We FEEL it. And we feel it hard. Our heart is a jackhammer, our muscles are shaking, our hearing and vision is wonky, our hands are cold, our thoughts/feelings are a shitshow... because it just showed up. For no reason. To no purpose. We’re not exercising, or excited, or in danger. We’re trying to buy f*cking breakfast cereal, or walk down a sidewalk, or carry on a conversation, or any of a zillion other normal things. And BOOM!

The thinking you’re going to die during a panic attack? Is a temporary/related thing. Because fight/flight kicks over when we’re in mortal danger... the not being any danger at all, much less mortal danger, confuses the hell out of our brain. Because it’s responsible for us. If this system has kicked on there MUST be danger. But there isn’t. But there must be! But there isn’t. But there must be! But there isn’t? Is there? But, but, but....

So you’ve got 2 pieces chiming in at that point
- The physiological reaction
- The mental/emotional reaction

Keeping yourself (thoughts/feelings) calm, regardless of what your body is doing? Is both a skill to learn AND will start shortening / getting you in control faster, when your body kicks off. Yep. Just a panic attack. Nothing to be afraid of. My system is just glitching. Give it a minute, and I’ll be fine.

***

As far as disappearing? Sorry. (Truly. Even though you’re afraid of it now. Why I’m sorry will become self evident, later.) That’s just not something people can do. And people try. Hard. Especially during certain types of trauma. So it’s not unusual for there to be echoes of that with PTSD, if back when you tried and tried and tried to disappear, not be here, it’s not happening to me, I’m not here. But even people who can dissociate to blackout levels? Always “come back”. But they never managed to actually disappear, in the first place. They were still there, and the thing still happened.

Disassociation is another protective mechanism. It’s something the brain was designed to do, does all the time in both normal life and extremes, and does very well. It gets obnoxious, with PTSD, because again it’s kicking on when we don’t want it on. But it’s not anything to be afraid of. It’s obnoxious. Not lethal. You won’t disappear, even if you zone out. And this is coming from someone who has lost some seeeeerious time, and “woken up” in different countries... I very much get being afraid of the consequences of zoning out. But the actual mechanism itself? Is nothing to be scared of. It won’t erase you. It can’t. And it’s not designed to. It’s designed to help you. Even if it’s “helping” is like a 5yo in the kitchen :facepalm: It’s trying to protect you, not erase you.
 
Friday beat me to it with more eloquence ;)

So yes... no. You can't die from panic, alone. Not even a very bad one. That you fear it / feels dying is part of the panic... not dying.

Death itself doesn't even feel that way. Even when one *is* also panicking.

So you're in the clear.
Worth addressing the panic & fears and all...
But it's not lethal.
 
Unless you have a heart condition, or do something stupid (like running blindly into traffic) a panic attack can’t kill you anymore than getting a nice morning workout in can kill you. Your body is designed to do exactly what it’s doing.

The adrenaline response (fight/flight) is a life-saving mechanism. When it’s functioning correctly? Most people don’t even notice it. All they notice is that they feel strong & capable (heart rate speeding up to increase blood flow to lungs, and super oxygenated blood flowing to organs and muscles), running feels good (endorphin rush/runners’s high... which is what happened when you “flopped”, by the by. A sudden flood of endorphins similar to an orgasm or runners high, that allows animals to “Play dead” and escape, or at least not be in pain as they’re killed/eaten), or how exciting something is, or how fast they moved when they really needed to, or, or, or.

All a panic attack really is? That system tripping over when it’s NOT needed, and there’s nowhere for it to go. The system is supposed to trip over when we’re in danger, or exercising, or excited. We’re used to that. We’re also used to it starting to come online, and backing off/self regulating once the danger is past (like a near miss on the road... heart skips a beat, ice water for blood... and whew! Deep breath. Okay. Shakey for a minute or two, and then fine). But when it doesn’t come on gradually, like when we’re exercising? And it doesn’t self-regulate once the danger is past, like the near miss? We FEEL it. And we feel it hard. Our heart is a jackhammer, our muscles are shaking, our hearing and vision is wonky, our hands are cold, our thoughts/feelings are a shitshow... because it just showed up. For no reason. To no purpose. We’re not exercising, or excited, or in danger. We’re trying to buy f*cking breakfast cereal, or walk down a sidewalk, or carry on a conversation, or any of a zillion other normal things. And BOOM!

The thinking you’re going to die during a panic attack? Is a temporary/related thing. Because fight/flight kicks over when we’re in mortal danger... the not being any danger at all, much less mortal danger, confuses the hell out of our brain. Because it’s responsible for us. If this system has kicked on there MUST be danger. But there isn’t. But there must be! But there isn’t. But there must be! But there isn’t? Is there? But, but, but....

So you’ve got 2 pieces chiming in at that point
- The physiological reaction
- The mental/emotional reaction

Keeping yourself (thoughts/feelings) calm, regardless of what your body is doing? Is both a skill to learn AND will start shortening / getting you in control faster, when your body kicks off. Yep. Just a panic attack. Nothing to be afraid of. My system is just glitching. Give it a minute, and I’ll be fine.

***

As far as disappearing? Sorry. (Truly. Even though you’re afraid of it now. Why I’m sorry will become self evident, later.) That’s just not something people can do. And people try. Hard. Especially during certain types of trauma. So it’s not unusual for there to be echoes of that with PTSD, if back when you tried and tried and tried to disappear, not be here, it’s not happening to me, I’m not here. But even people who can dissociate to blackout levels? Always “come back”. But they never managed to actually disappear, in the first place. They were still there, and the thing still happened.

Disassociation is another protective mechanism. It’s something the brain was designed to do, does all the time in both normal life and extremes, and does very well. It gets obnoxious, with PTSD, because again it’s kicking on when we don’t want it on. But it’s not anything to be afraid of. It’s obnoxious. Not lethal. You won’t disappear, even if you zone out. And this is coming from someone who has lost some seeeeerious time, and “woken up” in different countries... I very much get being afraid of the consequences of zoning out. But the actual mechanism itself? Is nothing to be scared of. It won’t erase you. It can’t. And it’s not designed to. It’s designed to help you. Even if it’s “helping” is like a 5yo in the kitchen :facepalm: It’s trying to protect you, not erase you.
Thank you! This was very helpful I’m amazed by how much knowledge you have! My therapist also said something about playing dead, but never hear about dissociation before. I do feel a bit safer now. I don’t have a heart condition, and I’m not going to run in to traffic so I’m not going to die. And I guess it is impossible to actually disappear haha. That only happens in movies?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top