Does a person have time to think something is frightening or does the reaction precede the thought ?
544453
Fight or flight is triggered by chemical and electrical means, not hindered by thought.  For example... if someone sneaks up behind you and "scares" you, you do not think before your initial reaction, just as you would not think before you react if you are asleep and someone grabs you and screams loudly; try this...  tell one of your family or friends to sneak up and scare you sometime during the day, but at a time and location that you do not know about.  theoretically, if you are able to think before triggering the fight or flight mechanism, then you should never jump, because you already know that at some point someone is going to try and scare you.  If thought comes first, you should be able to reason away the need to "jump".  In short, "fight or flight" is a reflex similar to that which occurs if you touch something hot... you do not think "ouch, I should move my hand, this burns" your nervous system (most likely not your brain but your spinal cord) sends the signal very quickly for you to move, probably before you even realize that you've been burned.\n\nAnother way to think of this...  If a friend were to don a bear costume and hide in your bedroom and jump towards you and growl the second you turn on the light, you will most assuredly jump, or even run.  Now if thought were the prevailing factor, you would simply reason that there would certainly not really be a bear in your bedroom, and you would have little or no reaction.  \n\nI hope this helps.
1061031
There is sense to it but it's a tad convoluted.\n\nBasically, while there are things that you fear, those things cannot physically stop you from acting or doing.  It is the fear itself which immobilizes us, not the thing.  Often times fear is a feeling, not so much directed at an object (people fear change or new experiences).\n\nSo, it is accurate that the only thing we should really be afraid of is fear because it keeps us from acting or doing what we would otherwise want to do.
1168318
i would call it a panic attact....very very mild...but it is still there.  are you afraid of something?  that could be that the first thoughts are pleasurable..but then the more you think about it you get this re-action.  try to get to the route of the problem.\n\nluv\nmandie
42803
It's an adrenaline thing, methinks.  Especially when you find yourself in a creepy situtation, the movie comes to mind, and you start to freak out.  Blair Witch was pretty scary, but what was really scary was when I started thinking about it when I saw an abandoned white house in the middle of no where.\n\nI also think that fear fuels imagination.  Imaginative people seem to like scary movies, and people who like scary movies tend to be imaginitive.  The panicky feeling you get from horror movies makes your mind race.
526046
Some people think scaring someone wokrs, but it doesnt really(at least not for me), and they say to drink water..but that does not help either. You need to hold your breath as long as you can(dont pass yourself out) and as many times as possible, and it should go away. : )
92210
Fear is a human (and even animal) reaction to an external or internal stimulus that falls within paramters unique to each organism.  Fear is highly individualized as are most emotions.  For example, a spider crawling on my arm might not be a sufficient stimulus for me to provoke fear, however, it might cause you to jump out of your skin.  \n\nIn humans, fear does not require an external stimulus (some animals also seem to be able to imagine fear as well).  The child who imagines a monster in a closet does not need an external stimulus to feel fear.\n\nFear is stimulated through the use of sensory organs and is entirely brain centric. Your brain has what's called a startle circuit. It runs through the mid- and lower brain, and is modulated by a structure in your brain called the amygdala.\n\nBecause fear is all in your mind, you can control it (this is where "courage" comes in).  However, there are two stages of fear, pre encouter and post encounter.  There are physiological components to be understood as well.  When the startle potentiation is activated, a small part of the brain called the hypothalamus which gets your heart pumping faster, dialates your eyes and in short, gets you ready for the final stage of fear, circa-strike.  This enable you to get extra energy sharper senses, etc, everything you need to fight off an attacker (hopefully).\n\nSo what is this all about?  Fear is an important component of an animals emotional makeup that allows the animal to survive.  Fear is healthy...it tells us when we are about to do something stupid and it also can give us an edge in a dangerous situation.  When controlled and managed properly (courage) it can allow us to do almost superhuman things.  \n\nThe difference between most animals and humans is that human have other choices than fight or flight when confronted with fear, unlike most animals.  We don't have to react according to our instincts and have communicative and other tools to deal with danger.\n\nHope this was helpful.
473373
nerves sometimes 'short-circit' and give you a reaction it soould not. like turning on a light in the living room and the tv fuzzing. how about a eye twitch,same concept.
683088
Out of curiousity, what kind of anxiety to do experience in these situations? The scenarios you mentioned all seem like ones in which help or escape is difficult: are you worried about being 'escape-less', or are you worried that you will have a panic attack or health problems in such situations and are limited in getting help or looking foolish?\n\nIf it is the former, it sounds like a form of classic phobia, perhaps a combo of claustrophobia or agoraphobia...\n\nAlternatively, if you are worried about panic symptoms, you may have panic disorder, with agoraphobia...\n\nIf your anxiety as associted with a stimulus (i.e. when driving a car, on an escalator', it is unlikely to be a generalised anxiety disorder, as this implies that anxiety develops without a known source.\n\n\nHere are the diagnostic criteria for phobias and panic disorders\n\nSpecific Phobias:\n\n.......Marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation\n\n.......Exposure to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response, which may take the form of a situationally bound or situationally predisposed Panic Attack\n\n.......The person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable\n\n........The phobic situation(s) is avoided or else is endured with intense anxiety or distress\n\n.......The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared situation(s) interferes significantly with the person’s normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there is marked distress about having the phobia\n\n\nPanic disorder with agoraphobia\n\no         Anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event of having an unexpected or situationally predisposed Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms.  Agoraphobic fears typically involved characteristic clusters of situations that include being outside the home alone; being in a crowd or standing in a line; being on a bridge; and traveling in a bus, train or automobile.\n          Note: consider the diagnosis of Specific Phobia if   the avoidance is limited to one or only a few specific situations, or Social Phobia if the avoidance is limited to social situations.\n\noThe situations are avoided (e.g., travel is restricted) or else are endured with marked distress or anxiety about having a Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms, or require the presence of a companion. \n\n\nPanic attack is:\n\noA discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes:\n\nPalpitations, pounding heart, accelerated heart rate\nSweating\nTrembling or shaking\nSensations of shortness of breath or smothering\nFeeling of choking\nChest pain or discomfort\nNausea or abdominal distress\nDizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, faint\nDerealisations (unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)\nFear or losing control or going crazy\nFear of dying\nparesthesias (numbing or tingling sensations)\nchills or hot flushes\n\nDistinguishing between panic and anxiety: panic attack symptoms develop abruptly and reach peak intensity within 10 minutes, rarely last more than an hour. Periods of anxiety, by contrast, are not as abrupt, intense, and are more long-lasting. \n\n\n\nHope that helps!
741909
Yes. Skeptics are often as skeptical of themselves as they are of others. I speak from personal experience. I question everything - literally, EVERYTHING. My own personal thoughts are not exempt from this constant analysis.
429443
That depends on how long you have been seeing this person. Most people only "freak out" when they feel like someone close to them has either been hiding something, or else outright lying about something. In any case, the best move is to be up front about it. The more time that passes that you withold this information, the less likely he is to respond to it in a calm and rational manner - and thus the less likely your relationship will survive.
170722
One of the things I would try to do is prepare my mind for it.  To see it the instant death comes and to not be afraid, to see it as is.  Its a rare oppertunity to possibly see the answer to something nobody has the answer to.  Maybe for a few moments there is a bridge between two planes of existence?
782708
No.  When a person is in a mental health crisis, they have no idea. So when you hear a person say "I think I'm having a nervous breakdown".....they aren't.  It's like a person saying "Oh no...I think I am getting Alzheimer's.."  but if you had it, you wouldn't be able to identify it.
639314
The fear of knowledge.\n\nLike all fears and phobias, epistemophobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. At some point in your past, there was likely an event linking knowledge and emotional trauma. Whilst the original catalyst may have been a real-life scare of some kind, the condition can also be triggered by myriad, benign events like movies, TV, or perhaps seeing someone else experience trauma.
1087114
This is a very interesting topic. It's like how you can hear yourself say something in your mind, but you don't actually hear sound. Or how you see a certain image when your eyes are open (hence, daydream). It's difficult to observe thoughts as they are happening, since the only way to actually formulate an opinion about what we are thinking is to analyze what we remember thinking. It's pretty amazing how our minds work, and what they control. We can't (more accurately, MOST of us can't) voluntarily control the rate of our heart beat, but we can voluntarily control our breathing. Yet, when we are asleep or not paying attention, our brain's nervous system takes over. It's so amazing...\n\nI can go on about this forever! : ) I actually have never heard of the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle but I'll look into it. (After a pause...) My thoughts are telling me to finish typing. ^_^
341444
I belive if you are really close to someone sometimes (as corny as it sounds) you have similiar brain wave patterns and can tap into each other thoughts.  I had that experience a lot with my best friend.  It is eerie but very cool too!
875776
I just learned this... When people have worries or anticipations their unconcious mind comes alive during their sleep. Every dream has a meaning. If it's a nightmare, evaluate the dream there may be something in the dream that you need to recognize. Dreams are always telling you something!
957535
Premonitions is what some people get about future events. Sometimes these pan out, other times they don't.\n\nSometimes these premonitions are out of our control. I personally think you are worrying unnecessarily, what will be will be.