Girlfriend Having Panic/Anxiety/Scared Attack and seeing Shadowy Figures?

[kanyeknievel]

Hey everyone.. I didn't think I would have that much trouble really finding any explanation for this since I have Depersonalization and I know seeing random shadow shapes and figures and sometimes people can be a side-effect to that, and we have similar panic type attacks...

The panic/anxiety attacks that we have aren't like normal ones where we think we are dying, chest tightening, etc. Its more of just becoming very scared of basically nothing.

What happens with her, I'll try to keep it short though, is that she had a troubled past with her mom and she thinks whenever she does something that is negative or bad and it is like her mom, cause her mom was a terrible person.. she lives with her dad now.. but she has these scary/scaried attacks, what happens is that she thinks she is becoming like her mom and then she just gets scared.. and tells me she is getting scared of nothing and the room and can't look around... then she just gets very scared and I try to calm her down, relax her, make her focus on something else.. but she tells me it sort've feels like the room is closing in around her a bit, and its mainly just she sees shadow figures, like people in shadows... its not Shadow People like folk-lore.. like it only happens when she goes into the panic mode and everything I've just explained.

Im a psychology major and Im good at all of this so I figured I could find this out and why this happens and she sees those, but I look and I dont see Shadow Figures or shapes as a symtpom of anxiety/panic attacks.. the only thing i know that is a side-effect off is DP/DR and she didnt have that feeling or sensation.. and she DEFINITELY isnt schizophrenic or any type of psychosis.

Anyone tell me what these shadow figures are, why she might see them?

I know it all relates and goes back to SOMETHING about her mom.. but i dont want to bring it up or talk about it and make her go into one again.. but i want to figure it out and just know what these "shadow figures" are.

 

[Samadhi]

Hi kanyeknievel, i think your post may get better responses over at The Dark Side, so i'm going to go ahead and move it over there. I'm no authority on the subject of psychology, but from reading your post, I want to ask if your girlfriend is seeing any kind of psychologist/psychiatrist? While I think its great that you're solid enough to help her, sometimes being so close can cause you to lose objectivity - this is what i've been told by therapists - and the reason why therapy with someone objective is so beneficial.



TDS Mods - i hope it's ok that i moved this over.

 

[ugly]

Wow, Kanyeknievel, that's such a harsh trip to go through, I can only imagine the pain it causes.

I only see shadow people after a few days of sleep deprivation or four E pills.

Obviously my situation is not anything like yours but I will share my experience just in case there might be some help or some clue.

When I see the shadow people, I smile at them. I am friendly with them and they are friendly back to me.

I experience them as being real, at least while they appear to be hanging out with me. I suspect it is a reflective phenomena of my psyche.

I am always happy when the shadow people show up, so I of course I am smiling and friendly, and they are smiling and friendly back to me.

I wish I could be more helpful.

 

[addictivepersona]

OP, are you / your gf / whoever is seeing the shadowy figures (I'll be honest, your post confused me--maybe I'm just tired) constantly on any drugs? Or not getting enough sleep? When I was working the night shift, I would have massive panic attacks and see shadowy figures out of the corner of my eye... But I was not sleeping well and doing many, many drugs at the time. Mainly stimulants (caffeine, cocaine, mmcat), but also alcohol, marijuana, lortabs, whatever I could get my hands on basically.

 

[eukaryote]

If this is happening without substances, it would indicate a mental health issue. How do you know she is not schizophrenic or otherwise ill with a psychotic disorder? It can also be a symptom of Bipolar Disorder and having a mixed episode. There also occurs agitated depression which can present similarly.

If this is happening concurrently with substance abuse. I'd suggest laying off them for a while! If it is not, please try to have your GF talk to her physician.

 

[n3ophy7e]

If she has a history of abuse from her mother I'd also like to throw Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in to the mix of possiblities, major symptoms of which include anxiety and panic attacks. It makes sense that she doesn't want to talk about it because it's too distressing to deal with, and that you don't want to ask her about it because you don't want to see her suffer. I can totally understand that. However my concern is that the longer your girlfriend tries to avoid or ignore her troubled past, the worse these panic attacks are going to get. Has she ever spoken with a doctor or psychiatric specialist about this? If not, I really recommend that she does. The sooner she gets help for working through these issues, the better she will feel in the long run. Do you think she'd be up for seeing a therapist about this?

Also, just to reiterate what others have already said, IF your girlfriend takes any drugs she really needs to avoid all recreational substances at least until she gets her anxiety/panic attacks under control. Otherwise that could make her symptoms a whole lot worse as well.

Good luck, and keep us updated

 

[kanyeknievel]

Thanks for all of the help. She does really have a traumatic past with her mother... and she broke down crying and saying she misses her and loves her and a lot of stuff tonight after she was drunk...
I am a psychology major, i know all of this type of stuff I just didnt know why there was SHADOWY FIGURES. I know exactly what she is going through is a panic/anxiety attack, but it just didnt make sense why there was shadow figures. But there is definitely a lot to her past and I can't fix it with my very little experience, i want her to go to a therapist, but here in England where she lives, she doesn't have the money to go to any type of one.. i want her to come live with me and go to my therapist, it would be amazing for her.

I am almost positive, like 99% she is NOT schizo or psycho in any way, and its all from traumtic experiences from her mother and that is all.. it is ALL from her mother, and throw in that she doesn't get more than ike 4-5 hours of sleep normally when school is in... then throw in the getting drunk basically every non-school night because of her past, because of all of those issues... and it makes sense why she would have those attacks.... but still i dont get what EXACTLY the trigger is... and i dont get WHY there is shadow figures in these attacks.

Thank you everyone.

 

[herbavore]

Does your girlfriend use stimulants?

 

[Alex000]

I do not regard the DSM as the be all and end all, in fact my ideas on the whole matter of psychology are a bit different. Frankly, whether she sees shadow people or not she suffers from anxiety and panic related to trauma in the past. In my mind it is fairly simple. Therapy could help, but if you intend to do psychotherapy with a "professional", I suggest you make certain he knows what he is doing.

 

[n3ophy7e]

I do not regard the DSM as the be all and end all, in fact my ideas on the whole matter of psychology are a bit different. Frankly, whether she sees shadow people or not she suffers from anxiety and panic related to trauma in the past. In my mind it is fairly simple. Therapy could help, but if you intend to do psychotherapy with a "professional", I suggest you make certain he knows what he is doing.

I have to agree Alex. The symptom of visual hallucinations isn't really all that relevant, it's moreso the fact that she is having panic attacks which are triggered fairly frequently, she doesn't sleep much and she abuses alcohol every weekend. Whether the shadow people are being seen or not, she still needs help.

Also, kanyeknieval, whilst it would be interesting and helpful to find out what the trigger(s) are for your gf's panic attacks, it's not always so easy to find that out. So try not to place pressure on yourself to figure out what they are. It's more likely that she will only find out what her triggers are once she starts having regular psychotherapy. Do you think she would be receptive to starting some serious therapy?

 

[kanyeknievel]

Im sorry if this all comes out in caps! Keybard is broken so i will keep this short
she had anther one this morning and she had basically zero sleep the past two days_
she had maybe five hours when she got home from college the first day she went back and it happened before she left the second day_
she said this time the room was like all wavy and waving>> maybe she means sortve like breathing for all those that have done acid?
I have no idea right nw if the waves came first or she started to "get scared" then things started to get weird
but she woke me up for one of my kpins)which i dont like to give her

i think that her attacks are not not from psychosis tho many people that would look at the straight symptoms to be a form of it
i beieve that it is from anxiety and nervousness and scared of something and a mix of drinking and sleep: Maybe also her mom

scared because of today of college for some reason and she is selfconscious > why ? Idk bcuz she is absoutely beautiful> i think it goes back to her mom making her believe things that arent true about her body
but i believe she was scared of going to class today

and the other times she is scared of something and usually its the fear of her becoming like her mother

as for seeing help>>> idk bcuz she doesnt even have a doctor and i dont think she has the money to even be able get the help she needs unless she were to wait until she came and moved to america with me

 

[PMS]

I hope not to offend anyone, as I share my personal beliefs on this subject. It might just sound like new-age bullshit, and I'd still advice her to see a qualified doctor.

I once studied hard to be a Spiritual Healer\Observer, under the careful hands of an autenthic Sami Shaman. He told me, in simple terms, that the world is full of all kinds of energies- both positive and negative. People who are very sensitive, may observe negative energies as "shadows"- I've seen them many times myself, though I'd have to go into "trance" to observe them. In everyday life, I often notice something "wierd" here and there, and do my best to fix the problems. The way I see it, the world is like a lake, where every action is like a raindrop, creating wobbles. Even though the drop is merged with the water, the wobbles will continue for long, getting weaker and weaker, and in some cases go "into phase" in either direction, creating huge energies.

The most violent episode I saw, was when an middle-aged man, paralyzed from his neck and down, was crying and begging the doctors just to put him to sleep. I saw blotchy figures, like "absence of light", streaming out of his body, over the floor, and out of the room. I actually believe one of the doctors was "sensitive as well", as he actually pointed straight to the biggest one and asked me "could you take care of that?"

In my house, there is a tremendous negative energy coming up from the staircase, which I believe comes from my horrible teenage depressions, when I always would walk up the stairs feeling suicidal. Cats and dogs stop and stare at the stairs, and won't go anywhere near it. Some of them go completely beserk, and run away in full panic after "seeing something". I've seen "shadows" and felt strong sensations of cold there aswell, which led to my family removing the staircase and building a wall around the opening. It's much better now.

Do the feelings of dread and shadows occur in one special place, or does it follow her? I'd advice you to get in touch with a REAL Shaman\Healer, not a "newage" asshole who earns big money on these things, but a really sensitive person with a good heart and great, natural knowledge.

Wish you all the best,
-PMS

 

[n3ophy7e]

Thank you for your interesting insight PMS, very intriguing


kanye, sorry to hear your gf had another attack. I still think it would be a good idea for her to see a doctor about this, what country does she live in? Is there government-subsidised health care in her country?
My other suggestion is for her to quit drinking right now, for a few months at least. It really could be messing with her sleep patterns and hence causing her insomnia, which could be contributing to her anxiety and hallucinations. Her drinking is also very likely to be exacerbating her anxiety in itself. Do you think she could quit drinking for the timebeing, to see if that helps??

 

[rickolasnice]

Sounds like anxiety / panic attacks..

The brain is a very complex thing.. My girlfriend used to pass out quite often while having panic attacks.. what she felt sounded exactly like an epileptic fit.. We went to see a neurologist which said it isn't epilepsy, it's purely psychological.. from that day on she has never passed out while experiencing a panic attack..

Wouldn't surprise me if these shadow people is just another variation of that kind of thing.. I wouldn't worry too much about the shadow people if they only appear when she's having a panic attack.. get rid of them and you get rid of the shadow people.

 

[kanyeknievel]

Thank you for your interesting insight PMS, very intriguing


kanye, sorry to hear your gf had another attack. I still think it would be a good idea for her to see a doctor about this, what country does she live in? Is there government-subsidised health care in her country?
My other suggestion is for her to quit drinking right now, for a few months at least. It really could be messing with her sleep patterns and hence causing her insomnia, which could be contributing to her anxiety and hallucinations. Her drinking is also very likely to be exacerbating her anxiety in itself. Do you think she could quit drinking for the timebeing, to see if that helps??

well i was with her the last two weeks, well i was with her for a month and i just left and got home last night :'( she is my fiancee now tho

But the last two weeks pretty much i was there she drank maybe one or two days and that was it, just to get drunk. so she definitely seems to be slowing down.

But what i really just think it is, is her past with her parents and lifestyles, and some alcohol, and mostly her anxiety and being scared. like worrying about things she shouldnt worry about. its hard to explain really, but she just worries too much and lets it get to her. like if i ever left her room at night to go the bathroom and the laptop wasnt on playing something, she needed me and like told me "TURN THE LIGHT ON" even tho the bathroom is RIGHT next to her room and i would be like 30secs.

But i dont think she can go to a therapist, or atleast a good one. she or her dad dont have money. her dad doesnt work anymore and they live off government benefits pretty much :/ she wants to move and live over here and i plan to do that in the near future. i love her so much and i just would love her being HERE. i just want to always be with her... even if we were both super pissed off at eachother, id rather still be with her there than not be with her and be here and just meh.

But that being said, she lives in England right now, and i dont know how things work over there and if she could see a therapist for free and everything. if she cant, she cant cause she has no money for that.

But i talked to her one night and said going to a CBT therapist, the ones i do, would be very beneficial to her. she doesnt NEED to go, but she should i think. but she is one of those people who refuse to go to a therapist and thinks it wouldnt help and just make it worse and she doesnt need it. She said her mom used to force her to go because her mom always thought something was wrong with her.. but her moms fucking crazy for real. but she told me she felt better when she STOPPED going, rather than when she WAS going.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Firstly, congrats on getting engaged!!! That is so exciting kk

I totally understand that she doesn't want to see a therapist because her crazy mother used to force her to go. It makes total sense that she's averse to therapy now! But, I agree with you, I still think she could benefit from it. The tricky thing with therapy though is that it only helps as much as the individual will let it help, if you get what I mean. If she is really averse to it and if she believes it won't help her, then it's probably not going to. Perhaps she could try something else like hypnotherapy or meditation or yoga, something other than a formal type of therapy like CBT. But, it has to be her decision, she cannot be forced or coerced in to anything, because of her past experiences with her mother forcing her in to therapy.

Is it likely that she is going to come and live with you? If so, when is it likely to happen?