People with social anxiety disorder are more common than you think. It’s important that we know how to help them when they have a panic attack.
holy shit, i was just having a panick attack at the time and i read this and tried to calm myself down and it totally worked. goddamn this needs more reblogs
BDSM will trigger strange reactions in people. Maybe there’s a sound or feeling that will make them panic… something cold on the throat, the sound of a belt being taken from one’s pants, a certain word or phrase, pressing down on the back while tickling, knives, wooden spoons, … there are plenty of people that can suddenly be thrown in to very unsexy mindspaces. Sometimes they won’t even know that such a trigger exists.
Other times, the sudden rush of feeling, or the losing of control, or the inability to unclench one’s hand after a particularly good orgasm, or an unrelated problem they’d been able to ignore…
… and maybe it’s not a full blown panic attack, or maybe it is, or maybe it’s “just” a disabling, strong, crying fit. What I’ve found when I’ve had partners who have panic attacks is that honoring it helps, then and in the future. Don’t fight it, don’t try to shove it under a rug, give it what it demands, acknowledge it, let it come, and let it pass. Much of the panic often comes from the way the initial onset causes reactions of “I don’t know what’s happening to me! I can’t control it!” … and once they know what’s happening and don’t tense up and try to prevent it, it washes over them.
