[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by LostInNerSpace

My theory is that it's about Fe.

That was my experience.

I usually had them in connection with social anxiety -- like I had violated some social rule (fair or not) and let my self-image in the hands of other people, to judge me or not.

I felt like I couldn't breathe, I'd get dizzy, sometimes my heart would speed up, my vision would blacken around the edges, and I had to put my head down. It would last 5-10 minutes for me.

I guess the other times I've gotten them (less) where when I felt I had no control over the world around me -- like suddenly I had lost large chunks of money or some other similar event. That's more a Te thing.

But there's the common denominator: The world was beyond my control, and I had somehow made myself vulnerable and thus was in real danger without my being able to do anything about it.

The more control I felt I had in my life -- either by being more proactive with events or by dismantling the "face" I wanted to project to others to win their approval -- the less and less I've had them.

Originally Posted by The Third Rider

Wow, I just noticed that most people here who have generalized anxiety are INTPs.

I was on Wellbutrin (extended release) for six years.

The type doesn't know how to process feelings, has trouble feeling comfortable in society, and is very aware of ambiguity in the world (and thus how few "answers" there are and how dangerous things could be). There's a lot of reason to be anxious, especially because you need to do things in life to succeed/survive that make you face these stressful situations.

For the past 2 months my panic attacks had been happening almost exclusively on Saturday nights but I never really knew why, until I went to my Barber shop last Saturday where they were blasting music and my head felt like it was being smashed against a door and I got real anxious. It so happens that I help a friend of my DJ on Saturday nights () and I remember that the music made my anxiety pretty bad. It seems that people that have sensitive ears can also develop anxiety ...

I also found that, after working in quiet all day long, going home to a rowdy house with loud kids would set me on edge instantly -- my head would swim, I'd utterly stress out, and I wanted to either scream and yell or else go crawl under my bed until I had had time to adjust to the stimulation. it wasn't just "irritation," i literally felt like I was going insane.

remember the fall of the House of Usher, by Poe? Yes, sensitivities to stimulation can result in anxiety if you're in an overstimulating environment.