--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The beginning of an attack I always…" description: "\"“The beginning of an attack I always experienced as a swell lurching up from unseen depths, similar to the physical sensation of standing waist-high in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ba/glenn-haybittle-28413_panic-attacks_the-beginning-of-an-attack-i-always-expe_1136357.jpg" --- # The beginning of an attack I always experienced as a swell… ![“The beginning of an attack I always experienced as a swell lurching up from unseen depths, similar to the physical sensation of standing waist-high in the sea when there are no waves but all of a sudden the great body of water heaves itself up as if the planet has shifted a fraction on its axis…” quote by Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ba/glenn-haybittle-28413_panic-attacks_the-beginning-of-an-attack-i-always-expe_1136357.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ba/glenn-haybittle-28413_panic-attacks_the-beginning-of-an-attack-i-always-expe_1136357.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ba/glenn-haybittle-28413_panic-attacks_the-beginning-of-an-attack-i-always-expe_1136357.jpg) > ““The beginning of an attack I always experienced as a swell lurching up from unseen depths, similar to the physical sensation of standing waist-high in the sea when there are no waves but all of a sudden the great body of water heaves itself up as if the planet has shifted a fraction on its axis. That was the signal for me that the nature of reality was about to terrifyingly change.”” [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes an intense, sudden shift in perception that feels like the world physically moving, signaling a profound change in how reality is experienced. **In simple terms:** A sudden, overwhelming feeling that reality is changing. Key Takeaway Recognize and prepare for moments when perception shifts dramatically. Themes perception reality transformation awakening Mood introspective curious Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - creative work - personal crisis - spiritual practice - scientific research Key Concepts psychology philosophy neuroscience Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your deepest shifts in perception? - How can you stay grounded during reality‑altering moments? A Different Perspective Such experiences may be subjective and not universally replicable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attack Experienced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack-experienced-3147334/) [Experienced Swell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experienced-swell-3147333/) [Panic attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panic-attacks/) [Swell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swell/) [Swell Lurching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swell-lurching-3147335/) [Waves Sudden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waves-sudden-3147336/) ## Related quotes > [We hope that the elected officials will respond positively to a ground swell of letters, phone calls, e-mails and visits from parents. The law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-hope-that-the-elected-officials-will-respond-positively-to-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing but water -- an ever-moving swell; nothing but waves, swiftly forming and instantly dying; nothing but depths; dark, fathomless depths; and nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chingiz-aitmatov/nothing-but-water-an-ever-moving-swell-nothing-but-waves-swiftly/) [Chingiz Aitmatov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chingiz-aitmatov/) > [“Look at the swell. You'll not find a bigger swell anywhere. It has half the globe for its run-up. You're young. You have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carsten-jensen/look-at-the-swell-you-ll-not-find-a-bigger-swell-anywhere-it-has-half/) [Carsten Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carsten-jensen/) > [I know only two words of American slang, 'swell' and 'lousy'. I think 'swell' is lousy, but 'lousy' is swell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/i-know-only-two-words-of-american-slang-swell-and-lousy-i-think-swell/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [As long as my voice is here, and there is a Holiday Inn waiting for me, then everything's just swell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/as-long-as-my-voice-is-here-and-there-is-a-holiday-inn-waiting-for-me/) [Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/) > [Nowadays you can't tell, watch the crotch, it may swell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-quik/nowadays-you-can-t-tell-watch-the-crotch-it-may-swell/) [DJ Quik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-quik/) > [“I allowed him to curse at me aloud My sorrows swelled bigger in size so did my sighs… From the poem- FROM THE FERRY…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/i-allowed-him-to-curse-at-me-aloud-my-sorrows-swelled-bigger-in-size/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [Peppers, garlic, hazelnuts and brazil nuts make my mouth, tongue and eyes swell and itch within minutes of eating them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-mclean/peppers-garlic-hazelnuts-and-brazil-nuts-make-my-mouth-tongue-and/) [Andrea McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-mclean/) > [Well, Pluto, here we are. Now for a swell vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-pluto-here-we-are-now-for-a-swell-vacation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I lose my mind if I miss a swell that I want to be on and I have the ability to be on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-mcnamara/i-lose-my-mind-if-i-miss-a-swell-that-i-want-to-be-on-and-i-have-the/) [Garrett McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-mcnamara/) > [“If one was to sting me,” he thought, “I should swell up as big again as I am!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-one-was-to-sting-me-he-thought-i-should-swell-up-as-big-again-as-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, And poppy, or charms, can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/thou-art-slave-to-fate-chance-kings-and-desperate-men-and-dost-with/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [It's a perfect wave when small and the most beautiful and scary wave on Earth when it's big, as the swell from deep water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/it-s-a-perfect-wave-when-small-and-the-most-beautiful-and-scary-wave/) [Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/) > [“And I’d have you know, through all of it, I still had perfect nails! Because I am completely swell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-scheele/and-i-d-have-you-know-through-all-of-it-i-still-had-perfect-nails/) [Sarah Scheele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-scheele/) > [In Iceland, you can see the contours of the mountains wherever you go, and the swell of the hills, and always beyond that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-kent/in-iceland-you-can-see-the-contours-of-the-mountains-wherever-you-go-2/) [Hannah Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-kent/) ## More by Glenn Haybittle > [“I once conjured up this image of Hitler. I imagined that he didn’t kill himself and that he was kept in a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/i-once-conjured-up-this-image-of-hitler-i-imagined-that-he-didn-t/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“We had a spell that made her become a boy and made me become a girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/we-had-a-spell-that-made-her-become-a-boy-and-made-me-become-a-girl/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“Nothing makes a person more untrustworthy than to be motivated primarily by fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/nothing-makes-a-person-more-untrustworthy-than-to-be-motivated/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“My first impression of Venice was that it might be hard to make anything happen there. Everything seemed to have already happened. Venice seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/my-first-impression-of-venice-was-that-it-might-be-hard-to-make/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“Sometimes at night the only sound was the syncopated footfalls of a Nazi patrol stiffly marching past in their nailed boots. It was like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/sometimes-at-night-the-only-sound-was-the-syncopated-footfalls-of-a/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“That he possessed living images in his mind of details I had only witnessed on the television, at the cinema – the Nazi flag,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/that-he-possessed-living-images-in-his-mind-of-details-i-had-only/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“He made me forget myself, sometimes the most precious gift one person can give another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/he-made-me-forget-myself-sometimes-the-most-precious-gift-one-person/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“Everyone who dies in Florence has a copy of Great Expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/everyone-who-dies-in-florence-has-a-copy-of-great-expectations/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“Do you know what the most secret stubbornly-defended part of our identity is? It’s the private concessions we make to our cowardice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/do-you-know-what-the-most-secret-stubbornly-defended-part-of-our/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“The Nazis were good at creating hatred. And when you hate you feel a need to triumph. That triumph Hitler knew for a while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/the-nazis-were-good-at-creating-hatred-and-when-you-hate-you-feel-a/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“Memories are like the heart; you mustn’t ask too much of them. Just let them get on quietly with their schooling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/memories-are-like-the-heart-you-mustn-t-ask-too-much-of-them-just-let/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“The yellow star subtly shifted the balance of power in our relationship. It made her more alone. And it made me more protective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/the-yellow-star-subtly-shifted-the-balance-of-power-in-our/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“He feels he has to accept their bond isn't as exalted as he believed. Just another ordinary relationship with niggling unspoken grudges, mistimed or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/he-feels-he-has-to-accept-their-bond-isn-t-as-exalted-as-he-believed/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“We all fashion ourselves to the false world in which we live and in so doing become false ourselves. I saw this all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/we-all-fashion-ourselves-to-the-false-world-in-which-we-live-and-in/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [“She said The Waves was the closest literature had ever come to expressing the blueprint of dance which for her was mapping out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/she-said-the-waves-was-the-closest-literature-had-ever-come-to/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) [Explore all 19 Glenn Haybittle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) ## More Panic attacks quotes > [“Most people think anxiety as panic attacks. That's not entirely accurate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-wilde/most-people-think-anxiety-as-panic-attacks-that-s-not-entirely/) [Jen Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-wilde/) > [I didn't introduce thug life to America. Thug life is America. I don't get why the whole world is fearing me. I am scared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/i-didn-t-introduce-thug-life-to-america-thug-life-is-america-i-don-t/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [At sleepovers I would have panic attacks trying to break it to girls that they didn't want to kiss me without outing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/io-tillett-wright/at-sleepovers-i-would-have-panic-attacks-trying-to-break-it-to-girls/) [iO Tillett Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/io-tillett-wright/) > [Sci-fi is definitely something that I've been wanting to do again since Panic Attack and I want to do it on a feature scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fede-alvarez/sci-fi-is-definitely-something-that-i-ve-been-wanting-to-do-again/) [Fede Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fede-alvarez/) > [If we can't have comedy books written about aspects of womanhood without going into a panic attack about it, then we haven't got very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fielding/if-we-can-t-have-comedy-books-written-about-aspects-of-womanhood/) [Helen Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fielding/) > [When you work at home, fellow alums, discipline is the supreme virtue. Suicidal self-loathing lurks behind every coffee break. Activities must be expertly scheduled,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-lipsyte/when-you-work-at-home-fellow-alums-discipline-is-the-supreme-virtue/) [Sam Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-lipsyte/) > [“How'd you know that would help, Grandma? Used to have a regular who had attacks like that all the time. Poor guy. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-leblanc/how-d-you-know-that-would-help-grandma-used-to-have-a-regular-who-had/) [Jennifer LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-leblanc/) > [I developed claustrophobia when I was about seven. And I am no stranger to panic attacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/i-developed-claustrophobia-when-i-was-about-seven-and-i-am-no/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [Panic attacks and Anxiety. When you lose control, cant think straight, cant stop shaking and totally break down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemant-smarty/panic-attacks-and-anxiety-when-you-lose-control-cant-think-straight/) [Hemant Smarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemant-smarty/) > [During a panic attack, I remember that today is just today and that is all that it is. I take a deep breath in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-greenfield/during-a-panic-attack-i-remember-that-today-is-just-today-and-that-is/) [Max Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-greenfield/) > [I get panic attacks in big crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liev-schreiber/i-get-panic-attacks-in-big-crowds/) [Liev Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liev-schreiber/) > [Me:I have anxiety What most people think I have:I'm shy and can't talk to people. I'm awwwwkwaaaard. What I actually mean:I have full blown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurlii-xd/me-i-have-anxiety-what-most-people-think-i-have-i-m-shy-and-can-t/) [Kurlii XD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurlii-xd/) > [“We should always strive to understand what makes us feel bad... before we feel bad, if possible. As well as what makes us feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-baronciani/we-should-always-strive-to-understand-what-makes-us-feel-bad-before/) [Alessandro Baronciani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-baronciani/) > [Well, unless you've suffered from panic attacks and social anxiety disorders, which is what I was diagnosed as having, it's hard to explain it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donny-osmond/well-unless-you-ve-suffered-from-panic-attacks-and-social-anxiety/) [Donny Osmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donny-osmond/) > [I'd had a relationship with a woman when I was 20, but nobody cared then. As it came out at the same time as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sia/i-d-had-a-relationship-with-a-woman-when-i-was-20-but-nobody-cared/) [Sia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sia/) [Browse all 125 Panic attacks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panic-attacks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The beginning of an attack I always experienced as a swell lurching up from unseen depths, similar to the physical sensation of standing waist-high in the sea when there are no waves but all of a sudden the great body of water heaves itself up as if the planet has shifted a fraction on its axis. 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