--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing. Heart pounding. Respiration and…" description: "\"“Nothing. Heart pounding. Respiration and all somatic processes including all manner of diencephalic-controlled autonomic responses to crises: adrenali..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/philip-k-dick-502_anxiety_nothing-heart-pounding-respiration-and-a_2540237.jpg" --- # Nothing. Heart pounding. Respiration and all somatic… ![“Nothing. Heart pounding. Respiration and all somatic processes including all manner of diencephalic-controlled autonomic responses to crises: adrenalin greater heartbeat pulse rate glands pouring throat paralysed eyes staring bowels loose et al. Stomach queasy and sex instinct suppressed. And yet…” quote by Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/philip-k-dick-502_anxiety_nothing-heart-pounding-respiration-and-a_2540237.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/philip-k-dick-502_anxiety_nothing-heart-pounding-respiration-and-a_2540237.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/philip-k-dick-502_anxiety_nothing-heart-pounding-respiration-and-a_2540237.jpg) > ““Nothing. Heart pounding. Respiration and all somatic processes including all manner of diencephalic-controlled autonomic responses to crises: adrenalin greater heartbeat pulse rate glands pouring throat paralysed eyes staring bowels loose et al. Stomach queasy and sex instinct suppressed. And yet nothing to see nothing for body to do. Run All in preparation for panic flight. But where to and why Mr Tagomi asked himself. No clue. Therefore impossible. Dilemma of civilized man body mobilized but danger obscure.”” [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote captures the paralyzing anxiety of confronting an undefined threat, where the body reacts instinctively but the mind lacks a clear target or purpose. **In simple terms:** Body reacts, mind confused. Key Takeaway Recognize and name vague fears. Themes anxiety identity modernity Mood tense reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - stressful work deadlines - medical emergencies - social confrontations - creative blocks Key Concepts existential dread physiological response cognitive dissonance Questions to Reflect On - What vague fear is driving your current stress? - How can you create a clear target for your energy? A Different Perspective The reaction may be useful only when the threat is identifiable; otherwise it can become counterproductive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Heart pounding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-pounding/) ## Related quotes > [Left to ourselves, mechanistic and autonomic, we hanker for friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/left-to-ourselves-mechanistic-and-autonomic-we-hanker-for-friends/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Looking back now, thinking about that moment in the lights, with my heart pounding, Oscar in my hand, all I can say is I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/looking-back-now-thinking-about-that-moment-in-the-lights-with-my/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [“I start to lose consciousness, and only desperation and fear keep my heart pounding, hard. Darkness descends, as Awful rises. Ivan has no idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/i-start-to-lose-consciousness-and-only-desperation-and-fear-keep-my/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“He walked towards me. My heart was pounding like a nineties warehouse rave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-robinson/he-walked-towards-me-my-heart-was-pounding-like-a-nineties-warehouse/) [Lucy Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-robinson/) > [“She had an immense store of trivial memories and when she wasn't living in the future she was living in the past. As for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/she-had-an-immense-store-of-trivial-memories-and-when-she-wasn-t/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“I sank onto the deck. My heart was pounding a million trillion times a minute. I never felt more alive. Anger, sadness, joy. 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Frozen stiff not able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urcelia-teixeira/carina-feels-her-heart-pounding-through-her-chest-her-breathing/) Urcelia Teixeira > [“Even more than black death he dreaded the gaudy gate: the mask of sweet red rubber, the violet overhead lights, the rattling ride through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-begley/even-more-than-black-death-he-dreaded-the-gaudy-gate-the-mask-of/) [Adam Begley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-begley/) > [“It was safe to say, standing as close to him as she was, that she was very aware of the rise of his aroused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacquelyn-frank/it-was-safe-to-say-standing-as-close-to-him-as-she-was-that-she-was/) [Jacquelyn Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacquelyn-frank/) > [Why can I not see you in a crowd, true heart pounding aloud. All I see are players and peers that fear. I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sullivan/why-can-i-not-see-you-in-a-crowd-true-heart-pounding-aloud-all-i-see/) [Michael Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sullivan/) > [If I feel my heart pounding, I then know that I am on the path of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-feel-my-heart-pounding-i-then-know-that-i-am-on-the-path-of-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Thrills, chills, spine-tingling mystery, and lots of smiles. It's not easy to combine heart-pounding danger with gut-busting laughs and make it work, but Peterson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thomas-batson/thrills-chills-spine-tingling-mystery-and-lots-of-smiles-it-s-not/) [Wayne Thomas Batson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thomas-batson/) > [“scrub oak trees. Kieran was leaning against him, pinning him to the tree, and they were kissing. Cristina hesitated a moment, blood rising into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/scrub-oak-trees-kieran-was-leaning-against-him-pinning-him-to-the/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“She laid her palm against his bristled cheek. “You’re safe,” she whispered. “What the hell did you think you were doing?” he growled, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/she-laid-her-palm-against-his-bristled-cheek-you-re-safe-she/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [“You will lie on your back? No harm, eh? I will watch.” “Must you?” “ Hein? ” Hein? Loretta had no inkling what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/you-will-lie-on-your-back-no-harm-eh-i-will-watch-must-you-hein-hein/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) ## More by Philip K. Dick > [So we and our elaborately evolving computers may meet each other halfway. 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Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“When do I see a photograph, when a reflection?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/when-do-i-see-a-photograph-when-a-reflection/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [My major preoccupation is the question, 'What is reality?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/my-major-preoccupation-is-the-question-what-is-reality/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) [Explore all 489 Philip K. Dick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. 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