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The Horror Of Open Fields (Panic Induced In Open Spaces)

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Don't know if this is the right forum for this post, but the subject matter seems to fall roughly into the "encounters with Pan" category.

I grew up on a farm in Suffolk. Open wheat fields separated by shaded lanes overgrown by tall trees. On many nights, I would stay at a friend's house until dark and then have to walk home alone. Now, I was something of a squeamish child, and the thought of walking down the dark maze of lanes did not appeal to me. On the other hand, there was something about the pale moonlight falling across the quiet, open fields that just filled me with a feeling of absolute "horror". I don't know how else to describe it- "terror" or "fear" don't really captuer the emotion properly. It was a feeling that something terrible was standing in the wheat under the moonlight, looking across the fields. I couldn't even look at the fields as I walked along the lanes. Inevitably, I would walk faster and faster until I was running at breakneck speed towards the light of my grandparent's kitchen window. Must have broken the 4 minute mile on a nightly basis (haha!).

As an adult, I can recall the feeling with great clarity when I look at the fields at night. However, it doesn't have the same "pants crapping" effect of youth. Anyone else experience this?
 
Experienced something similar on a visit to Rotarua in New Zealand some years ago. Friend and I had spent an hour or so photographing the thermal pools and decided to return to the carpark via an alternate route.

We began walking up the hill to the south of the thermal pools and were soon creating a path through very tall grass. There weren't a great many trees and the view from up there was great. My friend was walking ahead of me by a dozen paces or so and the grass was of a height equal to my waist or a bit higher. At one point, I turned around suddenly and saw two people a distance behind us, also making their way uphill through the grass.

I honestly don't know what spooked me. It was broad daylight, in late-afternoon, with several people within shouting distance, down below at the thermal pools. Perhaps it was the wind blowing through the grass, but whatever it was, it caused me to swiftly grow more and more apprehensive, as if my friend and I were being observed from something to our left; something or a group of somethings that were very resentful of our presence. My feelings of nervousness increased the further we walked up the hill. I had tried to ignore it and reason it away, but it became too strong. If I had been able to run, I would have done, but the tall grass made it impossible. I had to hold back my panic and stop myself from screaming out to my friend to 'run'. Behind us, the other two people continued in our wake, barely visible through the grass.

I was very relieved by the time we began the descent to the car park. Just the sight of vehicles and the odd person about, gave a sense of normality. Afterwards, my friend claimed he hadn't noticed a thing, although I knew he invariably denied being frightened.

What I felt may have been caused by the people behind us, who may have had it in mind to rob tourists. I don't know. Afterwards, I wondered if perhaps the hilltop area contained Maori graves, or had been the site of a battle. I'm hoping that one day, in that serendipitous way, I'll discover someone else's account of the same experience, complete with explanation of the cause.
 
again...hello.
Whatever happened about your evil neghbour that you couldn`t look at?
....Or am I gloing mad?.........Tis just that I seem to remember you had lots of strange things gloing on with them.......The spooky woman and her hiding husband etc.....please give us an update somewhere. :)
 
Hi LovePixie ... I haven't been back to the thread for ages; was hoping to be able to post that it's all over, but no such luck. It's all still going on. I'll post in the thread ... might take me a day or so to work up the heart, though :( Nice to hear from you. I'd Better go or we'll get detention for being OT. Bye for now
 
Again I believe that thread has Gone The Way of the Chat Purge. Which is annoying because I had made up my mind to save it if I saw it slipping down the queue. I just forgot. :(

Pan encounters seem to be quite common. Something I have not experienced myself but would like to. I know that sounds odd but its not like anyone gets hurt. And I rather like the thought of meeting an ancient god. 8)
 
Hi Min Bannister .... is that what it's called; a pan encounter? That's nice; has a respectable, romantic ring to it ... better than my private description of 'the day I went a bit loco on a hill'. I hope if you do experience one that it's minus the panic felt by the other poster and myself ... or is the panic part and parcel of the experience? Oh -- 'pan' / panic ...? Is that it? When you said Pan encounter, I imagined you were referring to Pan and his flute, woodland glade, mythical creatures/atmosphere sort of thing and I immediately thought to myself that my experience had been nowhere as poetic as that. Actually, I saw the original post and as it was sitting there all on its own, I posted to keep it company. Glad I did, because now I've learned something new.

You must be a brave and curious soul, wanting to have one of these experiences. I'm surprised to hear no-one's been harmed. The panic escalates very rapidly and is pretty overwhelming (even though about nothing, really -- nothing you can put your finger on, anyway). I'm just glad it happened in daylight. Don't know how I would have coped if it had been night time (crossing my fingers that I never have to find out ! )

Didn't realise there'd been a chat-purge. Thanks for letting me know, otherwise I would have been rummaging around looking for it. If there is a happy outcome, I'll post it briefly to let all those people who were so supportive, know.
 
I think the feeling can be related to feeling small in such a large area. I once was snorkling off the coast of dominican republic when i came to a huge opening in the coral. Sheer nothingness except water, 50 feet deep, 300 feet diameter Nothing. I instantly got a similar feeling as you have with the feilds.

Something seperate: I once saw a movie where this zombie of a native american indian would appear in the feilds. Most ugly man u could portray, dressed in all black. Always would come from the feilds. That help i sleep at all? ;) I dont remember anything else about the movie.
 
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again said:
Hi Min Bannister .... is that what it's called; a pan encounter? That's nice; has a respectable, romantic ring to it ... better than my private description of 'the day I went a bit loco on a hill'. I hope if you do experience one that it's minus the panic felt by the other poster and myself ... or is the panic part and parcel of the experience? Oh -- 'pan' / panic ...? Is that it? When you said Pan encounter, I imagined you were referring to Pan and his flute, woodland glade, mythical creatures/atmosphere sort of thing and I immediately thought to myself that my experience had been nowhere as poetic as that. Actually, I saw the original post and as it was sitting there all on its own, I posted to keep it company. Glad I did, because now I've learned something new.

You must be a brave and curious soul, wanting to have one of these experiences. I'm surprised to hear no-one's been harmed. The panic escalates very rapidly and is pretty overwhelming (even though about nothing, really -- nothing you can put your finger on, anyway). I'm just glad it happened in daylight. Don't know how I would have coped if it had been night time (crossing my fingers that I never have to find out !
Yes that is it. I can't remember if the word "panic" comes from Pan or the other way round. I have actually always wondered what happens if you don't run. Would you seea goat legged pipe playing creature? Okay I seriously doubt it but that is what I have always wanted to know and why I feel I would like an encounter. But I expect it would be just as you say, the fear would be overwhelming and I'd probably regret that my wish ever came true! ;)
 
Thank you, Leaferne, for those links. A great read and interesting to discover so many people have shared similar experiences. Inverurie Jones admits to having panicky feelings even though he was carrying a gun, which gives an indication of just how overwhelming the experience can be.
 
I have felt the exact same horror while walking at night down familiar dark wooded lanes.

I think there is something primal involved, a warning that there are things that hunt from these locations (or used to before we killed them all :p), therefore heightening defenses with a rush of adrenalin.

I am remember how even an owl hooting or the crack of a small twig would send my heart racing......

To be honest with the number of leopard sightings it still might be a useful human trait.:p
 
adjacent to my university was a wooded area with a stream and a golf course. we used to wander the both in the middle of the night, and a few times i had these same feelings out on the golf course, overwhelmed by the stillness and the vastness of it all, on a moonlit night without a flashlight (torch).
The legends of course went that there was a Native American tribe that lived there centuries before (not uncommon in my area) and a few times i really thought that i sensed someone watching me, but always chalked it up to my imagination.

My wife swears that she met Pan in the flesh once, out in the woods. At first I thought she was nuts, but she went on to explain the idea of an "archetype" and how they all live in our imaginations. And while her encounter may not have been real in the physical sense, it felt real to her mind, and when dealing with a universal archetype that lives in the collective subconcious of our species, its just as good.
 
I get a particular feeling of fear from select locales, though usually these involve an 'industrial' area. Specifically it's those small vacant lots you see where the ground is covered in either concrete or gravel and weeds coming up through the cracks are the only ground cover. Sometimes a chain-link fence blocks it off from the factory it sits next to. Personally, I chalk this one up to something bad happening to me in a former life in a similar location.
 
Not wanting to direct this thread in a different direction, but when I was a teenager, a group of friends and I used to sneak out at night to generally roam around on the beach, in the sand dunes and occasionally the woods. Near the local hospital, there was (and still are i think) some wheat feilds planted up. Whenever we used to run around in the tram-lines in the fields, the silvery light that the moon used to throw onto the field and the stars above used to give me such a feeling of tranquility and magic that I cant really get my head around the fear everyone has mentioned :? :?

The next time I'm back at home, I might even make a night time journey for a walk in the fields again!!

Sorry, back to thread!! :oops:
 
i don't think you're taking it an another direction at all. :)
there's a strange sort of line between scared and awestruck that you stand on when you're out on a moonlit night. sometimes you can go either way
 
Shimsham said:
I think there is something primal involved, a warning that there are things that hunt from these locations (or used to before we killed them all :p), therefore heightening defenses with a rush of adrenalin.

I like this idea! :p Seems to make sense.
 
I agree that there are some wonderfully peaceful, magical-seeming experiences to be had in all kinds of environments, most of them absent of anything remotely suggestive of fear, dread, panic .. and these make up the bulk of our experience.

Most of us cover quite a bit of ground during our lifetime, during both day and night, in the company of others and alone, on foot or otherwise. Without realising it, we accumulate all sorts of information. We're able to differentiate very swiftly between what feels normal, or not, in a wide variety of circumstances and it's this that causes us to spin around instinctively or react to some tiny sound or other cue when, for instance, we're making our usual way home. Usually there's a perfectly logical reason; someone wearing sneakers coming up behind us swiftly on the pathway, for instance; no menace intended; they're just in a hurry, or faster walkers than we are.

But every now and then, we experience something that doesn't fit with any experience we've had before. Even then, our brain moves like lightning in an effort to make sense of what we're feeling, uncover the reason and formulate a plan of action. It's this lightning reaction that keeps us alive; causes us to jump clear of a runaway vehicle or avoid a falling branch, for instance.

On very rare occasions, we're confronted by something that triggers the fight or flight instincts -- yet we're unable to see, hear, feel, smell the reason for our alarm. It's a sense of alarm that overrides everything else. In many of the pan-encounter experiences mentioned above and in related threads, the person was feeling relaxed and at ease, seconds before. Then, suddenly, they were filled with a seemingly illogical sense of 'Something's wrong ! Something's wrong ! ' ... similar to a red-alert going off in the headquarters of the mind.

We're very sophisticated machines; how often has a burglary or attack been prevented by someone who afterwards says; ' I just woke up feeling something was wrong', or ' I thought I heard/saw something'. It's the same in pan-encounters; something has triggered major alarm bells and this causes the person to swing around, eyes scanning very expertly, nostrils flaring, muscles tensed. Yet there's nothing there. But the alarm bells are still screaming: 'Alert ! Alert !'. This is probably a substantial part of the panic that's experienced; something's triggering the alarm -- we can hear it and feel the adrenalin mounting -- yet we don't know what it is we're supposed to defend ourselves against. The mind is scanning the programme at a phenomenal rate, tossing up 'possibles' for consideration, but the alert-function keeps screaming a warning. At this point, the mind often wars with itself, with us feeling the confused effects. One part of the mind is telling us to get out of the area, whilst we're also being advised, 'Nothing there. No reason for alarm'.

Panic feeds on itself. It's a Big Alert. It's when rational advice has broken down, I suppose, as when people rush blindly this way and that in an emergency. It's a wrenching experience, the more so when, after it's all over, we're none the wiser as to its source. But we try to make it 'fit', often years later, in order to learn from it for further use. That's the way our minds work. From what I've read recently, the pan experience is well documented, going back thousands of years. There's probably a logical explanation, just don't know what it is.
 
:shock: Hi Roachford!
Try feeling so tranquil when some forest denizen screeches near you at two in the morning.IHTM! I assume it was a fox.

Nearly filled me pants-I was only a young soldier-stood in a trench-half asleep.


I was very alert afterwards,though...
 
With me it's just the opposite - I get creeped out by a dark, dense woods at nightfall. I'm relieved when I make it into a clearing or field.

Because everybody knows the boogens like dark, thick forest. :nonplus:
 
again:

Waist high long grass?! Especially if it is rustling and waving in the wind, so you can't see/hear what may be creeping up on you? I'm not surprised some ancient instincts emerged - think nature programmes on tv and big cats sneaking up on their prey.

I don't even like knee high grass, after I was wandering around in some as a child on the South Downs, and suddenly a seemingly never-ending adder flowed out of it across the path, vanishing into some other long grass that didn't have a child trampling all over it.
 
39 Flavours of Panic?

again said:
.... It's the same in pan-encounters; something has triggered major alarm bells and this causes the person to swing around, eyes scanning very expertly, nostrils flaring, muscles tensed. Yet there's nothing there. But the alarm bells are still screaming: 'Alert ! Alert !'. This is probably a substantial part of the panic that's experienced; something's triggering the alarm -- we can hear it and feel the adrenalin mounting -- yet we don't know what it is we're supposed to defend ourselves against. The mind is scanning the programme at a phenomenal rate, tossing up 'possibles' for consideration, but the alert-function keeps screaming a warning. At this point, the mind often wars with itself, with us feeling the confused effects. One part of the mind is telling us to get out of the area, whilst we're also being advised, 'Nothing there. No reason for alarm'...

It's interesting that you say this. For a significant number of years I suffered very badly with "panic attacks"; you know, I'd be in Sainsbury's on an unassuming Tuesday afternoon and then it would seem my central nervous system would go from 0-60: I'd be calm one second then sweating, nauseous and faint with an urgent need to leave immediately. These never registered in my mind really as "panic" attacks because the effects felt purely physiological rather than psychological. And it wasn't until I fully understood the fight/flight response that I could begin to deal with the attacks and desensitise myself to my internal alarm.

However, I also used to be called Orbyn on this forum and the first post on this 'Landscape of Panic' thread is mine:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3133

This encounter happened bang in the middle of my panic attack period and I have to say it just felt very different from anything I'd experienced previously. This was more dread, I'd say - something I experienced on an emotional and mental level rather than a physical/bodily one. Even when I was scrambling desperately to get back on my woodland track it didn't feel like panic as I knew it...

I suppose the point of all my rambling here is to wonder if there are varying levels of panic? Specifically, one that begins in your head and one that sparks in your bodily chemistry? And perhaps each one is triggered by various stimuli?

I'm quite tired and hungover today, so I'm not sure how much sense I'm making, but hopefully you get the gist of what I'm asking....
 
I've already posted in one of the PANic threads about my experiences in the woods, but this is about the fields that were just across the street ftom where i used to live (which are now a huge sports complex, industrial estate and several housing estates).

These fields were on the Edinburgh Road in Glasgow between Easterhouse, Baillieston/Garrowhill, the back end of Easterhouse and Swinton.

If I was with my firends, sneaking off to Swinton or Baillieston/Garrowhill on our bikes, then everything was fine. But. If I had to go across them on my own, or come back on my own then I would have to go round, taking the main road route. I still can't imagine why, but I was just always creeped out by this area when alone. the feelings were nothing like the things I posted in the other thread, just pure dread. Even if we were playing football there (one of the fields was used by local amateur footbal teams to play on, so they would put the goals up a day before and my friends and I would play there) and was late, or had to run home to get my kit on, when I reached the edge of the fields, I would be overcome with fear. I could see my friends waiting for me from the top of the hill, I could see Garrowhill train station, the housing estate across the street and the chippy not 200 yards away, but still there was this irrational fear.

Funny though, one day while my friends and I were picking brambles from the bushes there (we were around the age of 7-9), we saw a car there, parked beneath a tree. It was there for a copule of hours at least, so we went over to investigate (hoping/dreading in that Stand By Me kind of way that we might see a dead body).

As we approached, we could see the windows steamed up, and could hear a soft moaning sound from inside (I think you know where this is going), and we ran up to have look inside at was was causing this commotion.

As we we peered in the windows, one of the doors flew open, a guy jumped out and shouted "Piss off you wee pricks!" as a womans surprised scream was let out from inside the car.

That was pretty funny. :)
 
M+e,

I totally understand what you mean. I grew up in the Lakes and more often than not you could hear calls and howls from animals off about their business during the night. I suppose thats why I dont really get so freaked when I'm in the woods at night.

Not that I hang around woods at night.
 
I do believe that these reactions are indeed a result of our mind and body going into a primal defense mode. It's a purely biological thing, probably by some ancient part of the brain that wants nothing to do with rational behavior.

From my own experience, I can't really remember a specific case, but I can remember how it feels. I think it has a lot to do with feeling 'alone', and separated from 'the pack'. Even surrounded by strangers, a part of the brain may give off an "I'm alone! I should get back to my pack!" signal, which in turn might sound the Red Alert signal.

This of course leaves your urban 21st century part of the brain wonder what the heck is going on.
 
The primal part of the brain is really fascinating.....there was a Discovery Channel show about it at one point.....apparently, when you're alone that section of the brain sort of "turns itself on", so that often small noises sound louder, like a snapping twig, etc., and you often imagine that you see something out of the corner of your eye that isn't really there. It's just because our brains realize that we need to be especially aware of our surroundings when we're alone, in case there's a cougar or something ready to eat us....of course, it seems useless NOW, but there are still instances when panic can save your life....

So let's hear it for the primal forces of nature! Whoo-hoo!!
 
I know the feeling exactly. When I was younger I would often visit my grandparents and then would walk home to my house which faced theirs across a grassy lawn. I would insist that someone step outside of each house and watch me walking home becasue I just knew that something hiding in the trees was following my movements. I get chills even now thinking about it.
Alex.
 
Hi all,its me.
I`m not sure whether I should put this post here or in the Scaredy dog thread.
Anyway........
When my daughter who is now 26 was around 6 or 7 years old,I used to take her camping all over the place.One place in particular I used to camp quite frequently iether alone or with friends but on this occasion there was just Charlotte and my self and our two dogs Buster and Cassandra Woof.
The place was a tiny cave called Davids Rock,it is in the middle of a wood,and you can reach it two ways.One by walking a couple of miles over fields and mud tracks and woodland,or from the gate of a field about 5 minutes walk from this little cave.
If you use the gateway you walk past a ruined little cave village that up until the 1940`s had houses built onto the front of them with proper little gardens and all.This place is called Tinkerborough,and it is very unusual because it is an independant and separate borough within the borough of stafford.(I hope I`m not confusing you too much.)All in all there were about six houses there at one time but they have long been deserted.
Anyway I had decided to take the long way round,because I used to really enjoy the scenery and the excercise and so I knew the trail well.
There was a particular spot in this wood that I used to get a feeling of unease,nothing major but there all the same,and the feeling used to slip away as I passed through and I just put it down to imagination and silliness,but I would be relieved to leave that spot behind.
This day we were approaching this point on the path when out of the corner of my eye,I thought I saw a dark figure flit from behind a tree to another tree,and I was instantly full of apprehension,but I didn`t say anthing because I didn`t want to frighten Charlotte.However,just at the same time she took my hand and said,"Mum,I`m scared." I responded by telling her not be silly,even though I was feeling pretty scared myself.
Just then my two dogs,who had been happily rumaging and snuffling,stopped stock still in front of us with their hackles up,growling and wimpering and refusing to move.They had never done this before on any other visits to this place.
Then just as suddenly they both ran hell for leather directly to our cave-camp,and Charlotte and I just carried on walking and the feeling of dread gradually receeded as we approached the cave to find to two mutts happily waiting for us.
We still spent the night there,but I wasn`t very comfortable about it.
I`ve never camped there since but I have visited with friends and nothing else has happened to panic me like that again.
There are pictures of Tinkerborough somewhere on the web.....I`ll try to find them and post them here if anyone would like to see them.
 
I've had a similar experience myself. When I was about 11 I lived in Pembrokeshire ( South West Wales ), quite close to the Preseli Mountains ( a place that no doubt is quite well known to many forteans! ).

Anyway, one evening I was walking with my mother and younger brother along a country road on a hill, from which you could clearly see the Preseli hills. We had stopped at a crossroads, and while we resting by the roadside, I looked over at the Preselis and was overwhelmed by an irrational feeling of sheer terror, and had felt I had to leave the area as soon as I possibly could. My mum kept telling me to calm down, but by this time I was freaking my brother out too ( he was 4!!! ) so I guess she decided to just play along with it. As soon as we left the hill top, out of sight of the Mountains, I calmed back down again.

My mum still jokes about it too this day. Interestingly enough, my brother lives at the foot of the very same hill, so I pass the spot quite regularly ( the last time was about a week an a half ago which reminded me of it, which is why I'm posting it). I've never experienced any feeling like that when I've been there since.
 
tinkerborough1.jpg

An old postcard picture of Tinkerborough.
Sadly it looks very different today.[/img][/url]
 
In a similar vein, last year my family and I went on holiday to the same place we've been going to for the last few years. It's a caravan park on the beach and as usual, one night we went for our traditional midnight walk. To get to the beach you have to walk through the sand dunes which are covered in long grass. There is a path about 50 metres long which trails through the dunes and leads to the steps. There is one lamp here but once you've gone down the steps to the beach, the lamp is hidden and there is no artificial light. We had been on the beach for about five minutes and we had been laughing/joking loudly. Suddenly we were aware of some figures, and a dog walking along the tops of the sand dunes (walking towards where we were). We could see a torch being used, and there was a dog running around. It had been deserted until then and the sudden appearance (Or so it seemed to us - in reality they had probably been there for some time) made us comment out loud on it. The minute our voices were head, the torch came towards us, then switched off. The dog was called back and the people turned around and went back the way they had come. I think we heard some shouting but I couldn't be certain. We saw the torch moving for a bit then it blacked out

Now, for a family of six, this shouldn't have been anything unusual (After all, it was a public beach), however for some reason it completely freaked us out. We all felt distinctly uncomfortable and felt that we should leave. For some reason, we got the impression that we weren't wanted on the beach. Now I have been interested in Forteana for years but none of my famil are and while I am likely to see something supernatural in every event if possible, I am normally laughed at by my family. ON this occasion however we were all spooked out adn left the beach asap.

The next morning on the beach we found signs in the sand pointing to the parts of the dunes where we had seen the people and the remains of a fire - it looked like the local teenagers had had a party and we had surprised them just as much as they had us.

The reason why I am posting this is that the other stories desribed by people here mention the same kind of feelings that we had. The inexplicable fear and panic and the urge to flee. In this case there turned out to be a mundane explanation.
 
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