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That is…quite the question.  I must admit, it is a bit of a struggle for me to piece together a response, for…I have never witnessed anyone in the throes of panic, not in such a jarring way as you are suggesting.  To see someone else in such a foreign, vulnerable light - where a single brush of a hand to their shoulder is enough to spook them further - it requires a certain intimacy that I do not share with any of those I hold dear these days…

In my own experience with…my, er, typically charged reaction to particular memories of that fateful night…I am best when left on my own.  That way, I do not feel the need to restrain myself for the safety and comfort of my peers.  There is only one person who has seen me at my most frenzied, and I swore to myself years ago that I would never let him catch a glimpse of that side of me again.  To support a friend, perhaps it is best to permit them a few moments alone to catch their breath.

But then, it could be just me who prefers to be alone in these moments.  If you happen to be with a friend at a time like this, I would recommend not touching them,  not insisting on them to pull out of it and be fine in an instant.  You know that it is never so clean a process as that.  However, soothing them by guiding them to breathe might prove helpful to them, as well as speaking them down in the gentlest tone.  Whatever you do, do not act angry at them, and do not be harsh.  Respect their boundaries and do what you can to fulfill their obvious needs without derailing their wishes.  You must remember that they are feeling emotionally unsteady; do not provoke their temper to even the point of frustration, for surges of strong emotion can invite a relapse.

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I’m sorry I thought my original question was lost in a jumble please forgive me