What is catastrophic thinking? Catastrophic thinking is when a person imagines scenarios in his or her head ( this article tells you how to use that to reduce your anxiety) that are way more intense or graphic than what can really be expected. For example, if someone’s brother or sister is late to meet for lunch, the anxious person may begin to frantically worry that his or her sibling has been in a terrible car crash and is now severely injured or dead. Sensations, thoughts, and emotions are seen as signs of immediate physical or psychological catastrophe. a kind of anxiety disorder defined in Psychology Today as "ruminating about irrational worst-case outcomes" . anxiety disorders. They identify 6 essential ingredients of a cycle that fuels them: Catastrophic Beliefs (“I’m having a heart attack, I’m dying,”) triggered by a Precipitating Event (heart palpitations) results in both Anxiety Symptoms (shortness of breath, dizziness, feeling out of control) and