Panic arising during contemplation about 4 elements

This is not a general question about how to deal with overwhelming fear, but a question about an specific experience. I contemplated about the 4 elements and how my body is made up of it (for the first time ever you could say). I was not having a formal sitting with closed eyes, but I was rather looking at my body like 'here I can see the solid bones of my hand (through the skin)', 'when I press with my fingers at this spot of my arm it moves, so there must be fluid under the skin' ... And while doing this I had a feeling as if I was some scientist who examines the body of an unknown species and my body looked so strange to me, that great fear (of the body I think) suddenly arose. I was so shocked and overwhelmed, that I had to stop there immediately. My question is: What happened there?