I was IFR at 9000ft in a Mooney M20 a couple of years back when i had an engine failure in IMC due to contamination in the fuel control unit.
For the next 9 minutes i received radar vectors from air traffic control taking me away from high terrain to try and land at a nearby airport. I finally got visual approx 1000ft above the surface and away off the coast. I was able to land on the beach without a mark on the aircraft. Had it not been for the calm reassurance of the controller i dont know if i could have made it as i was very new to IFR with only around 75hrs IFR experience at the time. It took a good week before the heart rate returned to normal. If something goes wrong, remember fly the airplane!! I have had various interesting experiences since in IMC such as water in the pilot static system causing the airspeed indicator to take on a mind of its own.