More from this very interesting book

In the next sections Ripley talks about the second stage of the survival arc... Deliberation. and the first part of this section is entitled "Fear- the body and mind of a hostage". She recounts the story of the forty eight year old American Ambassador of the US to Colombia back in 1980. As per international protocol, he'd been invited to the Embassy of the Dominican Republic for some reception honoring something or other. But, this reception was soon to be raided by hostage takers from some reason. Some guests and security people and hostage takers were shot and killed as they battled it out with government troops for a while before the hostage takers finally gained control and got their demands met.

But the point she makes is about how the ambassador- who survived- was able to handle the events. When all the shooting started, he acted decisively - he dived behind a couch and window while many just seemed to stand there in stunned silence of disbelief (denial). Some of this came from fear.

She says- first rule of fear... it comes from a primitive place. without training we tend to react to loud sounds (90 decibels or more) with some degree of fright. In a stressful, fear inducing event our bodies go through a whole host of psychosomatic activities; blood chemistry changes so it can coagulate more quickly, blood vessels constrict so you bleed less if you get cut. Blood pressure and heart rates increase, hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol are shot through our bodies to give our gross motor muscles more umph if needed.

But... rule #2 of fear... when fear giveth one thing, it taketh away another. Evidently we have limited resources when under "attack", and our brains prioritize actions/activity based on availability. Sometimes we gain super human strength, but our reasoning skills are compromised. She gives example of one person in the embassy attack who just froze. They can see, but can't move... or... they can breath and reason, but can't see- have you ever heard of "hysterical blindness"? Happens to soldiers sometimes in combat - the stress is too great, and among other things, they just go blind (it's temporary). But in stressful environment, some people actually get BETTER vision - crystal clear. speaking of vision- statistically most people will develop tunnel vision, though. Some people are protected from the damage of loud noises, there are stories of police officers or soldiers in some shooting situations who's ears are protected from the damage of loud shooting. In fact some said they never even knew there were shots fired. She says -"stress hormones are like hallucinogenic drugs. Almost no one gets through an ordeal like this without experiencing some kind of altered reality."

She has a section entitled - "The Survival Zone". Basically, preparation can't be beat! "The body's first defense is hardwired. The amygdala triggers an ancient survival dance, and it is hard to change. But we have an outstanding second defense: we can learn from experience." Basically, practicing actions that can help us... actually help us work through an emergency. "The best way to negotiate stress is through repeated, realistic training." Granted, civilians may not have time and/or resources to train for as many events as police and military do, but even looking for the exits in a public place can make a world of difference.

The thing is... in events like what she writes about, a whole host of physical and psychological events take place... and one of them is an increase in heart rate. Evidently studies show that people perform best when their heart rates are between 115 and 145 beats/minute. "At this range, people tend to react quickly, see clearly, and manage complex motor skills." But at a pulse of 200b/m, things get a little hairier. "The trick is to stretch out your zone through training and experience."

There IS something ALL can do to slow the breath down and thus the heart rate... in order to stay "centered". There's this thing some have given the manly name of Tactical Breathing or Combat Breathing... also know by it's less testosterone-inducing name of... dare I say it... Lamaze Breathing. Okay, let's split the difference... Combat Lamaze. Slowing down the breath, for a number of reasons, helps focus... and focusing can save your life!

And here it is... slowly (to a count of four) breathe in. Then hold it for a count of four. Then slowly breathe out to a slow count of four. Ta-Dah!!! Lamaze... I mean, COMBAT breathing!

Also - the idea of just believing things like breathing this way can help... actually can help. "Laughter, like breathing reduces our emotional arousal as well. It also has the benefit of making us feel more in control of the situation." And THINKING you're in control... actually helps you to BE more in control. Who knew????

More later...