How important is EXPERIENCE with horror/violence/disaster, and is there a way to compensate for lack of it?
- Thread starter Aerindel
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sounds a bit institutionalised to me.
I really believe training and experience is critical for knowing what is priority and how to deal in a high stress situation.
At the end of the day personally.I want to be alive and whole.
Training give one the information and skills. Experience gives confidence to be able to deal with it. The more experienced..the more confidence is gained, Taking control and being adaptable in situations adds more confidence and skill to ones life experiences .
That said..I believe..
Having the ability to shut down /turn off/put in a corner fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and all the other negative emotions that break down ones confidence, ability to think and act clearly , prioritize or adaptability is just as important as training.
No amount of training will help a person in a crisis situation if they emotionally and consequently physically shut down and cant perform.
I know many people like this..good folks who are best in roles supporting others who can deal with whatever crisis it is.
In a long term crisis ..they will be challenged to adapt..some will..some wont.
If you dont know how you'll react..challange yourself..train , volunteer..go on ride along..observe, learn ..evaluate how you feel..excited, wanting to jump in on the action n help? or puking in a ditch at the sight of guts n blood.
Some people might be surprised at what they can do!
At the end of the day personally.I want to be alive and whole.
Training give one the information and skills. Experience gives confidence to be able to deal with it. The more experienced..the more confidence is gained, Taking control and being adaptable in situations adds more confidence and skill to ones life experiences .
That said..I believe..
Having the ability to shut down /turn off/put in a corner fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and all the other negative emotions that break down ones confidence, ability to think and act clearly , prioritize or adaptability is just as important as training.
No amount of training will help a person in a crisis situation if they emotionally and consequently physically shut down and cant perform.
I know many people like this..good folks who are best in roles supporting others who can deal with whatever crisis it is.
In a long term crisis ..they will be challenged to adapt..some will..some wont.
If you dont know how you'll react..challange yourself..train , volunteer..go on ride along..observe, learn ..evaluate how you feel..excited, wanting to jump in on the action n help? or puking in a ditch at the sight of guts n blood.
Some people might be surprised at what they can do!
As many have said, it comes down to the function or flight response, If emotional trauma is your thing, the path is far harder, I am not sure if the basic response can be trained out of a person, having seen something before helps with the level of awareness, not sure if the flight reaction can be eliminated, having emotional connection (family, friends) to the emergency can change your response time.
You brought up something I think is huge and often poopooed in today's society, but "Roles." There are rolls in many tasks from simple to an emergency &/or high stress situation. From something as simple as doing the dishes (you wash, I'll dry) or first responders (you get the 02, I'll get the gurney) to situations far more drastic. It's called working in tandem rather than opposing each other and in some situations could mean life or death.
This is something I've thought about. I used to train often, to be able to get on target fast, but would I actually be able to shoot a person? The thought is abhorrent to me. I still don't know for sure if I would be able to do it and I hope to God I never have to find out.
As far as an emergency like coming upon a car accident, that is something I do know about. I can push the immediate emotions off and go to a place where my mind is only on "what needs to happen next". I don't know if I can do that for someone close to me, but I've been first or second on scene to accidents before and I find that assessing and acting comes fairly natural when I'm detached from the situation.
The problem for me is when there's no clear choice of action. When I have no idea what to do, it's hard for me to choose an action to perform...
As far as an emergency like coming upon a car accident, that is something I do know about. I can push the immediate emotions off and go to a place where my mind is only on "what needs to happen next". I don't know if I can do that for someone close to me, but I've been first or second on scene to accidents before and I find that assessing and acting comes fairly natural when I'm detached from the situation.
The problem for me is when there's no clear choice of action. When I have no idea what to do, it's hard for me to choose an action to perform...
You touched on a very important topic. When I was reading the booklets that came in one of my radiation detection kits (written in the late 60's), the one about running a fallout-shelter talked at great length about how to keep the inhabitants from going nuts.
They stressed the importance of giving every single one of them a 'role/job' to do.
