For people who have this level of anxiety the only way to do it is repetition. Exposure and repetition to the tasks required in a rescue situation, such that they are very comfortable performing those tasks. Just like diving, it takes getting used to, then you add these kinds of rescue skills and drill drill drill until they are second nature.
Diver Rescue
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For people who have this level of anxiety the only way to do it is repetition. Exposure and repetition to the tasks required in a rescue situation, such that they are very comfortable performing those tasks. Just like diving, it takes getting used to, then you add these kinds of rescue skills and drill drill drill until they are second nature.
DevonDiver
N/A
That statement contradicts itself.
If one can expand their comfort zone, then how can we all have the same level of anxiety. I do not believe peoples 'levels' of comfort or anxiety are the same to begin with.
That is why some people are better at some professions than others.
Training enables people to react to stressful situations in a mindful manner.
Sometimes people no matter how much training they do, are uncapable of reacting no matter how much training.
For me comes down to personality, experience, training, mindset, and hormones.
teejay58
Registered
You can train for specific situations. But it's the situations that you aren't prepared for... the ones where you have to improvise a plan while under stress. Those are the ones that are difficult. Of course, everyone feels anxiety when they're pushed outside their comfort zone, outside the situations they have trained for. But I'm really searching for a way to train my brain to function better... with greater efficiency... in the presence of the excess "fight or flight" hormones that I release in those types of situations. Navy Seal types probably have this ability. Were they born with it? Is it a personality thing? Or can it be trained? This is my quandry. Do I have to dive knowing that my brain gets a bit hazy if I think I might die? Or can I train it to become sharper and more focused in a stressful situation?
DevonDiver
N/A
Not at all. I'll re-explain, so that it is clearer.
The more we exceed our comfort zones , the greater our anxiety increases.
The bigger the 'leap' beyond what we are familiar with and capable of dealing with comfortably, the more likelihood that anxiety will become critical and possibly disabling.
When I said that we all suffer the 'same anxiety', I meant simply that everyone has a boundary, beyond which they will suffer stress.
Where that 'boundary' lies is a specifically individual issue.
The size of a particular comfort zone is specific to an activity. Someone can be comfortable underwater, but terrified of heights and vice versa etc etc etc.
The one particular 'comfort zone' that is relevant to rescue, is a person's reaction to the risk of death. It is how they react when the words "I might die" enter their brain.
Some people cope well.... because they are too stupid to be aware of the danger. Other people relish danger. Some people have exceptionally strong discipline..to control their response regardless. Other people turn to useless psychological mush.
There is an 'aptitude' that makes individuals better or worse in specific pursuits.
I believe that people's reaction to stress is unrelated to that. That reaction can be developed to a large extent, through effective training and 'experience' immersion, but can never be totally guaranteed.
Psychological thresholds can be determined by many factors. Certain elements can be 'transferable' from one situation to another...especially the threshold reaction to risk of death. In addition, a multitude of indirect attributes can influence this on any given day (i.e. religion, previous traumatic experience, involvement of loved ones etc).
It all depends on how the training is conducted.
It is possible to provide a diver with the 'toolkit' to fix a problem, but also to neglect providing them with the psychological preparation that will actually allow them to utilise that 'toolkit' under stressful conditions.
I've provided training in the military, and also as a martial arts/self-defence instructor. The critical factor in the successful delivery of that training is the 'realism' that can be attained. It is the realism that engages (under controlled circumstances) increasing stress within the student...enabling them to develop increased familiarity and comfort with operating under those conditions.
Training has to be progressive.... slowly evolving the individual's comfort zone and, consequent capacity to cope. That ability to cope translates exactly into what they will cope with in a real scenario. It is important to bear in mind that the simple knowledge that an instructor is present and/or the training scenario is 'safe' will mean that the student will suffer less stress in a training scenario compared to an identical real-life scenario.
The knowledge that you could die makes all the difference to your psychological state.
For instance: all the training in the world can be useless, if the individual has a psychological weakness when forced to confront potential death, and is never exposed to, and allowed to develop response against, that circumstance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marinediva
That statement contradicts itself.
Not at all. I'll re-explain, so that it is clearer.
Actually got it first time,
The contradiction was that people have the same levels of anxiety. They don't.
For the very reasons you stated about in your clearer, refined explanation.
Hormones, and cognitive thought/behaviour dictate if a person will fright or flight in a situation.
Originally Posted by marinediva
That statement contradicts itself.
Not at all. I'll re-explain, so that it is clearer.
Actually got it first time,
The contradiction was that people have the same levels of anxiety. They don't.
For the very reasons you stated about in your clearer, refined explanation.
Hormones, and cognitive thought/behaviour dictate if a person will fright or flight in a situation.
DevonDiver
N/A
I think we are actually agreeing with eachother...
Do all people have the same 'breaking point'? No.
Do all people have a 'breaking point'? Yes.
Do all people have the same 'breaking point'? No.
Do all people have a 'breaking point'? Yes.
teejay58
Registered
This is an interesting philosophical conversation. The interest being that I am talking about personal experience in dealing with a problem. And nobody else admits to having that problem, or apparently has any real advice for dealing with it except to train. And even that particular advice, has no specifics. I am not about to give up diving. I love it too much. And, I am absolutely certain that I'm not the only diver in the water who can't think with perfect clarity under extreme stress. If you guys have any ideas on how to train someone to do this better, I will be watching the thread.
My point was to train so that your response to a situation is automatic. Then extend the range of what the situation can include. E.g. do SMB drills until you're very comfortable with them then do it in "black out" or low viz situations. Do it while someone else is tugging on you, etc etc. Add more "task loading" to each skill so that you know you can do it when you're "stressed". On other dives practice things that stress you in a controlled way so that you get more used to the stressers and they become less stressful. This will extend your ability to respond to unexpected scenarios by virtue of expanding what you might expect as well as just giving you more time in the environment, which will automatically give you a higher comfort level.
Another thing I've always found helpful is to try and break things down to see if they are like something I am familiar with, then attack it from that angle. Let's say, for example, you do a lot of drills swimming without your mask. That's going to reduce visibility or entirely block it, depending upon whether you swim with your eyes open. If you practice that a lot and you get in a silt out situation, you know you can handle it by swimming, right? If you practice donning/doffing your BC underwater then you are prepared if you get tangled in a line somehow. Just doff your kit and disentangle, then don it again. Expanding how you view a problem or new situation so that your view encompasses things you're familiar with, or resembles something you're familiar with can really reduce anxiety in new environments.
Which is exactly why I said repetition and experience are the best ways to deal with becoming more comfortable. You can then expand your comfort, as I alluded, by doing more things or doing the same things under different conditions.
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