‘'Fear is your best friend and your worst enemy, control it and win.''

In times of danger each and every one of us will feel the effects of the Survival Stress Response this is triggered into action via the security control centre of the brain which is called the AMYGDALA. The Amygdala is basically the threat detecting organ of the brain. During stress such as that of a violent confrontation the Sympathetic nervous system will take over and a neural surge will cause an increase in heart rate that will in turn raise our blood pressure. This results in blood being withdrawn from our extremities in order to be pumped to our vital inner organs. Blood is also drawn from our brain cortex for the same reason; the result of which impairs our thinking, in particular our decision making abilities. Due to this restriction in blood flow to the brain the Neo-Cortex or higher brain is gone, and the Limbic System which is the part of the brain that is responsible for emotions will now take prominence, making all complex decision making impossible.

The result is that we are now reduced to the intelligence of a dog. In addition to this is what's known as adrenal dump this will create a release of endorphins that will make you stronger, faster and more resistant to pain and shock. The flip side of this coin is the mental implications that will also have to be dealt with. These include auditory exclusion or impaired hearing, tunnel vision where our peripheral vision closes down (hence the need to actively scan) amongst various other effects. For the individual the most important aspect when dealing with any potentially violent confrontation will be his/her understanding of the fight or flight response. Your ability to cope with adrenal stress when a situation ‘kicks off' will make all the difference to how you handle the situation. The fact is that knowledge is power and if you understand what is happening to your own body under the effects of adrenal stress then you are more likely to gain control over yourself and the situation and less likely to freeze up or over react. The body responds to danger by secreting adrenaline this is what we often mis-interpret as fear. If you do not understand this simple fact, then what you are more likely to encounter, especially if you are startled, is the ' freeze' response. The only way to lessen the effect of the startle reflex and prevent freezing up is through awareness, ( Being Switched On ) good threat assessment abilities and the anticipation of the adrenaline sensation.

Knowledge and understanding:

We must learn to understand what is going on inside our mind and body when we are faced with danger. If we have this understanding then we will be better prepared to move past the mental and physical sensations of adrenal release so we can physically function effectively.

Expectation:

First of all expect to be scared, because no matter how experienced you are that is how you will feel. Fear is the natural feeling prior to confrontation. When it 'kicks off,' the feeling that you would rather be anywhere else in the world other than where you are at that moment is a common feeling to all. If you feel like crapping yourself, just be aware that you are not on your own, we all (with out exception) feel these effects, they are a natural product of adrenal release.

Side effects of adrenaline:

Expect to get a fluttery feeling in the stomach, even a little nausea. This is the body's way of helping you to eliminate any excess weight you may be carrying from an earlier meal, in order to allow you to move faster and more efficiently, this is the same reason that you may also feel the need to urinate or empty your bowls. You may also start to sweat, and your heart rate will increase. A common symptom is the leg shakes some get this worse than others this is due to the adrenaline surging through your blood stream at high speed. A loss of skin colour may also occur this is nature's way of protecting you. The blood leaves the surface of the skin so that you bleed less should you get cut. This is also because the blood is being pumped to your vital organs (heart/lungs) where it's needed most. Our ability to use our thought process will become less rational leaving all decision making abilities a lot more difficult. This is due to blood leaving the brain to be put to use else where. Your eyes will become wide and staring in an attempt to take in more information; this is due to the effect of tunnel vision, which will make your field of view like as if you were looking through a toilet roll tube. This can make you vulnerable to an attack from the side if you are focused on a threat in front of you, try and keep your peripheral vision open by looking around often. Your hearing will also become impaired due to what's known as auditory exclusion in an attempt to tune into the threat. Your ability to perform fine motor skills or complex actions will become seriously reduced leaving you with only gross motor ability. On the positive side adrenaline will make you stronger, faster and more resistant to pain. As you can see all these effects have a purpose and are in fact essential to our survival. Try and gain an understanding of adrenaline, so you may use it to your advantage.

De-sensitisation:

These are all very strange feelings that most people have little experience of. People whose jobs put them in harms way on a regular basis (Firemen, Police Officers and Security people, like Door Staff, Bodyguards etc.) become better able to deal with the effects of adrenaline. This is due to the fact that the repeated exposure to situations that cause adrenal release gradually desensitise you to the intensity of the same. The main reason individuals can act in the face of danger is because they anticipate and expect these feelings of adrenaline. When you have experienced them before and know they will occur again under similar circumstances you will not be caught off guard. Therefore you will need to expect and accept the sensations of adrenaline, as they will always be present in any confrontational situation that you may find yourself in; the feelings will never go away and are essential to our survival. Thus, with an understanding and regular exposure we can become very capable of using adrenaline to our advantage and function effectively. In the interview stages of a potential confrontation you must strive to control your self by taking a deep-breath and relaxing your shoulders. Slow your body movements down so that you don't look guarded or jumpy. Your demeanour should be natural, smooth, and controlled. This does not mean you should not use an aggressive approach, because in some cases strong, assertive communication can be effective. But if you stay cool, the subject may doubt his ability to fluster you and question whether he has chosen the right person to attack. He may wonder why you are so calm and imagine you have backup or that you are more streetwise than he is. Scientific research into the adrenal state also referred to as the Survival Stress Response (SSR) carried out by a scientist in this field called Bruce Siddle, has indicated that our ability to function under the effects of adrenal stress is directly related to an increase in our heart rate. At 115 beats per minute (bpm) most people will start to lose fine motor function. Skills which involve hand and eye co-ordination or finger dexterity will become difficult to perform. As the heart rate increases to 145 bpm and beyond our body will start to reduce the efficiency of certain bodily functions that it considers to be less essential to our survival during this time of stress, these include effects to both our visual and auditory systems as well as temporary impairment to certain areas of the brain.

The thing to remember is that in combat, our heart rate can go from 70 bpm to 220 bpm in less than a second such a case can trigger a state 0f hyper-vigilance or the dreaded freeze resp o nse . At the very least our decision making abilities can become severely impaired. Further research by Siddle suggests that the ideal heart rate for a functional combative response allowing maximum reaction time and maintenance of gross motor skills will fall into a range between 115-145 bpm. The key factor lies in our ability to remain within this ideal range. This can be attained through certain training drills that will allow you to de-sensitise to the effects of adrenaline. Aggression Therapy drills; Simulation and Scenario training in a controlled environment using body armour, role play and aggressive dialogue can take you a large part of the way towards de-sensitisation to the effects of adrenaline, and will develop your ability to remain calmer in such situations thereby reducing the increase in heart rate. Another critical factor towards this aim is through controlling your breathing. In stressful situations such as a potentially violent confrontation there is a tendency to take a shallow breathe in, followed by the action of holding your breathe or to continue breathing at a very shallow rate, both of which only serve to increase the anxiety of your situation. Instead we should aim to feed our lungs with oxygen by breathing in through the nose, taking the air deep down into the lower abdomen, holding it briefly before expelling the breath out through the mouth. 0f course we would need to make such a practice both habitual and natural looking in order to appear in complete control. This is more applicable during the verbal interview part of a confrontation or if you have some kind of pre-warning that a situation is developing, as good awareness will allow. Then you will have the chance to gain such control over your breathing. A good method of practice when you find yourself becoming adrenalised or even slightly agitated is to take 3 deep breaths. Breathe in for 3 seconds hold for 3 seconds and breathe out for 3 seconds repeating until you achieve a calmer and more controlled state. I used to practice this method whilst working on the door. When ever I was called to a situation over the radio I would use this technique on route to the scene. The lower you can keep your heart rate the more control you will have.

Although the adrenal conditioning developed through the proper use of Simulation and Scenario type training drills can help you de-sensitise to the effects of this essential biochemistry, they can never completely duplicate to the same degree of intensity as that of a real life or death situation. They will however allow you to reduce the reality gap between the dojo and the street. You should learn all that you can about the workings of fear and adrenaline, understand the importance of breath control in order to help lower the heart rate, but de-sensitisation can 0nly take place through repeated exposure to those feelings. This falls in line with what I said at the beginning about people working in high risk jobs and learning to control them selves and function under pressure, due to the repeated exposure that their working environment has to offer on a daily basis. You would be amazed at what you can get used to.