Okay.  You have been trained and re-trained in how to defend yourself - from awareness of your surroundings to self defense to weapon use and so forth.
 
Then when you least expected it - you are confronted with a threat of harm.
 
And ... instead of kicking butt, you freeze.
 
What the heck happened to all that training?
 
Why is it that instead of reacting you froze - like the time you were caught by your parents downstairs with the lights off with your boyfriend (I know you weren't doing anything - save it)?
 
Now, what should have happened is your survival instincts should have kicked in. 
 
You need to know that in times of trouble, it may be you all alone out on that big stage we call life.  It will be up to you to "perform" like your life depended on it ... because it may.  
 
Sure you might not do that karate kick just exactly the way you were instructed to in class by the far more experienced and seasoned instructor.  Nor will you hit your target where you intended to.  But you must react - you can't just stand there.
 
You've heard it called lots of things.  Remember the ol 'deer in the head-lights’ syndrome??? 
 
It’s like someone flips the switch and there you stand with that ‘dumb-blank stare’ thing going on.
 
Good news.  Just as with any and all disorders, conditions, symptoms or what-have-yous ... this is a real phenomenon.  It’s called hypervigilance.  And, it appears, is very common when placed in a defensive situation.
 
There are factors going on in our pretty little pea brains (that is said with love by the way) that causes us to 'freeze'.  One, is not really knowing what to do in the situation, and the other is not trusting our abilities to do it.
 
Remember the flight or fight (flee) thing that goes on inside of our head when confronted with danger?  That is our body's automatic response - pre-wired (no downloading necessary) that prepares us to either fight or ... well run like heck to survive.
 
In a slit second, your brain will analyze the situation.  And then, just like your ipod on shuffle mode, will pick a solution based on your knowledge, experience and training and respond in kind.  Our focus will be on nothing more than short-term survival.
 
A shot of adrenaline and other stress hormones rushed through our bodies.  And, just like a tsunami, for a short time, you are more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  But, as a result, your ability for creative and logical thinking will be dramatically impaired at the same time. 
 
Both short term memory and long term memory are major factors in how you will react to danger.
 
If you are well-trained, the most appropriate response will be drawn from your “short term memory”.
 
If something happens and you aren't sure how to react, your long term memory (remember the ipod?) must scroll thought all of your past knowledge and experience for an appropriate response. 
 
This is where the 'freeze' part comes from - when your brain doesn’t have an answer.
 
How you remedy this is to practice self-defense and different plans of action. 
 
Remember the ol adage "repetition re-enforces"?   What this means is, the more you do some thing the more it becomes second nature. 
 
Our brain is like a computer.  We must program it to be able to know what to do in any given situation.
 
Just like you would practice your lines before going out on stage, you need to practice "what-if" scenarios. 

Play them out in your mind and use different tactics and methods in each scenario so you have "options".

- Survivor Jane

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