THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SURVIVAL

To survive, you need survival skills – but skills alone will not save you. You need attitude, and it has to be the right attitude. All the knowledge in the world will count for nothing unless you also have the will to survive.

The will to survive is all-important in a survival situation. It is well known that the mind may give up before the body, but with a determination to survive individuals can give themselves an enormous head start in an emergency situation.

Think about this. No matter how bad the situation you find yourself in, remember that you have immediate resources to help you out of your predicament: your mental abilities and your physical attributes. Put them both to work effectively and you can achieve results.

HOW TO FOCUS YOUR MIND TO SURVIVE

Two of the greatest threats to survival come from your own mind. They are a desire for comfort and a passive outlook. If not countered quickly, they can result in the demoralisation and death of survivors. Fortunately, they can be dealt with quite easily by any survivor.

A desire for comfort is a consequence of modern urban living conditions. Western living standards have made people ‘soft’, in the sense that they are, for the most part, cushioned from threats from nature and the environment. Most Westerners – you included, probably – live and work in warm, secure buildings, have access to sophisticated health care, and have a guaranteed supply of food and water.

In an emergency scenario you will probably have none of these things, at least not initially. You may may only possess the clothes you stand up in, with no immediate food, water or shelter. The sudden disappearance of the comforts you have taken for granted is a great shock to the system and can lead to severe demoralisation. So how do you combat the mental anguish caused by the loss of those things that you regard as essential to life?

First, tell yourself that Western-style comforts are not essential to survival. Be obstinate. You really can get by without air conditioning, junk food and the TV. Second, tell yourself this: your present discomfort will be nothing compared to the extreme discomfort you will experience if you just sit down, bemoan your lot and do nothing.

A passive outlook is also a consequence of living in the West. One result of living in bureaucratic states is that the individual does not have to make life-or-death decisions. Individual decision-making is reduced to the mundane and banal. Initiative is stifled and most individuals have a passive, almost sheep-like, outlook. However, in a survival situation you could be on your own. If you are you will have to make important decisions. If this appears daunting, remember that the result of doing nothing will probably be your death. On the other hand, you can take control of the situation and live. Which do you prefer? DO NOT LIE DOWN AND DIE, GET MOTIVATED AND ACTIVE!

DEFEAT THE ENEMIES OF SURVIVAL

There are other enemies of survival of a more physical nature, and you must be aware of them so you can take effective counter-measures:

PAIN: pain is the body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. It is uncomfortable and can weaken the will to survive. However, it becomes much more tolerable if you understand its source and nature, recognise it as something to be tolerated, and concentrate on other tasks. Remember, pain will seem worse if you do nothing but lie down and think about it.

COLD: slows down the flow of blood and makes you sleepy. It also dulls the mind. This is dangerous; you should immediately seek shelter and build a fire.

US ARMY TIPS:

PERSONAL QUALITIES ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME OF A SURVIVAL SITUATION

The US Army knows from long experience what a person needs to get through a survival situation. Have you got what it takes?

• Ability to concentrate the mind.
• Ability to improvise.
• Ability to live with yourself.
• Ability to adapt to a situation.
• Ability to remain calm.
• Ability to be optimistic, while at the same time preparing for the worst.
• Ability to understand your own fears and worries and being able to deal with and overcome them.

THIRST: like hunger it can dull the mind. It is important to keep up the intake of water. If water is scarce cut down on food intake; the body uses water to carry off wastes from food.

HUNGER: can result in a loss of weight, weakness, dizziness and blackouts, slowed heart rate, increased sensitivity to the cold and increased thirst. Obviously this can be countered by food intake.

FATIGUE: can bring on lethargy, poor mental outlook, such as hopelessness, lack of a goal and boredom. can It is important for the survivor to take sufficient rest.

BOREDOM: can result in a lack of interest, feelings of strain and depression (especially with no hope of relief). To overcome boredom you must keep your goal – survival – uppermost in your mind and realise how the tasks you undertake fit into your overall survival plan.

LONELINESS: being alone can obviously bring on loneliness, which can then cause a sense of helplessness and despair. This can be overcome by keeping busy and becoming more self-sufficient.

FRUSTRATION: can be countered by channelling your energies into positive and obtainable goals. Complete the easier tasks before attempting the more challenging ones. In addition, you must accept the situation you are in and act accordingly. Do not have unrealistic goals. Do not sit down and worry – keep busy.

DON’T PANIC

If you have just survived a car or aircraft crash, or a shipping accident, your mind will be in a state of disorientation. You may be injured, there may be injured people and dead bodies all around you. Even though you may be in pain and very frightened, try to do two things:

• Get away from the immediate vicinity of the wreckage and any danger of being burned or injured by explosions or fires.
• Once you are out of danger – stay put. The worst thing you can do is to blindly stumble into unknown territory, especially if it is dark. This will only result in getting lost and risking serious injury. Instead, sit down, and do not panic. Analyse the situation you are in as calmly as possible.

IF YOU CAN STAY CALM IT WILL PAY DIVIDENDS LATER ON.

ASSESSING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

Once you have got yourself away from the danger area, there are a number of things you must do. Take note of these points, they will benefit you enormously:

• Find a place that is sheltered so you can sit down and think.
• Evaluate your surroundings. Every environment in the world has its own rhythm and pattern. Get to know the one you are in.
• Assess your physical condition: do you have any wounds, do your require extra clothing, or food and water?
• Assess the equipment you may have. Have you got anything that is useful? What condition is it in?
• Do not act in haste, this can only result in general disorientation and the danger of losing some of your equipment.

REMEMBER, IT IS MUCH EASIER TO MAKE AN ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF A SITUATION IN DAYLIGHT THAN AT NIGHT.

BRITISH SAS TIPS:

PROCEDURE FOR THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF A CRASH

British Special Air Service advice on the correct procedure to follow in the immediate aftermath of an air crash:

• Do not leave the site of the crash immediately unless you are in danger.
• Treat the injured immediately.
• Separate the dead from the living.
• Salvage anything you can, such as equipment, food, clothing and water.
• Take stock of the location you find yourself in.
• Do NOT move at night unless absolutely necessary.

FORMULATING YOUR BLUEPRINT FOR SURVIVAL

You must now put together a plan for you personal survival. Good planning and preparation enable the survivor to overcome difficulties and dangers and will keep you alive.

When putting together your survival plan, remember that if your were in an aircraft crash or shipping accident, your position will probably have been reported just prior to the accident. Therefore, the rescue services will know the approximate position of any survivors, and, if they have been alerted, search teams will almost certainly be on their way. But you must still make some decisions. You cannot just sit down and wait for rescue; rely on yourself to stay alive, not on other people. For many people, making decisions is extremely difficult – however, you must take control of the situation.

Displaying calmness and having confidence in yourself will obviously inspire confidence and cooperation in others, and will make the implementation of a plan much easier – people will follow leaders..

Situation appraisal is most important when putting together a plan for survival. You must be as objective as possible and weigh up all the positive and negative aspects of the situation you are in. For example, if your are in arctic conditions the extreme cold will pose obvious dangers, but you will have an abundance of water in the shape of snow and ice. In the tropics you will have good food sources, but the heat and humidity will be hazards.

Main priorities in a survival situation are shelter, fire and water. If you have an abundance of water and fuel for a fire, ie wood, you will also have access to shelter-building material. If this is the case you will have all three of your main priorities and should stay where you are in the short term.

Once again it is important to stress the need to think of every aspect of the situation you are in. For example, if you were involved in an aircraft crash you might be able to retrieve materials from the wreckage (being careful to ensure there is no risk of fire or explosions before you venture into the aircraft’s remains). The foam-rubber seats make excellent fire-starter material or warm foot protection. If the aircraft had a battery it can be used to start fires. In addition, the aircraft’s tyres can be used to start an excellent signal fire (thick black smoke can be seen over long distances). By walking away from the aircraft in the immediate aftermath of the accident you would have deprived yourself of all these useful items of equipment.

To travel or to stay put can often be a difficult decision in a survival situation. That said, there are powerful reasons to stay put. First, as mentioned above, the rescue services will know of your general location and will already be looking for you. Second, by walking you will be burning a lot of calories, you will be subject to the elements (which may be harsh), you may not be able to set up a permanent, effective signalling system (your morale will plummet if you see an aircraft but have no way of making it spot you), and you risk literally walking yourself to death. However, if, for whatever reason, you decide to travel, you should formulate a plan that includes the following:

• The direction you will travel in.
• A method of keeping on the course you have determined.
• A schedule of how long you will walk each day.
• A method of signalling.

Remember, you need to allow enough time at the end of each day to establish a camp and a signalling system should an aircraft fly over.

If you decide to stay put, on the other hand, then your plan must include the following, in order of priority:

• The establishment of a signalling system.
• The location and style of your permanent camp.
• Determining your water source.
• What will constitute your diet.

It is very important to establish a signalling system first, as a spotter aircraft may overfly your position at any time and you must be ready. To this end, it is wise to build your camp near the signalling system.

Now you only need survival and medical skills and knowledge to enable you to live and eventually get back to civilisation, and these will be provided in full in the following chapters.