美国海军海豹突击队用四个简单的步骤战胜恐惧
美国海军海豹突击队用四个简单的步骤战胜恐惧
在我们的生命受到威胁的压力情况下，我们有一个非常强大的保护机制。它是我们大脑中的一个自动化系统，甚至在我们能够采取有意识的行动之前就开始运作。
在数百万年的进化过程中，这个系统保护了我们免受掠食者和迫在眉睫的危险。尽管它非常复杂，但也可能存在缺陷。
向杏仁核说“你好”
杏仁核隐藏在人类大脑的深处，它先于我们的新皮层（思维大脑）发育。它是边缘系统的一部分，其目的是 调节恐惧和攻击性等情绪反应。
由于边缘系统和杏仁核比新皮质更老（在进化方面），因此在处理非常危险的情况时它具有优先权（响应）。玛蒂尔达·克拉布特里 (Matilda Crabtree) 的故事展示了我们如何在有意识之前采取行动的悲剧性例子。
时间回到 1994 年，玛蒂尔达还是一个 14 岁的女孩，她想对父母开玩笑。当鲍比·克拉布特里和他的妻子深夜回到家时，他们以为玛蒂尔达在她朋友的家中。然而，当他们走进家时，博比听到楼上传来一些声音。玛蒂尔达躲在壁橱里想吓唬她的父母。博比上楼，拿起枪，去了玛蒂尔达的卧室。当她跳出壁橱时，鲍比扣动了扳机。玛蒂尔达在 12 小时后去世。
Bobby 的恐惧袭来，他的身体在他意识到自己在做什么之前就开始行动了。我们在这里谈论的是毫秒，真正可以产生影响的时间点。Bobby Crabtree 没有被起诉，因为发生的事情是一场意外。但是，可想而知这位父亲一生所承受的痛苦。
恐惧机制
- 额叶（新皮质的一部分）负责有意识和理性的决策过程。
- 杏仁核的反应速度是额叶的两倍，这有时会产生误导。无论如何，杏仁核的目的是保护。
人脑中有一些预编程的恐惧。这意味着我们与生俱来。害怕窒息、溺水、恐高，甚至害怕公开演讲都是这样的例子。
每当遇到危险时，杏仁核就会作为第一指挥官发挥作用；它向海马体（边缘系统的另一部分）发送信号，海马体又释放应激激素，如皮质醇和肾上腺素。他们让我们的身体做好战斗或逃跑反应的准备。
因此，所有可用的能量都被劫持并引导到脚上以逃避，或引导到手上以对抗迫在眉睫的危险。
“四大”
美国海军海陆空三军 (SEALs) 的成员经常面临这种危及生命的情况，要取得成功，他们必须有效地克服恐惧。已经表明，人类可以最大限度地减少恐惧刺激到达额叶皮层之前的时间，从而更有意识地做出决定。这基本上意味着额叶皮层的反应应该尽可能接近杏仁核的反应。
海豹突击队训练有素，以提高他们的心理韧性，最终目的是控制他们的恐惧，并能够在恐慌的情况下做出适当的反应。该技术称为四大技术，（如您所猜）它有四个部分：
1. 目标设定
当你处于压力大的情况下时，你的杏仁核会疯狂地燃烧。情绪、恐惧、压力，应有尽有；这是一个彻底的混乱。额叶可以通过目标设定为这个地狱带来结构。 它们可以让杏仁核保持放松。海豹突击队队员经常会想到他们的朋友、家人、宗教信仰和其他生活中重要的事情。关键是要在未来（如果可能的话，在不久的将来）看到一些积极的东西，这些东西可以作为你内心平衡的锚。
2.心理排练
心理排练也称为“可视化”，它是指在您的脑海中不断进行一项活动。当真实情况发生时，您可以更好地准备应对。以迈克尔·菲尔普斯为例：很少有人知道他的训练很疯狂。我从查尔斯·杜希格 (Charles Duhigg) 的书《习惯的力量》(The Power of Habit)中了解到 ，迈克尔·菲尔普斯 (Michael Phelps) 在他多年的训练中，一遍又一遍地遵循相同的惯例, 具有原子钟的精确性。从靠近奥林匹克泳池，到固定泳镜，再到踏上跳水板，再到跳水，第一次触水，每一个手部动作，每一个动作都配合得那么精准，让他熟记在心。 . 他们是他的一部分。菲尔普斯的教练曾将这个动作命名为“跑道”。现在，在这条赛道上，迈克尔基本上面对了所有可能发生的场景。
那是北京奥运会200米蝶泳决赛的日子。菲尔普斯做好了准备。当他的教练看到他进入赛场时，他大声叫他插上“跑道”。 Michael 已经接通电源。 他甚至在进入游泳池之前就已经是赢家了。一切就绪，他熟记于心的方式：跳水板、水、手部动作。但是等等——出事了。水开始渗入他的护目镜。他看不见。
当我第一次听到这个故事时，我以为它有一个悲伤的结局。然而，菲尔普斯就是为此而受训的。他已经想到了这种情况何时会发生。视力对他来说不是问题，因为他清楚地知道在到达墙壁之前他需要做多少手部动作。他玩“赛道”，令人惊讶地赢得了金牌，比 Laszlo Cseh 快 0.66 秒，获得第二名。这就是心理预演的力量。一遍又一遍地面对脑海中的糟糕情况，当你真正面对它时，它就会自然而然地出现。这是许多公众演讲者所做的。甚至心理学家也通过暴露于引起恐惧症的刺激来治疗恐惧症患者。
3. 自言自语
我们从研究（此处或此处）得知，普通人每分钟自言自语超过 400 个单词。逻辑引导我说，如果这些词主要是积极的，它会带来很大的不同。这些人说积极的自我对话可以压倒杏仁核发出的信号。我个人从布赖恩·特雷西 (Brian Tracy) 的《自信的力量》一书中了解到积极的自我对话。
4. 唤醒控制
这更像是一种体育锻炼。它专注于呼吸，需要刻意放慢呼吸速度，因为这有助于抵消恐慌的某些影响。长呼气模仿体内放松的过程。长时间吸气可为大脑提供更多氧气，从而改善认知过程。由于来自杏仁核的强大信号，这些技术中的每一种在单独使用时可能都不起作用，但当它们一起使用时绝对可以踢屁股。
这些技巧可以应用于不同的情况，例如当你的生命受到威胁时，或者当超市的糖果货架威胁到你的腰围时。
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US Navy SEALs conquer fear using four simple steps
US Navy SEALs approach fear practically, almost scientifically.
US Navy SEALs approach fear practically, almost scientifically.
Image: Reuters/Joe Skipper
By
Cristi Vlad
PublishedJuly 12, 2015
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
In stressful situations when our life is threatened, we have a very powerful mechanism of protection. It is an automated system within our brain that acts even before we are able to take conscious action.
This system has protected us during the millions of years of evolution from predators and imminent danger. Even though it is very sophisticated, it can have flaws.
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Say “hello” to the amygdala
The amygdala is well hidden in the depths of the human brain and it developed prior to our neocortex (the thinking brain). It is part of the limbic system, and its purpose is to regulate emotional reactions such as fear and aggression.
Since the limbic system and the amygdala are older than the neocortex (in terms of evolution), it has priority (in response) whenever dealing with very dangerous situations. A tragic example that shows how we can act prior to being conscious is the story of Matilda Crabtree.
Back in 1994, Matilda was a 14-year-old girl who wanted to pull a prank on her parents. As Bobby Crabtree and his wife returned home late at night, they thought Matilda was at one of her friends’ houses. However, as they entered home, Bobby heard some noise coming from upstairs. Matilda hid in the closet wanting to scare her parents. Bobby went upstairs, took his gun and went to Matilda’s bedroom. When she jumped out of the closet, Bobby pulled the trigger. Matilda died 12 hours later.
Bobby’s fear kicked in and his body took action way before he could be conscious of what he was doing. We are talking about milliseconds here, the bits of time that can really make a difference. Bobby Crabtree was not prosecuted because what happened was an accident. However, you can imagine the pain this father had to live with throughout his life.
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The mechanism of fear
The frontal lobes (part of the neocortex) are responsible with conscious and rational decision making processes.
The amygdala is twice as fast in response than the frontal lobes and this sometimes can be misleading. The purpose of the amygdala is to protect, no matter what.
There are some fears that are pre-programmed in the human brain. This means that we are born with them. Fear of choking, drowning, heights, and even the fear of public speaking are examples of such.
Whenever in peril, the amygdala kicks in as the first commander; it sends signals to the hippocampus (another part of the limbic system) which in turn releases stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. They prepare our body for the fight or flight response.
Thus, all the energy available is hijacked and directed to the feet for running from, or to the hands for fighting against imminent danger.
The “Big Four”
Members of the US Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams (SEALs) are often confronted with such life-threatening situations, and to succeed, they have to effectively conquer their fears. It has been shown that humans can minimize the time before the fear stimulus reaches the frontal cortex so that the decision is more conscious. It basically means that the response from the frontal cortex should be as close as possible to the response from the amygdala.
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Navy SEALS are trained to increase their mental toughness with the ultimate purpose of controlling their fears and being able to appropriately respond in panicky situations. The technique is called the Big Four and (as you guessed) it has four parts:
1. Goal setting
When you are in a stressful situation, your amygdala is firing like crazy. Emotions, fear, stress, you name it; it’s a total chaos. The frontal lobes can bring structure to this inferno through goal setting. They can keep the amygdala at ease. SEALs often think about their friends, family, religious beliefs, and other important things from their lives. The key point is to see something positive in the future (in the near future, if possible) that serves as an anchor to your inner balance.
2. Mental rehearsal
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Mental rehearsal is also known as “visualization,” and it refers to continuously running an activity in your mind. When a real situation occurs, you are better prepared to fight it. Take, for example, Michael Phelps: Few people know that his training is insane. I have learned from Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit, that throughout his years of training, Michael Phelps followed the same routine over and over again, with the preciseness of an atom clock. From getting closer to the Olympic pool, to fixing his goggles, to stepping onto the diving board, then the jump, the first contact with water, each hand movement, and so on—all of these coordinated so accurately that he knew them by heart. They were part of him. Phelps’s coach used to name this routine “the track.” Now, in this track, Michael basically confronted all the scenarios that can possibly occur.
It was the day of the finals for the 200-meter butterfly swim at the Beijing Olympic games. Phelps was prepared. When his coach saw him enter the arena, he shouted at him to plug-in the “track.” Michael was already plugged-in. He was a winner even before getting into the pool. Everything in place, the way he knew it by heart: the diving board, the water, hand movements. But wait—something was wrong. Water started to enter into his goggles. He could not see.
When I first heard the story, I thought that it had a sad ending. However, Phelps was trained for this. He already had a scenario in mind when this would happen. Sight would not be a problem for him because he knew by heart how many hand movements he needed to make until reaching the wall. He played “the track,” and amazingly he won the gold medal, finishing 0.66 seconds faster than Laszlo Cseh, coming in second place. This is the power of mental rehearsal. Confront the bad situation in your mind over and over again, and it will come naturally when you face it for real. This is what many public speakers do. Even psychologists treat phobic patients by exposure to the stimuli causing the phobia.
3. Self-talk
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We know from research (here or here) that the average person speaks to himself more than 400 words per minute. Logic guides me to say that it would pay much of a difference if these words are predominantly positive. These guys say that positive self-talk can override the signals from the amygdala. I’ve personally learned about positive self-talk from Brian Tracy’s book The Power of Self-Confidence.
4. Arousal control
This is more of a physical exercise. It focuses on breathing, and it requires to deliberately breathe slower as it helps counteract some of the effects of panic. Long exhales mimic the process of relaxation within the body. Long inhales provide much more oxygen to the brain which results in better cognition processes. Each of these techniques may not work when used individually due to the powerful signaling coming from the amygdala, but they can definitely kick-ass when used together.
These techniques can be applied in different contexts, such as when your life is threatened, or when the sweets aisle at the supermarket is threatening your waistline.
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