Mental Preparedness and Leadership in Wilderness Survival

Major James Liffrig, MD, US Army

When thrust into a survival situation you will experience mental shock. Realize it now so you wonít be as surprised by it when it happens to you. It will be marked by indecision, confusion, fear, and panic. Anticipating it wonít prevent the problem but will lessen the impact and shorten the period of time. Remember: It can happen to you!

• Be confident
• Avoid denial
• Improvise
• Stay goal-oriented
• Stay positive
• Keep the faith

Having confidence is critical but can be difficult when experiencing the mental shock phase. Confidence comes from survival training and practice. You may not recall many details of your training but knowing you have done it before can give you that extra push when you need it.

Avoid denial. Many disastrous events begin gradually and lull victims into a calm sense of early denial until it is too late. Appreciate the seriousness early. Keep your head and think! Sit down for a few moments and focus on breathing. This has a calming effect and clears your head.

Take inventory of your assets including equipment and people. Improvise! Improvise! Improvise! Donít throw anything away. View everything you have from a new perspective; how many ways can I use this object?

Remain goal oriented and donít focus on personal hardships. Promote positive, productive actions among the group. Others will benefit from your confidence and calmness.

Keep hopes up but donít count on miracles. Success depends more on your own actions than it does on the situation. Remember that others have survived far worse.

Keep faith in self: youíve been through tough spots before. Keep busy and focus on actions not on woes. Practice your religion: keep your spiritual connection.

Survival Leadership

The leader of any informal group is generally the most experienced person but should be accepted by all members. The military uses the senior ranking officer (SRO) regardless of experience or occupation. The SRO will draw from everyoneís experience and advice but has the sole responsibility for decision-making. This is likely not applicable in civilian groups. Civic and other natural or established leaders may not function well in disasters or emergencies without the support staff that theyíve come to rely upon.

Leadership and structure is essential and fluid. Work priorities and plans must be constantly re-evaluated and changed to suit the situation. Decisions should be based on group needs. Watch for signs of panic in yourself and others. Recall your survival training and begin to inform and organize others.

The need for creativity of thought and decisiveness of action may never be more critical. Anyone can motivate and lead people who are well fed, well rested and uninjured. Take those three elements away and try it!

Jim is a 1993 graduate of the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine and is board certified in Family Practice. He currently serves in the Department of Family Practice, Womack Army Medical Center , Ft. Bragg, NC where he is the director of a large multispecialty clinic. He has experience in Army Special Operations applying Wilderness and Military Operational Medicine principles in remote areas. He served as a Senior Instructor for the U.S. Army Special Forces Anti-Terrorism Division and in the Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) program. Jim frequently speaks a WMS conferences.

 

Wilderness Medicine Letter, Volume 18, Number 2, Spring 2001