Freezing
Ginger-
I have a question. I've never had to shoot anything, so I'm wondering about the "freezing" being discussed, and if anyone can make an analogy to something I am experienced with, like driving, perhaps?
I’m just some guy typing away on a gun forum. I can claim to be anyone from anywhere. Ill do my best to give you my take on it but you need to do your part to get direct information from real and accountable sources. That said, here goes.
I believe the "freezing" you mention to be a result of the cumulative effect of many factors. A lot of effort has gone into methods of identifying and desensitizing people to “panic button” triggers for military, police, athletes, and even public speakers.
In my experiences and in my reading, there seems to be a general consensus that while these triggers are unique to the individual, there are some common things that come up in almost everyone.
It’s not just “panic button triggers” that must be addressed. There are habits that people develop from a very young age that can stampede through your panic triggers like a bull in a china shop. The most common is Fear Escalation or "Heaping".
My best short summary of fear escalation is that when something happens that evokes fear, the person will pile other fears on top of it. You mentioned driving. I’ll try a realistic example:
_________
Ah, quitting time. Out the door into a stinging snowstorm. She reaches the car and starts it up. The radio is awash in reports of traffic accidents and delays as she waits for the windows to defrost. “This sucks” she mutters to herself as she looks out the frosted windshield at the storm. The radio breaks in again with a report of an accident with injuries. “This really sucks” she says out loud, trying to remember which one of her friends lost a sister in a storm like this a few years ago.
“I can’t just stay here; the kids are waiting for dinner. I hope they made it home ok. Maybe Bill can grab something on his way home."
She fishes her phone out of her purse and dials home. “All circuits are busy, please hang up and try again” is all she gets. She tries again, and again, same results. Blurting out obscenities about phone companies, snowstorms, and about why she still lives here, she puts the car into reverse, it barely moves. She has to pull forward and back a few times to get enough momentum to break through the pile of snow behind the car.
Finally she eases the car into drive. Clutching the wheel with a big sigh she eases the accelerator down while trying to remember what Bill said about front wheel drives versus rear wheel drives in a slide. The continues talking to herself as she exits the parking lot.
“I wonder if the kids or Bill have been trying to reach me.” “How long has the service been down?” “God I hope they made it ok.” “Where did I put that phone?” “Oops can’t look a way from the road.” “Ok, just stay focused”. “Do I steer into a slide or out of one in a rear wheel drive?” “The freeways are usually the first to get plowed but oh man, I hope people aren’t being idiots and driving too fast.”
As she pulls on the freeway it pops into her head. “It was Candice’s sister!” she blurts aloud. “Oh how bad that must have been for her and her kids.” “How did her husband cope?” “Bill couldn’t get out the door for work if I didn’t get everything ready for him, how could he ever raise the kids alone?” “What if he remarried?’ “What kind of woman would he marry, one of our friends?” “I bet Amy would be all over him with her fake boobs and her stupid laugh.” “The kids would never.”
Whoosh! A semi speeds past her at 70MPH blasting heavy slush and ice into the side of her car. The car shifts and starts to slide sideways. She hears herself scream and feels her foot stomping the break. BOOM, boom boom BOOM boom.
Tap tap tap. “OMG what happened?” Tap tap tap. Her hand reaches for the window switch on its own. Tap tap tap. The icy window goes down revealing a police officer. He is saying something but it sounds like he is talking into a pillow.
“Mam, I am going to need you to pull your car over to the side of the road.”
______
Okay, with my terrible attempt of writing there I tried to illustrate how a typical person can escalate fears or “heap”. By the time the semi truck whooshed by she had dozens of fear triggers loaded with tension ready to trip. When the event happened they all went off causing a panic and a freeze.
Once she had made the decision to drive, the answer to the stress was to just focus completely on driving and not allow other fears into her head. “Just drive” should be the only thing she allowed herself to say to herself. Just drive as in I am only going to drive, the other stuff is beyond my control. I am just going to drive.
Triggers
Killing is a concept that is almost a universal trigger. It’s a huge thing no matter how grizzled you are. Firearms are lethal weapons and should be treated as such. To take the steam out of this monster, I think you should really look at it with both eyes open. Face it. There are many ways ranging from a shrink to game guide.
In lots of interviews with combat vets where the question comes up of how they can kill, the subject of hunting comes up almost immediately from those with hunting experience prior to military service. If you aren’t a vegetarian, it seems only ethical that you kill, dress, and eat your own meal at least once in your life. We all know that meat comes from animals, not Styrofoam and plastic wrap, but how many of us really own that? Hunting changes people, I think for the better, even if it is only once. A new respect for life and ones place in nature (which includes man by the way). There are plenty of people at hunters safety class that would be more than willing to tag along with you and a friend on your first hunt. Fowl or ruminant, professional guides can help a lot too.
The next trigger is kind of two sided. The threat of death of ones self or a loved one. I think it is a testament to the good in human nature that most people seem to make peace their maker or with “fade to black” when it comes to a threat to themselves much more easily than they do when it comes to a threat to their loved ones. Both can cause panic and stupid decisions or non-decisions.
If some criminal has a gun to your kids head and tells you to drop your gun, the question you need to ask yourself is what is he going to do to your kid once you are disarmed? I will almost always take the shot but it’s a decision you are going to arrive at your own way. The best way to deal with any fear is to take as much of the unknown out of it as possible. Look at it naked with both eyes open and see what you find.
As I said before, Im just some guy that can type and post stuff to a gun forum. If this stuff makes sense to you or not, its up to you to use credible, accountable people and information to address it for yourself. I hope this stuff can at least get you started.
Best wishes,
Gax
