What would you expect from a survival school?

Originally posted by marsupial
[...] one most important thing to be taught(and many will disagree)is to learn to get used to being miserable.

[...]

Teaching and learning skills is very important in all ways,but until you know what it means to "survive" at its very basic level I feel one can have no grasp over the harsh reality of a true survival situation.
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Marsupial,

Interesting point of view. Educational theory calls it "creating the cognitive conflict". IOW: students that are confronted to a real problem will seek a solution, and will be motivated to learn/practice it. Many of us here hated school because we felt it "useless". I remember asking my maths teacher "Why the hell should I learn that anyways"... If I had known how much of this would really be useful later on, I probably would have done my homework and listened to these boring courses...

So yes, I totally agree with the importance of knowing what it's all about to be miserable in a survival situation. Feeling it is always better than just being told, too. But I don't think anyone would voluntarily spend many hundreds of dollars to learn skills if they were not aware of their importance in the first place...

Besides, I don't think anyone would be willing to freeze their ass in a cold wet night, especially while they are there (paying) to learn how to be relatively comfortable in that same situation.

I've been testing my stuff. I know it's possible to stay dry and pretty warm even with very little equipment and in the worst weather conditions. I've spent nights out in winter storms, I've recently spent nights out in heavy, icy automn rains when it's just above freezing and you have no snow to insulate your shelter, and you can't get a fire burning well without going out in the rain to find some more "dry" wood... Hands get numb, fingers stiff... shivering making it hard to light your bic... You know... Misery.

I experienced misery because of my own mistakes. These mistakes, I'm here to avoid my students doing them...

Cheers,

David
 
There are some great answers above. Allow me to add something.

How does one deal with fear? Fear of being alone or fear of not being looked for. For some fear of being tracked by the enemy. Fear of snakes, insects, polar bears, alligators, etc.

Back in 1970 I once attended a 3 day survival course at Clark Air Force Base, Philippines. It was targeted at aircrews that might go down over a jungle environment. All we had was the clothes on our backs and a knife. No first aid kits, poncho, canteens, food, firearms, radios, matches, etc.

We learned how to make shelters, obtain water, escape and evade and what goodies there were around to eat. However, the most important thing our instructor taught us was confidence in ourselves and our abilities. To overcome the fear of being "out there" by ourselves in a survival situation.

Much later I read a book titled "The Jungle is Neutral." That book put everything in perspective. The environment doesn't work to kill anyone or keep anyone alive. It doesn't care. It is up to the individual to survive.
 
I've always seen the bush as quite benevolent. It seems to me that it is actually trying to tell you how to survive. You just have to listen.
 
Originally posted by Fraser
How does one deal with fear?
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Fraser,

Important point, here, indeed. Thank you.

Here's my point of view...

Fear in itself is a positive thing. Some reasonable ammount of fear will help you access this extra little bit of will and energy that you will need when the SHTF. Fear is useful.

Too much fear, or panic, is extremely destructive. In fact, most people (civilians) that are found dead in a survival situation were killed by panic. They end up hitting the dust, mostly naked with scratches, cuts, bruises, fractures (often ankles and wrists), completely exhausted and with all their equipment behind them. They panicked, and ran like hell (usually in large circles and/or going downhill). They lost their equipment, clothing and pieces of skin along the way, and they die. This is the exact opposite of what we must do in a survival situation.

What is panic? It's an overwhelming fear that takes away your logical capacities. When you experience too much fear, at some point your mind collapses, and your body takes the commands: you run, climb, yell... blindly. When legs are in charge, all you do is run.

How is it possible to control panic, and not allow it to happen?

1) control the the sources of fear: real problems call for real solutions. Be prepared. Tell someone you're going out and where. Trust them for the fact that they will call rescuers in if you don't come back. Learn the skills. Practice them, gain confidence... Surviving in the bush is not *that* worse after all, especially not in friendly territory. Humanity has done it during thousands of years. That was large scale wilderness survival, and most of them lived long enough to reproduce themselves... otherwise you wouldn't be there...

2) concentrate on solutions, rationalize. Act positively to actually do something to save your own butt. Positive action helps concentrating on something else than just fear.

Is it possible to teach this to students?

I don't know. I think it's possible to tell them about the risks of panic. I think I can give them clues to reduce the sources of their fear, and skills to survive. But I can't give them the psychological robustness they lack, or the will to survive if they don't already have it within...

Your opinion?

Thanks,

David
 
Originally posted by Ming65
I've always seen the bush as quite benevolent. It seems to me that it is actually trying to tell you how to survive. You just have to listen.
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Ming,

I think this ability to listen comes from prior knowledge more than anything else ;)

Bush provides helpful things AND threats. It's neutral sometimes, friendly when the sun shines and berries pop out all over the place, and hostile when cold rain and strong winds unite to wash any heat away from your body...

Bush, just like women I guess, is a very complex and ever-changing reality... and just like women we must respect it, fear it, love it, be patient with it, listen to it... and whether we like it or not, we need it ;)

Cheers
 
Moine - I think a positive mindset can be used to control fear. A real determination to survive. Then it was "I'm scared but I am going to get back to my unit, no matter what." Nowadays it would be "I am scared but I am going to get back to my loved ones. I need to be there for them. Maybe no one is looking for me so I will walk 1,000 miles if need be to get home."

It's difficult if not impossible to type out words and convey the intensity of the drive to survive. This drive has got to come from deep within.

One has to be prepared psychologically ahead of time. One has to make due with what one has on hand. Training and experience helps. Combining all of these can help overcome fear.
 
Originally posted by Fraser
Moine - I think a positive mindset can be used to control fear. A real determination to survive. Then it was "I'm scared but I am going to get back to my unit, no matter what." Nowadays it would be "I am scared but I am going to get back to my loved ones. I need to be there for them. Maybe no one is looking for me so I will walk 1,000 miles if need be to get home."

It's difficult if not impossible to type out words and convey the intensity of the drive to survive. This drive has got to come from deep within.

One has to be prepared psychologically ahead of time. One has to make due with what one has on hand. Training and experience helps. Combining all of these can help overcome fear.
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I think it's precisely this way of thinking that kills people everyday in the woods. This idea that we need to get out of the bush no matter what is, IMO, what really settles down the psychological framework for fear, panic and everything that follows.

Nature is not such a hostile hell as most people think of it. With a few well mastered skills, a bit of equipment and a good awareness, we can live in the woods pretty much as old as we would have within civilization... Living in the woods certainly is not tougher on one's mind than being the slave of a stupid boss, or having to thank someone for treating you like sh!t...

Maybe it's just me... I dunno... but to me, as long as you're careful and think a little ahead, living in the woods is just a great time. A little hard, sometimes, but great.

Cheers,

David
 
I don't know if this is useful or not. Fear or our response to the emotion is tied in with the "fight/flight" or stress response we are all programmed into. Though people will vary in how they exhibit the response, certain elements remain constant, shallow rapid breath, expanded blood vessels, etc. Deep breathing, though cliche, is a quick cheap and effective antidote to fight flight. It won't get you out of trouble. But, it's a necessary step in the chain of your response. btw, good luck David on the school.

Tom
 
Originally posted by Tom Sanders
Deep breathing, though cliche, is a quick cheap and effective antidote to fight flight.
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Agreed. It does help a lot to control useless stress/fear.

Thanks,

David
 
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