Survival State-of-Mind

Leon and Belle on a fishing trip on Oregon's John Day River

Ever wonder how you might react to suddenly getting lost, or hurt in the backcountry? What about unexpectedly being thrust into a life-threatening wilderness situation? Closer to home, what about slipping and hurting yourself in an isolated part of an urban park? Here is what the experts say about developing a mindset to help you survive.

Psychological responses to emergencies follow a pattern, according to John Leach of the University of Lancaster, England, and the author of “Survival Psychology.”

Leach’s studies show that only 10 to 15 percent of any group involved in any emergency will react appropriately. Another 10 to 15 percent will behave totally inappropriately and the remaining 70 to 80 percent will need to be told what to do. The most common reactions at the onset of an emergency are disbelief and denial.

People don’t prepare for emergencies, Leach writes, for three reasons: Planning is inconvenient, preparations may be costly and an ingrained folk myth says to prepare for a disaster is to encourage it.

These unrealistic mind-sets are the basis for many wilderness tragedies, comments survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt, and denial is the underlying cause.

To deal with reality, he said, you must first treat the situation as being real and admit it is happening to you. So, mentally and emotionally, what is the best course of action to develop a survival mindset? The first thing to do, according to Kummerfeldt, is realize you’re in trouble.

“Ask yourself: ‘Am I OK?’” Kummerfeldt said. “‘If I am, what do I have to do to stay that way? If I’m not, what do I have to do?”

Do you have a survival-state-of-mind? Here’s how to develope one. Read on.