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Expert Contributors

(aka the Black MacGyver) is known for his TV appearances on Naked and Afraid and Kicking and Screaming. A decorated military veteran, Isler is a certified instructor in self-defense and combat weapons. He is also a business owner, published author, public speaker, TV personality, and inventor.

Raymond Mhor, known as “the Kilted Prepper,” is a U.S. Army veteran, author, blogger, and Internet influencer. A survivalist for over 20 years, he is the author of eight books, has multiple TV appearances and podcasts.

Statistically, the United States ranks second in countries with the most natural disasters, according to statista.com. According to fbi.gov, recently there was a 4.1% rise in violent crime in the U.S. totaling over $1.2 million. There is also the continued looming and growing threat of domestic terrorism that must be considered. According to an article by the Washington Post, “a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) survey found that nearly 60 percent of American adults have not practiced what to do in a disaster by participating in a disaster drill or preparedness exercise at work, school, or home in the past year. Further, only 39 percent of respondents have developed an emergency plan and discussed it with their household. This is despite the fact that 80 percent of Americans live in counties that have been hit with a weather-related disaster since 2007.” Even with all these facts, it seems that to most Americans still don’t pay attention. FEMA highlights that people still choose to be oblivious, nonchalant or just plain irrational about the importance of preparedness, even on a small scale and although faced with real facts and life altering disasters that have touch us, friends or family members. In my research, I have found names for this behavior like “Normalcy Bias,” which is explained as a way for the brain to deal with a traumatic experience by leading us to believe all is okay or believing that bad things will never happen to us.

A much more common, longer used and more direct name for this type of behavior is, “Denial.”

According to Sigmund Freud, a 19th century neurologist, denial is classified as a defense mechanism. He categorizes denial in 3 main categories.

1. Simple Denial – This is when someone is in denial that something unpleasant is happening

2. Minimization – This is when someone admits an unpleasant fact but denies its seriousness

3. Projection – This is when someone admits an unpleasant fact and the seriousness of it but chooses to not take responsibility for it or blames someone else for it.

First, simple denial. Often, when we hear about traumatic or stressful situations, we hear the phrase from the people who lived through them: “I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.” Sure, if you are like me you, have thought to yourself “well, why could you not believe it was happening? Bad things happen to good people all the time?” I believe that which has happened in our society is that people’s lives have become so busy, disconnected and full of alternative options that it becomes more and more easy to consciously and subconsciously avoid negative experiences. Slowly, our lives become one sided allowing us to experience only the things we feel are pleasant. When we feel something may be unpleasant, we avoid it or remove ourselves from it. This creates the illusion that we are safe from the things that we don’t want to happen. The illusion that somehow we are in complete control of our total experiences in the world.

However, when the unavoidable truth of something bad happening interrupts our lives, we can’t believe it is happening because it is not something we chose to happen. An easy example of this is something we do at our martial arts seminars.

We sometimes use aggressive language with people who normally don’t deal with this in their life. The result is that people freeze, or they need a break because they simply aren’t used to the projection of energy given off by aggressive language. People just cannot believe that it is real when something like this happens because it is not their normal reality. So, they deny it and usually that means they don’t act. This happens in survival and disaster preparation as well. People are so far removed from the idea that they will not have water or power that they choose not to prepare. This is because it is not a real threat to them, since they have never allowed themselves to be in a situation like this, which leads to not believing a situation like this is possible.

Second is minimization. My first overwhelming experiences with this were in the Army. From everything to jumping out of planes, to getting an ankle twisted very badly while on a night land navigation course. In order to keep up with the group, a soldier would often minimize his or her injuries. “Yeah, I hit the ground really hard and landed on my hip weird; it hurts but I’m okay,” as they are barely able to walk away. When it comes to disaster this happens when people repress situations they, or their families, lived through. You will know what I’m talking about if either you, or someone you know, lost everything in a flood or lost heat and power during a storm. Immediately after you suffered through it you probably told everyone how horrible it was and how you, or the person you know, was on the precipice of not making it, but then help came or things were restored. The difficulty is made clear, yet after a few months have passed it just becomes a cool story. One that after each time you tell it, the power of the experience becomes more a fairytale and distant, than a real event that lasts in a way that invokes action to minimize it from ever happening again.

The survivor who uses the minimization type of denial when telling stories about distressing situations in the past make statements such as, “yeah that was a little scary, but I was fine.” However, the people who talked to them after the event heard a very different story which normally sounds way more dramatic and dyer.

Repression is tempting because few want to remember their hardships, especially hardships that were made significantly worse based on their lack of action and preparation. It then becomes a cycle because, instead of acknowledging this fact using it to act, they avoid the truth as a way to not have to acknowledge their failures.

Thirdly is projection. It has happened so many times that it has become like a bad joke. A storm is reported to be moving towards an area and the people are warned to leave that area. However, instead of leaving the area the people choose to stay. Segments on the news show locals stating, “I don’t think it will be that bad,” or “I’ll just ride it out.” Then the storm comes, and those areas are decimated and some of those same people end up on the news complaining about how long it took for rescue to come or how little help they are getting when it comes to medical care, food and shelter. Those of us watching feel bad for them but often wonder why they didn’t leave when the warnings went out, or at least prepare. The answer is summed up in a word, but it is not simple at all. The reason some of these people chose to not follow the advice of officials is called “projection.” Projection, as mentioned earlier, is a state of denial where someone acknowledges the seriousness of a situation but refuses to take action or responsibility. Common aspects of how projection can manifest are as follows:

• People can, and will, procrastinate because it is not immediate. A simple way to see this in action is to look at the field of investing. A study done by Northwestern Mutual showed that 58% of American’s feel their financial efforts need improvement and 34% have done nothing to plan for their financial future. We live in such a here and now environment that the idea of seriously planning for something that will happen in the future is not something we feel we prioritize or take action on.

• People will sometimes not take action because the task or outcome is so big that they have a hard time imagining an outcome and thus a solution. Without actually living through a disaster, it is tough to understand the level of devastation one could cause in your town. Sometimes the thoughts of this type of thing can initiate procrastination or rationalization. People will often push the responsibility off to a perceived authority. I have read statements where people say stuff like “that’s why I pay taxes, so emergency responders can be equipped to help in a disaster.” I have also heard people submit to the concept that “I would just die.” It is understandable that if it is out of a person’s scope of life, it becomes tough to imagine a solution or outcome. However, this excuse was much more applicable before streaming news and the internet. Now, it is too easy to see and learn about the effects of natural disasters. This takes a lot of the guess work out of it. Disasters are still a big deal, but seeing their effects gives a reality-based example that can be used to determine response to a possible threat in a person’s area.

• Often a response to an issue can be tempered by social acceptance by people who’s opinions we value. If a friend or neighbor feels like it is not an issue, we may not believe it is an issue. People follow other’s behaviors. If a person is unsure of what to buy at the grocery store for survival during a pending disaster, then when they see people buying milk and bread, that’s what they buy. In my hometown of Fayetteville NC, I am always surprised at how the milk and bread shelf goes empty during a severe storm warning. People don’t take into account that perishable items are not good choices as they spoil quickly, especially things that should be refrigerated. They also put too much energy towards things with low nutritional value. There are better choices, but they are not commonly known and thus people will see someone else buying something and decide that is what they will buy.

There are some Simple Solutions. People will argue many points about why they aren’t prepared and as I’ve shown earlier in this article, it can often just be denial. Let me first state that it is okay to be skeptical about what could and will happen, but to flat out deny things that are happening and that have happened is where things become unhealthy and dangerous. You don’t have to become a disaster guru or a doomsday prepper to be prepared for a natural disaster. All you need is a slight change in mindset and small actions that will lead to big results if something does happen. Below I list four small things you can do to help defend yourself against this unhealthy “disaster denial” and to prepare for a possible storm:

1. First just accept that it is a good idea to have some bare essentials around the house, just in case you need them. Having some extra bottles of water and first aid essentials can’t hurt. If you live in a cold climate, having a way to stay warm without electricity is never a bad idea either. You can normally go three weeks without food, so for most Americans who suffer a disaster, they will be able to get food within this time. However, if you have a baby you may want to have some extra food around.

2. Second, accept the fact that disasters are real and can and will happen in your area. Turn on the news and you will see disasters happening everywhere. It may not be today or tomorrow, but they will happen close to you at some point. If you can accept this truth, it will make facing the shock of a disaster a lot easier to overcome and thus improve your response time.

3. Thirdly, find out what disasters have happened in your area. They may not have happened recently, but most areas have had, or are susceptible to, some sort of disaster. Unlike 25 years ago when you would possibly have to go to a library to figure this out, now the answer is one Google search away. Once you have your answer, come up with some small preparations to help your situation during an event like this. If you are unsure, take another minute or so and do a Google search for this as well.

4. Fourth, don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed or burnt out. The only time things get really serious is when the storm is upon you. Think of training to be fit or studying for a degree. None of this happens overnight. This is a marathon not a sprint. Gradually get to a point where you feel comfortable. If not, you will burn out and end up further away from success. I have read that most people fail to follow through with stopping bad habits because they change to drastically, too soon, and they also fail to replace bad habits with good ones. People who follow these guidelines tend to have more success than people who don’t. Instead of trying to become a full-on disaster prepper tomorrow and wiping out your bank account to buy a bunker in the hills and stock it with food and ammo, start simple. Take a cheap two-hour self-defense class every few months and buy an extra case of water once every month. Once you have six cases, or whatever number you choose, start the process of drinking the oldest case and replacing it with a new one. Follow this same process with canned foods. Take a one-day survival class with your parks and recreation group, especially if you are not an outdoor-person, this way you don’t have to campout and you are not too far from home. Buy a pack of lighters and candles once every year. Soon, you will find that you will start to build a strong emergency kit and it was a smooth and painless process.

As we become more technologically advanced and wrapped into our digital reality, our physical reality becomes much less pressing. We don’t experience danger the same way or fear the same way. We are quick to remove ourselves from environments we don’t enjoy or that make us uncomfortable. Our new belief is that real is only what we want real to be, and facts are only what we choose to believe. Unfortunately, when life and nature show us the contrary, we find ourselves grossly underprepared and at a loss. Not because we were not warned, but because we chose not to act and to deny the reality of nature. Unlike our ancestors who focused heavily on nature to survive, modern people lack the need to listen to what nature has to say. This is due to the artificial environment that we have created, which allows us to hide from the voice of nature until she throws a disaster tantrum that can’t be ignored. It is then that we recognize our mistake; when it is too late. So, I ask you, “what are you going to do with this knowledge? Will you shrug this off as a good read, or will you plan for a brighter future in your darkest moment by taking some small steps to prepare yourself for what could come?” Today is the day you no longer deny it, but you defy it! Be as ready as you are comfortable with; just start your preparation!

Three weeks without food, three days without water, three seconds without hope. Under extreme conditions this is how long humans can survive without these essential components. Hope is a mindset and arguably one of the most precious survival resources available. It can be defined as a combination of optimism and realism and may best be understood by way of the “Stockdale Paradox.” The name refers to Admiral Jim Stockdale, who was the highest-ranking United States military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” during the Vietnam War. During his eight-year imprisonment from 1965 to 1973, Stockdale was tortured, starved, stripped of his rights, had no set release date, and no certainty as to whether he would survive to see his family again. When asked in an interview, “who were the ones who didn’t make it?” His response was, “The optimists.” Hope doesn’t replace preparation and hard work. Relying on false hope and the utilization of denial as a coping strategy is dangerous. Through his experience, Stockdale determined that a survivor “must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be” as written in Jim Collins’ bestselling book, Good to Great.

A survivor is adaptable and resilient. They possess a keen ability to see the big picture while focusing on small and obtainable goals towards progress; refusing to be discouraged by setbacks. A survivor will do whatever necessary to overcome any challenge; they don’t know quit. Simultaneously, a survivor is acutely aware of the reality they face, if they are lost, they recognize and accept that they are lost. If they are injured, they accept that they are injured. Acceptance of reality prompts action necessary for survival.

Maintaining hope in a survival situation can quite literally be the difference between life and death. “Give-up-itis” is a term that was coined by medical officers during the Korean War. They described it as a condition where a person develops extreme apathy, gives up hope, relinquishes the will to live and dies, despite the lack of an obvious physical cause. This concept is described in more detail in the article Give-up-itis: when people just give up and die by John Leach, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth. The medical officers witnessed some of the prisoners within just a few weeks, begin to refuse food and become mute and unresponsive before they “turned their faces to the wall” and died. The result of losing hope or surrendering to give-upitis is psychogenic death or, in other words, literally thinking oneself to death. Our minds have profound capabilities to control our bodies, understanding the mind-body connection and our instinctual stress responses is one of the best ways to prepare for and increase chances of survival.

When humans experience stress or encounter danger, our sympathetic nervous system, or what I call our primitive brain, takes control. The amygdala is considered the center of the brains defense system. As advanced as us humans feel we are, when it comes down to it, we are just animals. When we sense danger, our response is primal. In a survival situation the amygdala signals our body to prepare for fight, flight, or freeze. In doing so, physiological and hormonal changes happen involuntarily. Our blood pressure and heart rate increase to supply more oxygen to our major muscle groups, pain perception lowers, hearing sharpens and vision narrows by almost 70%, according to Psychology of Survival by Robert

B. Kauffman.

Cortisol released from the adrenal gland interferes with the capacity for complex reasoning and problem solving. These changes make us intensely aware of danger while inhibiting the mind from taking the time to access long term memory. This makes it possible to react in an instant. This is one reason why practicing a skill until it becomes muscle memory can be hugely beneficial in stressful situations. This primal response to stress is key to survival, however, after a traumatic incident or under situations of consistent stress, the bodies nervous system can get stuck in panic mode or in a chronic state of fight or flight. If stuck in this state, the survivor will have a more difficult time with problem solving and the use of logic and reasoning, making it difficult to maintain a positive mental attitude, plan, prepare and take action. One way to combat this is to strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system. It is designed to calm the body down after a stressful situation or remain calm when faced with danger. The Vagus Nerve is the longest cranial nerve found only in mammals. It connects the brain stem to the rest of the body. A healthy Vagus Nerve means calmer responses to stress and increased resilience. As stated above, a survivor’s ability to pull through trauma and bounce back from failure or disappointment is critical. It doesn’t take the biggest, strongest, or most skilled survivor to overcome the most extreme and dire circumstances, it takes true grit and the mastery of psychological strength.

Outlined here are some suggestions to help strengthen the survival mindset and increase resilience and mental fortitude. These are tools that will not only help you in your everyday life, but, in the case of an extreme emergency or survival situation, could determine the outcome for better or worse.

Preparation - Knowledge of the environments, terrain, natural resources, threats, shelter building, fire craft, food and water procurement, etc. are all extremely beneficial skills for a survivor’s toolkit. Practicing the skills to muscle memory will assist the survivor in responding appropriately when the fight/flight response is engaged. Remember, knowledge is beneficial, but application is best. Continuously find ways to challenge your skills and mindset. Pursue activities in your daily life that push you outside of your comfort zone and present the risk of failure. The goal is to experience failure, disappointment and stress as often as possible in a safe and controlled environment. Exposure training in therapy is a leading intervention in overcoming anxiety and phobias, guiding individuals on how to better control their stress response. In military SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) programs, students are exposed to the discomforts of wilderness survival, simulated capture and resistance, simulated downed aircrafts and under water egress. These scenarios are designed to test their knowledge, apply their skills and train their brains to respond appropriately to intense and dangerous situations. Virtual exposure therapy is being utilized by the Navy Seals to train for combat in studies for prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder. All of this training is designed to prepare and strengthen the survival mindset and increase one’s ability to bounce back quickly. There are other opportunities to help manage and strengthen the stress response is through meditation, yoga and martial arts. All of these activities help one practice mindfulness of the mind-body connection, strengthen the Vagus Nerve and develop the skills to regulate the nervous system and increase resilience from trauma/stress.

Planning - Develop courses of action and determine what you need in order to execute them. Supplies, currency, logistics, medical, communication etc. Be constantly conscious of what could go wrong and whether you are prepared to handle it appropriately. Have a plan as well as a contingency plan. When the situation changes, have a well thought out strategy of where to go, how to meet needs, mentally cope and more. Remember, it is better to have a plan and not need it, then need a plan and not have it. Keep your head on a swivel, pay attention to detail and continue to assess danger and plan accordingly. The benefits of planning are that it provides the survivor with direction, confidence, stability and reinforces the positive mental attitude and the will to survive.

Execution - When you experience conflict or disappointment in everyday life, how high does your stress meter get? If you find yourself losing your cool often, staying upset, or ruminating on the negative, you may not do as well in a survival situation as you might think. When failures, setbacks, or disappointing events happen, I encourage you to notice what is happening with regard to that mindbody connection. First, do a body scan. Start from the top of your head and notice everything that is happening within your body. Is your face hot/ flushed? Is your jaw tight? Is your heart beating faster? Is your stomach in a knot? What is happening to your body temperature, knees, fingers and toes? Pausing and practicing this mindfulness technique will begin to calm the nervous system down. Another way to strengthen your Vagus Nerve is through diaphragmatic breathing exercises.

Here is an example of how to engage in a diaphragmatic breathing, from an article by Theodora Blanchfield, AMFT, a marriage and family therapist trainee as well as a mental health writer.

How to do diaphragmatic breathing (deep breathing)

1. Begin with one hand over the heart and one hand over the belly.

2. Breathe in through your nose and let the air fill your belly. Keep your hands on your heart and belly and observe how the one on your belly moves while the one on your heart should stay the same.

3. Draw your navel in towards your spine as you exhale as if you were blowing out birthday candles.

4. Feel as the hand on your belly slides down to its original position.

5. Repeat this three to five times to start, noting how you feel after each time.

Next do a mind scan. What is your self-talk like? Do you speak to yourself with compassion, understanding and encouragement or do you call yourself names and have self-defeating thoughts? Many people struggle with cognitive distortions, or thoughts that are extremely unhelpful and selfdeprecating. Here is a list of just a few:

Polarized thinking: “All or nothing” or black and white thinking patterns, inability to acknowledge that two things can be true at once.

Overgeneralization: Focusing on a negative event and making conclusions based on that single piece of negative evidence.

Catastrophizing: When a thought is over-exaggerated or diminished. Instantly believing the worst-case scenario will happen with little evidence to support the thought. Or minimization of the positives.

Control Fallacies: Control fallacies can go two ways. An individual either feels responsible for everything and holds all the control or blame when things don’t go right, or the individual believes they have no control over anything that occurs in their life.

Heaven’s Reward Fallacy: The belief that good things will happen to good people or that one will be rewarded based on how hard they work. This cognitive distortion will leave its believers constantly disappointed, frustrated and even resentful.

How many of these cognitive distortions do you fall prey to in everyday life? Our thoughts have an impact on our behaviors as well as our feelings and mood. The moment negative thoughts, self-doubt, or cognitive distortions enter your mind it is important to quickly reverse it into a more adaptive and helpful thought. For example, change “I won’t ever get this fire started” to “I didn’t get this fire started this time, let me come back to it and try again.” Assess how well you handled that stressful situation and decide how you can adapt and do better next time.

Adaptation - Constantly analyzing and monitoring your reactions and making necessary changes to be more successful. Heighten your awareness of how you respond to stress. Maybe log it in a journal. Take note of what happens in your body and practice different techniques to find which ones works best for you. Reassess early and often during your preparation, planning and execution to see where you need to improve and then tackle it.

Understanding the psychology of survival and developing a stout survival mindset is an invaluable resource for anyone who finds themselves in an extreme or dangerous situation. It has been consistently proven that no matter the size, age, physical strength or skillset a person possesses, if the individual loses hope and the will to survive, their chances diminish greatly. The human mind is profound in its ability push through and overcome the most austere circumstances. The body’s natural defense system is nothing short of a real-life superpower. Understanding the mind/body connection and working to become a psychological juggernaut takes practice and consistency. The tools and techniques discussed within this article to develop a healthy nervous system will increase resiliency and improve the overall mental health of those who practice them. Whether we find ourselves in the elements, battling mother nature or surviving a world that is growing more uncertain every day, a survivor will never discount the importance of mental fortitude and developing the survival mindset in all that they do.