Sheepdog Tip of the Day, After Combat tip 59
Commonly, we heard stories of GIs who "hit the deck" reflexively when they heard an unexpected, loud noise, like a car suddenly backfiring. What happened with these GIs is that the midbrain, or the unconscious mind (or the "puppy inside" as I put it) has learned to bypass logical thought processes and established conditioned reflexes, or sympathetic nervous system (SNS) responses, instantly, without having to be told to do it. This can be a powerful survival mechanism in combat. For example, your unconscious mind hears the incoming artillery and you hit the ground without having to spend time thinking about it, saving vital milliseconds in the process. It just takes time for this kind of conditioned "reflex" to "decay." Using your breathing exercises and gaining conscious control over these SNS responses is like putting a "leash" on the puppy. But remember, to the puppy (and we really do have a puppy inside) that gunfight in that simulator was real! We have hit the level where our simulations can be real enough to fool the puppy (the unconscious mind) and that is pretty damned real!
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Combat
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