Fear Management

"One method of fear management that all operators, new or experienced, can use is to take advantage of what Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, refers to as “near-life” experiences. He is referring to fear producing situations that occur periodically in our everyday lives. A near-car crash or a loud noise that awakens us in the middle of the night are examples of situations that typically elicit sudden spikes of fear. These situations offer us an excellent training opportunity and a valuable lesson in how we respond to and control fear. However, these situations are only useful if we capitalize on them during the actual event,
when possible, or immediately following the incident while the physiological responses are still present."

Jason Winkle
Director of Combatives
United States Military Academy, West Point