MENTAL REHEARSAL:
“Mental rehearsal can be a valuable tool in preparing you for a life threatening encounter. Mental rehearsal has been around and practiced since the early 1940’s, however, studies linked to mental process and physical skills can be traced back to 1892.” (Duran & Nasci, 2000, p. 29).
Mental rehearsal is the process of mentally visualizing and rehearsing how something should be done prior to actually doing it. What this rehearsal does for the body is it connects thought processes with physical activity. Most of us are equipped with the physical tools, (ex. defensive tactics, shooting skills, etc) to get the job done but, if we cannot connect them to a mental rehearsal under stress, a life and death decision process may occur to slow, with hesitancy and with errors. The concept of mental rehearsal is to experience the situation before it actually occurs. By creating “real life” scenarios to different situations, you can walk yourself through the decision making process. The scenario can be played over and over adding or changing the situation causing changes in decision making processes. Mental rehearsal should be done with things you’ve never encountered or thought of before. Scenarios should incorporate situations that cannot be included in training sessions due to safety issues or practicality. Make the scenarios as true to life as possible!Probably the most important issue in mental rehearsal is to “always visualize yourself winning or never being killed.” Part of this rehearsal is training yourself to never give up even in the event you do get shot, stabbed or hurt. By anticipating stressful situations you can prepare for them.
– Survival Stress in Law Enforcement (pdf), Steve Drzewiecki
Even athletes “visualize.” During the winter olympics, you will see the skiers, prior to a run, ipod attached to their head, visualizing each turn of the course. It is a common form of conditioning to prepare your mind, before your body meets the challenge. In my job, as we approach a hot call, we discuss the possible scenarios and preplan our responses and tactics. It just makes good sense. Have you never played out in your mind, what you would do if the bank were robbed while you were in it? We were designed with an imagination. Is it possible that it is and always has been part of our basic survival epuipment much like stealth is normal for cats?
Even athletes “visualize.” During the winter olympics, you will see the skiers, prior to a run, ipod attached to their head, visualizing each turn of the course. It is a common form of conditioning to prepare your mind, before your body meets the challenge. In my job, as we approach a hot call, we discuss the possible scenarios and preplan our responses and tactics. It just makes good sense. Have you never played out in your mind, what you would do if the bank were robbed while you were in it? We were designed with an imagination. Is it possible that it is and always has been part of our basic survival equipment much like stealth is normal for cats?
I have a number of excellent chess books. The ability to visualize the future position is essential in chess. Despite studying these books, when I am actually at the board, I often lose. My opponent’s skills, at least at that critical moment, were superior to my own.
We train our police, fire fighters, and soldiers to overcome their natural reactions in stress situations.
There is definitely some visualization going on here: what boy doesn’t dream he’s the next James Bond or Batman? Including the boys turned men shot dead in Blacksburg. I remain unpersuaded that any of this bears on what you or I would do if the dream turned into reality.
Andrew:
Law enforcement gets the opportunity to enter a situation on its own terms. Don’t get me wrong. Situations change. But they enter it with some basic knowledge of why they are there and the possible risks. They begin visualizing with the first call. They begin evaluating the situation when they decide which weapon to bear, whether to draw, whether to wear body armor, and whether to call for backup.
Perhaps the real question might be whether law enforcement on campus were spending too much time visualizing when they should have stormed the building.