Re: Anxiety response
CharlieRU (CharlieRU_at_aol.com)
Fri, 23 Jan 1998 17:22:23 EST
Can I suggest that there is a psychological and physiological difference
between "anxiety" and the on-set of the sympathetic nervous system. Anxiety
is a mental activity, self controlled or out of control in the case of
"anxiety attacks" or sustained anxiety(neurosis). What aircrews usually
experience as "anxiety" is in fact the onset of the sympathetic nervous system
(the fight or flight mechanism of the autonomic nervous system. Respiration
goes up. heart rate increases for the short term, digestion stopps, blood
flows to large muscles, you feel the rush. The onset is not immediate but
takes several seconds to kick in. You jerk the steering wheel to avoid a head
on with the 18 wheeler real quickly, then pee your pants two miles down the
road. The sympathetic nervous system does ha cognitive component that can off
set or inhibit the onset. Not everyone recognizes the same cues as dangerous
soo no sympathetic NS onset. Training and Situational Awareness, experience
can and do greatly raise the threshold thus sim training etc. Other folks
have a physiology that has a greater threshold, people like John Glenn, in the
Mercury Program his heart rate changed just a few points during blast-off
orbit and splash down, he was cool, no sympathetic nervous system triggered,
that's why they choose him to go. Once the sympathetic NS kicks in a persons
responsing to complex tasks is degraded greatly, memory is impaired and one
may go into shock not good. Anxiety is a thought process that can lead to
sympathetic NS on set. The trick here is to focus thoughts on what one does
have control over not what one does not have control over. Usually this means
to concerntrate on "in the office tasks" not external events out side of the
crew control.
Have Fun Fly Safe
Charlie