Breaking tunnel vision

[Crusader8207]

This week I read the book Aftermath by Jim Flemming. One of the things he brought up was during an adrenaline dump a typical occurrence is that of having tunnel vision. He also said it is important to recognize the fact that you are experiencing tunnel vision and you should break it, to see the bigger picture. From what I gather, the "scan process" is supposed to be "training" to break tunnel vision; however in all of the years that I have been training no one has explained it as that. I was told "you are looking for additional threats".

I know I have had tunnel vision in stressful situations and I am going to pay attention to break it in the future.

Thoughts?

[voodoo_man]

Easiest way I found was taking a huge breath as you are lookin around for people, like moving your head.

[MVS]

This week I read the book Aftermath by Jim Flemming. One of the things he brought up was during an adrenaline dump a typical occurrence is that of having tunnel vision. He also said it is important to recognize the fact that you are experiencing tunnel vision and you should break it, to see the bigger picture. From what I gather, the "scan process" is supposed to be "training" to break tunnel vision; however in all of the years that I have been training no one has explained it as that. I was told "you are looking for additional threats".

I know I have had tunnel vision in stressful situations and I am going to pay attention to break it in the future.

Thoughts?
Not sure why nobody has ever explained the process to you that way. I always have. That has always gone hand and hand with the explanation that you should actually look for something, not just swivel your head around. Of course I guess it could just be bro science.

[Ptrlcop]

It's one of those things that doesn't make a whole lot of sense on the square range. I actually wonder if all the square range "scanning" really trains us just to do some stupid dance vs actually accomplishing anything.

Think about when you would be scanning. There are a million things that you want to be orienting yourself to. Did anyone else get hurt? Any other threats? The cops showing up? Is there a better position you might want to move to? Is there a witness that you want to be able to point out to the cops? Are there people fleeing the scene? Is anyone trying to remove or alter evidence?

There is gonna be a ton of stuff happening and it's going to be in your best interest to observe as much of it as possible.

[voodoo_man]

It's one of those things that doesn't make a whole lot of sense on the square range. I actually wonder if all the square range "scanning" really trains us just to do some stupid dance vs actually accomplishing anything.

Think about when you would be scanning. There are a million things that you want to be orienting yourself to. Did anyone else get hurt? Any other threats? The cops showing up? Is there a better position you might want to move to? Is there a witness that you want to be able to point out to the cops? Are there people fleeing the scene? Is anyone trying to remove or alter evidence?

There is gonna be a ton of stuff happening and it's going to be in your best interest to observe as much of it as possible.

I scan for people and eye balls.

If you just burned a dude down and people arent looking at you but at something else chances are you should be looking there too.

[GJM]

Just as greying out is the body's physiological response to high G force, tunnel vision is a physiological response to a stressful situation. I have experienced both in the cockpit.

My training has focused on proactively being aware of this response to G force or stress, so that you are anticipating it rather than reacting to it. Until your mind real time identifies what is happening, I think it is unlikely you will see the "eyeballs, the other aircraft, etc."

[John Hearne]

I can't say this with absolute certainty but....

The portion of your eyes that is capable of high resolution vision, is very small, just a few degrees. Tunnel vision is probably more accurately described as tunnel focus. By moving your head around as part of that scan, you are also moving that small arc of quality vision around and also reminding your mind to start to use your peripheral vision which covers a much broader arc of vision.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Odin Bravo One]

Just as greying out is the body's physiological response to high G force, tunnel vision is a physiological response to a stressful situation. I have experienced both in the cockpit.

My training has focused on proactively being aware of this response to G force or stress, so that you are anticipating it rather than reacting to it. Until your mind real time identifies what is happening, I think it is unlikely you will see the "eyeballs, the other aircraft, etc."

One can become inoculated to stressors, thereby negating the physiological response. Mindset and training have been used quite effectively for just such situations by many people.

[SLG]

One can become inoculated to stressors, thereby negating the physiological response. Mindset and training have been used quite effectively for just such situations by many people.

This.
I have not had tunnel vision in a number of years now. That's not to say it is broken for good, but it just doesn't affect me the way it used to. I had some good proof of this just last week.

[GJM]

One can become inoculated to stressors, thereby negating the physiological response. Mindset and training have been used quite effectively for just such situations by many people.

As regards my experience while flying, completely agree. The kind of thing that would cause a low time pilot to freak, is hardly notable for a more experienced and skilled pilot.

[Dagga Boy]

There is a time in the engagement where it is good, and then when it is bad. Sometimes that hard through a toilet paper tube focus is great if you are looking at the right thing. But if in fact you have succeeded in ending a threat through the tube, breathing and moving you head (you don't need to move the gun or your body as you should still be oriented on what you know is a problem before you move to what may be a problem) will help regain situational awareness which is the real key. I also found structured combat breathing was hugely helpful in police pursuits to maintain calm and not get a massive adreniline build up. It was also critical when I was working in the helicopter. As GJM will attest we could not only pull some serious g-forces, but I had to deal with those g-forces when I was not inputting them and I was having to talk on a police radio and using a newscaster voice rather than screaming. My job was to calm the guys on the ground rather than stress them out.

[SLG]

The radio never lies. if you're not calm, everyone will know.

[GJM]

This.
I have not had tunnel vision in a number of years now. That's not to say it is broken for good, but it just doesn't affect me the way it used to. I had some good proof of this just last week.


Maybe academic, but do experienced folks delay the onset, or eliminate the response? Certainly with G's, experience, technique and equipment (G suit) delays, but does not eliminate the effect of G force.

Presumably tunnel vision, if you believe in natural selection, evolved as a desirable trait. So is there a point, when highly experienced and skilled operators, reach a task saturation or bad enough situation where tunnel vision again rears its head. And is that a good or bad thing?

Do you trigger check as part of tunnel vision? :)

[Surf]

I don't recall hearing the "scan and assess" described as not aiding in breaking "tunnel vision".

I do agree that the more training or immersion in reality based training and actual "real world" encounters does cut down on the amount of stressors that one may experience when the body goes primitive.


Maybe academic, but do experienced folks delay the onset, or eliminate the response? Certainly with G's, experience, technique and equipment (G suit) delays, but does not eliminate the effect of G force.

Presumably tunnel vision, if you believe in natural selection, evolved as a desirable trait. So is there a point, when highly experienced and skilled operators, reach a task saturation or bad enough situation where tunnel vision again rears its head. And is that a good or bad thing?

Do you trigger check as part of tunnel vision? :)While I am often involved in very tense armed situations that at times involves live fire, I have not been in nearly as many live fire situations as many of our combat vets here. So keeping that in mind, for myself and many other guys I work with (many with military combat experience) the bodies alarm response is greatly lessened in regards to being a negative or debilitating problem. So much so that I feel that someone who trains or is often involved in high stress situations it becomes a learned or ingrained experience whereas the body does not react to it as a negative or debilitating response, but rather uses that alert response to turn that into a positive "focus".

Heightened awareness, more alert, not really sure what to call it, but I do feel it stops or greatly lessens as becoming a debilitating negative and actually can be turned into positives that the person can utilize to their advantage. This does not mean that no fear exists but it does not get to the point where the body shuts down and does not allow the person to function. Many turn it into a positive and you actually see it materialize. As a singular example as mentioned by Nyeti, turning "tunnel vision" which is a negative connotation, into "focus" without much of the other negative effects that often accompany "tunnel vision". Of course all of this comes via massive amounts of training and is greatly bolstered by real world experience.

[BehindBlueI's]

The radio never lies. if you're not calm, everyone will know.

Heh. I used to have a beat partner who sounded like a mouse who's parachute wasn't opening every time he keyed up in a stressful situation.

As far as tunnel vision and acclimation, I think you can to an extent simply because your heart rate doesn't sky rocket as much. Think of your first traffic stop as a rookie. It could have been a 60 year old woman, and your heart was going like a jackhammer. The first time you get shot at or otherwise get the "oh poo, this is serious" you're going to react similarly. As you get used to it, your pulse still accelerates but not as much as before. People smarter than me can use the right terminology for what's in your brain and what's in your body, but they feed off each other.

Realistic simunitions training can help, as well. Pain and embarrassment are good motivators. Better it be from paint then lead.

[DNW]

Tunnel vision is a side effect of stress, partially a decrease in the eyes ability to rapidly scan and create a big picture, and partially from the brains decreasing ability to task-switch or attend to more than one thing.

Stress is a physical reaction to a perceived threat. In a nutshell, your brain is measuring the demands of the situation against your capabilities. If the brain thinks the demands exceed your capabilities, it triggers a stress response to meet those demands. Skills, confidence, experience, not being surprised, all tip the scales in the direction of your capabilities, lessening the stress response.