Name: Brian Germain
First Jump: April 13, 1986 at the age of eighteen
Jumps: 10,000+
License: D11154
Ratings: has held AFF,
Static Line and Tandem Ratings; FAA rigger
Education: B.A. in Psychology from the University of
Vermont, Psych Master’s work at Naropa University focusing on
Adventure Psychology and Contemplative Psychotherapy
"Real Job": President of Big Air Sportz, Inc., canopy
designer & manufacturer, instructor, innovator
Website: BrianGermain.com
More about Brian: After graduating from the University of
Vermont, he spent several years traveling the US working as an
instructor. He opened Vermont Skydiving Adventures at the age of
twenty-five. Currently, he conducts a
Seminar Series for Canopy pilots as well as an Instructor's
version.
by Brian Germain
09 May 2005
In its simplest form, “Stress” is an environmental
circumstance that requires a physical response. Hans Selye defined this
term in his creation of General Adaptation Syndrome, a set of physical
ailments associated with stress. In truth, he intended this term to be
“strain”, but he was mistranslated and the word stuck as an industry-wide
icon for this concept. The truth is, however, that it is not the physical
circumstance that creates the reaction in the individual, but the
individual’s cognitions, or perceptions of that circumstance. We draw
conclusions based on previous similar experiences, as well as reacting to
archetypal cues in the world. For example, on a deep instinctual level,
the colors red and yellow remind us of fire. Our attention is drawn to
these colors in our visual field, regardless of what our higher cognition
thinks of that stimulus. The process happens so fast that we do not have a
chance to think about it. This is why traffic signals that require us to
make a change in our direction or speed tend to be red or yellow. This is
also why McDonalds has chosen these colors for their logo. We are simpler
beings than we give ourselves credit for.
The stimulus from the world enters our brains from our five senses, and we
begin to have a reaction. Beginning in a brain structure called the
Amygdala, a message is sent to the body saying: “something is happening”.
More importantly: “Something is happening that may require a physical
response”. This is raw energy, the simplest form of motivation. Even
single cell organisms have this going on. It is called “Stimulus and
Response”. This isn’t an emotion yet, just a raising of the level of the
“house lights” in our consciousness. It is neither positive nor negative;
it is simply energy.
As preciously asserted, the direction that the energy flows from there is
based on two main variables: perceived ability (PA) and perceived risk
(PR). In the absence of a clear, pre-meditated game plan for this
situation, we fall into our unconscious response patterns. These patterns
are most often maladaptive for the circumstances, but they are all we
have. When we go “Off the Map”, we do what nature has armed us with to
survive. Such behaviors have allowed our ancestors to successfully breed,
also known in evolutionary circles as “Fitness”. That is the determining
factor in which unconscious responses survived, and which ones became
extinct. Unfortunately, the survival mechanisms that worked in the past
will not often help us today.
When humanity was a younger species, our world was a simpler place.
Specific stressors were mostly in the form of dangerous animals, dangerous
humans, and dangerous natural circumstances. In such a world, fighting,
running and hiding were the entire defense network necessary for survival.
In the modern world, the threats are much more complex. We may find
ourselves on a ski slope, headed for the edge of a cliff at 30 miles per
hour. Fighting, running and freezing will not save our lives in this case,
only turning or stopping will help us. Humanity is required to develop
another much more complicated defense mechanism: “Emotional Intelligence”.
These are exclusive excerpts from his newest book: Transcending Fear.
You may order other books at here.
