iCover transcript

clear left clear right all clear stack on me Lopez door stay well front [Music] stress for the combat soldier stress is a constant companion stress can occur at varying levels of intensity the more stress you have the more your body needs to be activated under conditions of significant threat your body prioritizes responding to the threat and directs your resources to engage that threat the more we get activated the more we experience the signs of stress these include a queasy stomach dry mouth racing heart rate sweating and feeling shaky as we progress through the yellow orange and red phases of activation our signs of stress intensify this activation is critical for optimal performance in combat stress occurs in a physically and mentally taxing context sudden loud noises disturbing images bad smells extreme temperatures lack of sleep prolonged and repeated waiting uncertainty and throughout there is a constant threat in this context there may be times when a service member gets activation overload when this happens they've shut down this is called a cute stress reaction instead of decisive and productive performance their response has become uncontrolled unfocused and dysfunctional so what can be done to get your battle buddy back into action understanding what happens to someone's brain during an acute stress reaction provides clues about how you can get them back into action normally during an intensely stressful situation like combat your body goes into fight-or-flight mode allowing you to make quick effective decisions to ensure your survival in order to think fast the areas of your brain responsible for deliberate thinking your prefrontal cortex move out of the way this thinking area takes a backseat and other parts of the brain take the lead the parts reserved for our survival instincts and core emotions however sometimes the activation levels get severe and result in an acute stress reaction the brain is essentially hijacked by the emotion part of the brain called the amygdala when the amygdala is in control and no input from the logical thinking brain the first it becomes extremely emotional fearful and dysfunctional possibly putting the unit in danger your job is to help your buddies thinking part of their brain take back control from the amygdala trying to shake or shout the person out of an amygdala hijacking doesn't work because the person is already overloaded shaking or shouting just overloads them more on the flipside engagement with gentle words are talking about their emotional state won't help them either since focusing on emotions doesn't prompt the thinking part of the brain to reassert control the key is to get the thinking part of the brain back into action holy stay right here you hate to coming in rooftop to the north come all the guy hate how much well the end it just froze up okay t-rex for t-rex for contact rooftop to the north for McGuirk if you're hit tell me Lopez what's going on how should I know yeah blatant look dark step out of it I got this cover that window regarde look or can you hear me look at me hey I'm right here look at me squeezing your shoulder squeeze my back boy so I'll cover come right here with I'm not going anywhere you're not now listen to the tune are you hey what's the tune are you in first who are you in here with you guys nincompoop who's your commander captain Wes copy that look stay with me there's a situation we were in the building and we took incoming taking care of the injured right now we need to cover these windows copy grab your weapon get up and cover come on let's go Lopez keep an eye on him being a battle buddy means having their six so getting your battle buddy back into action after an acute stress reaction requires six steps these steps take less than a minute and are designed to stop the amygdala hijack and get your battle buddy back in control first identify that your battle buddy is having an acute stress reaction second connect to them and get them to focus their attention on you third offer commitment so you can break through their detachment fourth verify facts by asking for simple details this gets them focused on the present moment fifth establish order of events in order to orient them and finally request action so they are focused on the next immediate step when you use I cover move swiftly through each step avoid emotional or calming language keeping your voice clear and confident review the engagement again with these steps in mind first identify the problem the key sign is the person is not functioning they may be frozen disoriented or agitated but the common denominator is that they have functionally collapsed second connect you might find the soldier facing downward or covering their face this position increases feelings of helplessness so when you try to connect be sure to touch then speak a three-prong approach is best touch speak and make eye contact seek response third offer commitment so they know they're not alone and that you were there with them I'm not going anywhere you're not alone fourth verify facts asking two to three short fact-based questions don't ask about their feelings or anything complicated your goal is to get them to focus on the present moment the tuner you hey what's the tune are you in who are you in here with cars in Capaldi who's your commander captain Weston v established the order of events basically the goal of this step is to help get them oriented to the situation confirm the chronology of events and three simple sentences what happened what is happening and what will happen all right here's the situation we were in the building and we took on coming all right taking care of the injured right now we need to cover these windows copy and sixth request action give a specific mission related tasks that can be immediately accomplished this will help them get back in gear grab your weapon get up and cover but let's go Lopez keep an eye on him I cover works because it cuts through the amygdala hijacking and gets the prefrontal cortex back into action remember to move swiftly through each step and keep your voice clear and confident one identified to connect three offer commitment for verify facts five established order of events six request action with I cover you've got there six [Music]