- You may not be able to kill a goat by staring at it – but can your subconscious mind forewarn you of imminent danger?
During one of my tours in Iraq, with the 82nd Airborne (2-505 to be exact), one of my platoons primary duties was escorting the Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams around the Area of operations; usually saving units passing through from bags of trash or dead animals, but one in three calls was actually an improvised explosive device. (Kinda like that movie “The Hurt Locker”, except more real and less gay).
On one such day, I got that feeling, that gut paranoia that all was not right in the world of Iraq surrounding us, I got on the radio and told the front truck to switch sides of the highway. Less than a mile down the road an explosion rocked the side of the road we were previously on as we passed. How did I know?
Studies done are full of similar and more amazing stories from the British accounts of John Masters all the way through WW2 and Vietnam where Army scientists and psychiatrists did studies. The result was always the same and that was that they couldn’t explain it.
Why could some soldiers feel it and some couldn’t/can’t? I have my own personal opinions. I think everyone feels it but only some act on it. You know the guy; the guy who sits at the base after action and says “Man, I just KNEW something was gonna happen…” I tend to be of the school that thinks it is an animal instinct.
It seems to me that the longer you are in an AO the more your brain registers abnormalities of your surroundings. Things like stores closed that are usually open, a wrecked car that has been moved 30 feet, and so on. Leading experts say that this “gut instinct” is your brain noticing changes before your conscious can process it. These extra few seconds can be instrumental in saving lives, including yours.
So on to the second part of this missive. So what? Well, for those of us that are either still in the military, civilian contractors, firemen, EMT/ paramedics, or like myself, in the realm of law enforcement; we need to learn to act on these hunches. These gut feelings are what make a veterans experience priceless.
Every day you can face dangers and threats that a normal civilian wouldn’t think twice about, they are tucked away in their personal bubbles of self-importance. The downside to all this is usually that with all things, this sense is learned through negative reinforcement. Something bad, actually, dangerous is probably a better word; has to happen for you to recognize this gut feeling.
So my advice, to those that need or want it for what its worth, is to teach yourself to examine your surroundings on instinct after one of those feelings. Don’t sit and giggle about it, try to figure out what your brain noticed that your self conscience didn’t, and then determine (if time permits) whether or not it is a threat to you and/or your team. If your in a combat zone, just stay predictably unpredictable.
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~Mac G.
Contributing Correspondent
Mac G. Served with the 82’nd Airborne and is currently a law enforcement agent
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve had the “gut-feeling” save my ass more than once!
Dan N(Quote This Comment)
Thanks Dude!
~James G
James G(Quote This Comment)
Bombers tend to be creatures of habit, constructing their bomb in a similar manner over and over, and also placing them in a similar location over and over.
That location may be consciously chosen, or inspired by some subconscious process. -Hey, this looks like a good place to bomb- If you’ve experienced multiple bombings (even after the fact) you too may unconsciously start to recognize those locations -hey, this looks like a good place to get bombed-, and start identifying certain topographical elements with danger, which renders you uneasy.
That’s the most logical explanation I can give to it anyway.
I’d ask you if there was any similarity between this site and your previous encounters, but I suspect similarities with any other given spot will be quite high.
My theory is still quite the swiss cheese.
Michael Hawkins(Quote This Comment)
G’day all
I’ve experienced this as an LEO, but I think some people are just more tuned in to particular things – I have a colleague who can sniff out cars that are not registered – I have about a 90% strike rate tipping over random people in public & finding illegal weapons, yet i’m terrible at picking dodgy cars – it comes down I think to a combination of prior experience and subtle cues, as Michael says above…Little things you subconsciously notice that all come together to say “hey, asshole, listen up” inside your head!
Aidan LEMAY(Quote This Comment)
I remember reading Rogue Warrior prior to joining the Army. If I remember correctly Marcinko wrote about this several times in the book and talked about his “spidey sense” saving his butt on several occasions’.
I fully subscribe that you should listen to that little voice and run with it. Its kind of like PSD work though, you never know how many attacks you thwarted by changing things up. You only know you F*d up when it’s too late.
It seems I get this feeling a lot while driving to and from calls or home. That voice says “go this way instead” and sometimes I laugh thinking I believe in Voodoo, but I go that way and never know the better. Who knows what was lurking on that route.
Great article!
Eric S.(Quote This Comment)
Some will be highly-tuned awareness and experience allowing you pick up on almost subliminal cues. But a lot of it is good old fashioned confirmation bias How many times do you get a ‘feeling’ that turns out to be nothing?
http://www.skepdic.com/confirmbias.html
JonMac(Quote This Comment)
I as well have experienced it. I tend to attribute it more to hyper vigilance and being hyper observant. Rather then a mythical “sixth sense”. Not sure how to really put it, I can just see things that are likely to happen based on the recognizing predictors that most people miss.
Be it the two guys eyeing each other in a bar before they start throwing punches at each other. Or a car that is driving overly aggressive seeing where they are going to lose control and crash. The guy in the market that is eyeing the convoy a little too much. To whatever and what have you.
When it comes to human beings and their actions they inevitably have behavioral cues that will give away their intentions, or at least provide enough subtle clues that they are about to do something. As do physical environments that we are used to things being a certain way. Something gets changed, something slightly askew and some of us notice. For someone that is paying enough attention to recognize them and act on their perceptions. They can use it to their advantage.
I think that situations like this, especially when some people are in that condition yellow mindset or orange (cooper’s mindset). Your five senses are attuned to seek out the oddities that simply just don’t “feel” right or tend to stick out, even just a little bit. Most people ignore it, even in combat because they have seen it too many times before or are succumbing to battle stress and it just pushes them past the point of caring or it delays their perception from making the guy act.
Who knows really, there hasn’t been really any studies into this type of phenomena that provides any conclusive evidence as to why this occurs. We are bombarded with stimuli constantly. Our senses pick up a good number of that stimuli. Some I believe simply are more attune, and “listen” to what their body is telling them as a result.
They key as mac states is to remain unpredictable. Not only in your actions but in your mental state of awareness. Don’t succumb to habituation. Habituation is a psychological process that decreases responsiveness to stimuli that has been repeated on a subject over a period of time. In essence you become used to something. Think back to the first deployment or job in a combat area. How long did it take to get used to the explosions or random bullets. This can also happen to perceiving behavioral cues and can have a severe effect on situational awareness. It leads to complacency and as most are aware complacency kills.
Great article and topic Mac.
Eugene(Quote This Comment)
Great article. We should always remember, if we get “that” feeling that something isn’t right, we should not ignore it. The time you do ignore it is the time you will get burned, maybe literally.
Mike(Quote This Comment)
Good article, great information.
Doing FF, EMS work this came into play a lot. It helped find hot spots, gave clues on structure strength, ideas and insight on patients.
I did notice that the longer I did the work, the better I was able to ‘hear’ that little voice that says “take notice”. I do experience this in my current job as well. Where to look in a system, going with my ‘hunches’, following the rabbit hole. I’m not the best at it, but I usually end up with the results I want.
I agree that experience has a lot to play in this role. You become more ‘attuned’ with the topic, the area, etc.
Again, good article.
Norm W(Quote This Comment)
THere is no disputing that we have real “gut feelings” that pan out. Gavin DeBecker’s classic “The Gift of Fear” explains the phenonmenon really well, to the point you can sharpen this skill. Should be required reading in high schools.
DanO(Quote This Comment)
DanO
I agree, “The Gift of Fear” is a great book and has helped me to recognize and listen to that “little voice”.
It is a must read.
Best,
Edge(Quote This Comment)
+1 on “The Gift of Fear.” Highly recommended for wives, girlfriends, daughters, etc., and not just men who stare at goats.
While I agree with JonMac that confirmation bias can be an issue (from a “scientific proof” perspective), I think a much more difficult hurdle for people to overcome is the initial impulse to ignore that “nagging little feeling” simply because it is irrational or subconscious.
I don’t know that “proving” the validity of hunches is my concern as much as it’s that I’d rather follow my hunches and be wrong 9 times out of 10 than ignore them, and on the tenth time find myself thinking (as I bleed out) “Crap, I KNEW something wasn’t right!”
Striker 2(Quote This Comment)