Officer Safety Participant Manual (Unit 2 - Combat psychology and physiology)

Question 1

Identify the four triggers that are known to activate the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)

Answer 1

-Objective threat perception
-Objective fear perception
-Physical exhaustion
-Startle response
(pg. 33-36)

Question 2

What physiological changes may occur with an SNS activation?

Answer 2

-Adrenal Activity
-Vascular Activity (vasoconstriction)
-Perceptual Narrowing
-Auditory Exclusion
-Survival Reaction Time (information processing speed)
-Hyper-vigilance
(pg. 39)

Question 3

What are some symptoms of an SNS activation?

Answer 3

-Rapid Breathing
-Cottonmouth
-Muscular Tremors
-Increased Heart Rate
-Sweaty Palms
-Visual Difficulty
-Loss of Concentration
-Loss of Bowel Control
(pg. 41)

Question 4

Describe SNS burnout.

Answer 4

The far end inverted U Law is representative of SNS burnout. When stress is too high for too long, an individual will begin losing performance. The optimal heart rate for performance is 115-145. An officer will typically have 10-15 seconds of optimal performance before performance starts to deteriorate.
(pg. 43)

Question 5

What are the 7 factors can help you in managing or overcoming SNS activations?

Answer 5

-Fitness
-Diet
-Belief system
-Confidence factor
-Motor skills selection
-Imagery Drills
-Tactical breathing
(pg. 44)

Question 6

What are the potential symptoms of PNS activation (PNS backlash)?

Answer 6

-Diziness
-Excessive bleeding
-Shock
-Exhaustion
-Muscle tremors
(pg. 47)

Question 7

Describe PNS backlash and how best to recover?

Answer 7

PNS backlash is you PNS taking over after an SNS activation in an attempt to bring your body back to a state of homeostasis. Often the PNS will over-correct and induce dizziness, excessive bleeding, shock, exhaustion, or muscle tremors. If you’re experiencing PNS backlash, try to lay horizontal to equalise blood pressure and ingest simple carbohydrates as soon as possible.
(pg. 48)

Question 8

Give a brief description of critical incident amnesia and the role it will have on you as an officer.

Answer 8

Critical incident amnesia is a form of amnesia that occurs after an SNS activation. It can distort perception and memory for a time after the incident. It is only temporary, but time to recovery is not fully understood yet. While you have to write in your notebook immediately after an incident, you have 48 hours to complete a full report. Take the time to ensure you have the details remembered correctly post critical incident.
(pg. 48)

Question 9

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

Answer 9

To be diagnosed with PTSD post critical incident one must be reliving the trauma through means such as hallucinations or intrusive thoughts, persistently avoid anything associated with the trauma like thoughts or activities, and persistent feelings of increased arousal that were not there prior to the trauma. Arousal meaning at least two of difficulty sleeping, irritability, difficulty concentrating, hyper vigilance, exaggerated startle response.
(pg. 51)