Harnessing the Power of Military and Police Tactical Stress Control Strategies for Your Own Anxiety

When in high-pursuit of a dangerous criminal that may be carrying weapons and willing to do almost anything to evade capture, law enforcement and tactical teams such as SWAT can’t afford to let their stress response cloud their senses and functioning. The typical symptoms of stress we all occasionally feel to various degrees such as tunnel vision, shakiness or loss of fine motor skills, and the loss of ability to focus and process our surroundings quickly may be uncomfortable and frightening to the average civilian who may feel this way while driving, on an airplane, or standing in line at the grocery store, but are dramatically more costly in situations where they can be not only a deciding factor to the individuals safety and survival, but the safety of others, and even the suspect. In order to effectively and rapidly reduce physiological stress levels and maintain control even in the most extreme and anxiety provoking of circumstances, law enforcement and military training has adopted what is called “combat breathing”, an easy to remember and perform breathing technique for the reduction of both the physical and mental effects of anxiety that can be used with surprising effectiveness by anyone experiencing anxiety, stress, panic attacks or fear in everyday life.

As anyone who suffers with anxiety or panic attacks knows all too well, the burst of adrenaline into the body during high levels of stress can virtually instantly effect optimal functioning and be terribly frightening, the fear response itself sometimes being mistaken as a sign that the individual is about to lose control or “go crazy”. Once the reaction that unleashes the stress chemicals into the body has started, it is incredibly difficult to turn off, although there are specialized techniques and advanced skills that can be learned to both prevent and end anxiety such as those discussed in my programs. Combat breathing was developed to help police and military personnel in rapidly regaining control over their bodies reactions during intense and dangerous situations and is considered a high priority aspect of successful training.

Alexis Artwohl, PhD., one of America’s most renowned police psychologists, considers it such techniques so critical to officer training, he was quoted as saying, “Police officers should be taught controlled breathing from DAY ONE in training to the point where it becomes so automatic they do it without thinking.” Additionally, Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, a former special forces soldier who taught psychology at West Point and who created the widely used and praised training video “The Bullet-Proof Mind.” has taught the breathing exercise and its positive impact on performance during high-speed pursuits for years.

Sergeant Charles Humes explained the basics of combat breathing as follows, “The breathing is done in cycles. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four; hold your breath for a count of four; exhale through your mouth for a count of four; hold your breath for a count of four, and then restart the cycle. Breath deeply and methodically – completely filling and emptying your lungs during each cycle. This simple technique will lower your blood pressure and arousal/stress level, and minimize the overwhelming side effects of an adrenaline dump.”

When you’re feeling anxiety, fear, or a panic attack while driving to the grocery store, sitting in a meeting at work, getting a haircut, flying in a plane, or even sitting on your couch at home, follow the training given to police and military personnel whose lives hang in the balance of their ability to control their stress reaction and practice a few moments of combat breathing!

P.S. I’ve been asked if this type of breathing is appropriate for children who are experiencing anxiety or excessive fear, and the answer is a huge YES!  Teaching your child how to better control and navigate their emotions is a lifelong skill that will serve them well, and perhaps generations to come.  In fact, it is discussed in great detail in my program developed for children with anxiety at www.AnxietyFreeChildren.com.

Alright, time for me to clean something up…

I know sometimes it seems like I’m against “positive thinking”, but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

I’m a HUGE fan of thinking positive, in fact, I think it’s the critical first step in overcoming anxiety or fear.  Heck, it’s the first step to ANYTHING.

What I’m not so keen on is stopping with positive thinking and not following it up with ACTION.

Let me explain…

Before we could put a man on the moon, we first had to BELIEVE we could.  I mean if we can’t do it, what’s the point in trying?  That’s why you don’t see many professional alchemists anymore still trying to turn lead into gold…we just don’t believe we can anymore (and we’re probably right on that one).

But what if we would have just sat around thinking and pondering how great it would be to go to the moon?  What if we just believed it REAL HARD, but that was it?

We’d be no closer to moon than we were in 1900.

We had to believe and then DO SOMETHING.   We had to figure it out.  Build a shuttle.  Set a goal to do it in a certain timeframe.

Kennedy said,

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”

ONLY THEN did we actually take the steps necessary to plant our flag on the moon.  Belief and positive thinking was a necessary first step, but not nearly enough.

It’s the same with overcoming fears and anxiety.

If you think you CAN’T be different, that you’re destined to a life of misery and anxious suffering, then you’ll never try and put in the effort required to change.  You’ll guarantee your own failure.  So thinking positive is critical, you HAVE to think positive and believe in the possibility of change just to start.

But if ALL you do is think positive, like some self-improvement wackos tell you to, that’s not much better than doing nothing.  You need to add ACTION to the mix and get things moving in the direction toward your goal.

What actions can you take that actually move you closer to the goal?

Things like figuring out what you do in life that causes you to get stressed, anxious, and sick, and do less of it.  How about figuring out what you do in life that makes you smile and feel at peace and doing more of that?  Starting a recovery program like on that I offer, or seeing a therapist if that’s more your speed, or deciding to confront what’s really at the core of your anxiety…

The options are limitless, but you have to start somewhere.  Thinking positive is a great place to start, but a terrible place to stop.

So what are YOU going to do today to move one step closer to who you want to be?  Shoot me a comment and let me know!

Click here to listen to Case Study 1

Click here to listen to Case Study 2

Click here to listen to Case Study 3

In the fourth Case Study for the Driving Fear Program, you’re going to hear from Marie Muchow, an attorney and mom from Santa Rosa, California.

Click the Play button below to hear Marie share why she decided it was time to get started with the Driving Fear Program to overcome her panic attacks while driving, and what she learned by using the program that she says, “changed her life completely”.

Thanks for sharing your story Marie…

Click here to get started with the Driving Fear Program.

Click here to listen to Case Study 1

Click here to listen to Case Study 2

In our third Case Study for the Driving Fear Program, we’re going to hear from Heather Lopez from Newhall, California.

Click the Play button below to hear Heather share why she decided it was time to get started with the Driving Fear Program, what her experiences were with using the program, and how life for her and her family has changed now that’s she’s completed it.

Thanks for letting everyone hear your experiences Heather…

Click here to get started with the Driving Fear Program.

Most everyone has heard of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  You know, the disorder that combat veterans come home with after the war…

See, that’s the problem.  Everyone associates PTSD with combat, and it certainly is seen with war vets, but it can also be caused by many other traumatic events like abuse, natural disaster, or motor vehicle accidents.

It’s important that you receive the proper care and treatment for PTSD if you have it, but it’s often confused (even by therapists) with other anxiety disorders and vice versa.

I asked Dr. Matthew Tull to speak to me, who is the guide to PTSD for the popular website About, as well as the director of anxiety disorders at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. I asked him to take a few moments so he can give you an overview of what post traumatic stress disorder is, as well as the role it can play with anxiety and specific fears such as the fear of driving, flying, and others.

Just hit the play button below to listen to to out interview (about 15 minutes long):

Want to download it to your computer? Right click the link below and choose “Save-as…”

Download the Interview