I have cherry picked the Neil piece for physiological information that might be applied to AF447. Neil's emphasis was on preventing and controlling over-activation of of the fight or flight response. In AF447, we had an accute invocation of that response. Normal emergency training is intended to give a direction to our actions, thus avoiding stress inducing situations.
Excessive stress creates an automatic protective reaction within the body that initiates nerve cell firing and chemical releases (adrenaline, noradrenaline & cortisol) to prepare us for running or fighting.
When our fight or flight system is activated, we tend to perceive everything in our environment as a possible threat to our survival. By its very nature, the fight or flight system bypasses our rational mind—where our more well thought out beliefs exist—and moves us into "attack" mode…….Our thinking is distorted. We see everything through the filter of possible danger. We narrow our focus to those things that can harm us. Fear becomes the lens through which we see the world.
Has the fight or flight response become counterproductive?
In most cases today, once our fight or flight response is activated, we cannot flee. We cannot fight. We cannot physically run from our perceived threats. When we are faced with modern day, saber tooth tigers, we have to sit in our office and "control ourselves.
How do we elicit the relaxation response?
Because the relaxation response is hard-wired, we do not need to believe it will work, any more than we need to believe our leg will jump when the doctor taps our patellar tendon with a little red hammer. The relaxation response is a physiologic response, and as such, there are many ways to elicit it, just as there are many ways to increase our pulse rate (another physiologic response).
1. 1. Focus on a word or phrase that has a positive meaning to you
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3. Deep diaphragmatic breathing exercises, with a focus on the breath, can trigger the relaxation response.
(The last two items are methods that might be practical in a cockpit while managing an emergency.)