Recognizing and Defeating Fear with Systema

Since a good deal of Systema training focuses on understanding fear and transcending that fear, it would be good to have a discussion on what fear truly is and how it manifests within us.  There are multiple categories of fear: physical fear, psychological fear and spiritual fear.  We will discuss each of them and explore how Systema training can assist with all of these types of fear.  We will also briefly discuss what fear is not, but is often associated with fear, since these conditions often arise and it is necessary to be able to distinguish between them.

What true fear is not:

• Worry
• Anxiety
• Panic

I won’t do a lengthy explanation of these topics to keep the scope of this article manageable.  It should be obvious that these conditions are related to fear and also require tools to effectively counter – but they are not true fear.  It is important to understand this difference as you train, and more importantly, when you need this recognition in a real-life situation.

Continuing with the various types of true fear, then:

Physical Fear is defined as the visceral, physiological reactions of the body when operating in a high-stress and/or lethal environment. Vasoconstriction, time-distortion, clutching, symmetrical muscular responses, visual and audio tunneling, etc.  All of these reactions are the result of the fight/flight response of the sympathetic nervous system (hereafter labeled FF/SNS) and the flood of adrenaline into the body.  While this reaction provides some level of protection, especially when considered from the evolutionary perspective, by priming the body to respond to a legitimate threat – it also hinders most modern humans because this condition is so uncommon to them that the FF/SNS syndrome often feeds upon itself and eventually puts the person into a frozen state – and essentially helpless.  Even military and LE personnel who are trained to understand this phenomenon are often the victim of it.  Modern studies state the elevated heart rate (up to a certain point) produced by the FF/SNS response puts the body in optimal combat readiness.  The reported optimal heart rate of 115-145 BPM is applicable based on the following benefits:

• Ideal muscular and nervous system reaction times
• Control of gross and complex motor skills
• Optimal cognitive process
• Visual and audio response times

I challenge this line of reasoning and offer a contrary opinion based on my training in Systema:

In today’s world it is difficult to argue with “science”.  But I would like to present an alternative perspective.  First – let us assume that the 115-145 BPM heart rate is accurate.  What if the encounter lasts for more than a few moments?  Is your conditioning up to par?  Will fatigue begin to set in?  Will the heart rate continue to escalate into the danger zones?  All of these are very real possibilities.   Training programs should provide the solutions to these scenarios and I suspect that many do not.  Another question:  In the animal world – is it the lion or the zebra whose behavior coincides with that described by the SNS response in human beings? (This does introduce another topic – predatory violence in human beings – which is beyond the scope of this article).  Do you see yourself as a victim or prey?  Your psychological preparedness for a dangerous situation is equally as important as physical response.

So let’s discuss how the major physiological reactions to elevated stress – with the possible exception of time distortion – can be dramatically reduced by Systema breathing and related exercises:

Tactical breathing – which is taught to many military and LE personnel – has been proven to provide positive results in a lethal scenario.  Here is my concern with tactical breathing.  Will you always remember to call upon it when you need it most?  And by the time you realize you need the tactical breathing, have you already found yourself in a danger zone? This lapse could result in unwanted physical actions, bad decisions being made or any number of other negative consequences. When lives are on the line – yours, your mates, those you are trying to protect – is this the level you want to operate at?

Regular training in Systema breathing makes it a part of your daily life – it becomes a part of you.  It is always there for you.  Chances are you won’t get close to the danger zones in the first place because the breathing techniques kicked in automatically.  (I have a personal example to share on this – please click here to read about it).  I am not disparaging tactical breathing.  I am suggesting this proven practice – i.e. breathing – should be a more regular practice in the lives of those who may really need it vs. an afterthought, add-on response that may be at best delayed, and at worse, forgotten when needed most.

The breathing techniques in Systema are obviously designed to improve physical functionality.  And while these physical aspects of the breathwork are of great value, they are superficial compared to the full benefits provided by Systema breathing. We have already reviewed how Systema directly impacts the physical manifestations of reactions to fear, so let’s continue with the psychological and spiritual aspects of fear.

Psychological Fear can take the form of emotional responses to the current environment and/or manifest itself as mental instability – even in mentally healthy individuals.  Panic, emotional distress, shock, uncharacteristic moral or ethical behavior are all indicators or symptoms of psychological fear.  This type of fear can be brought on by external stimuli, intense internal reactions to a given scenario, or a combination of the two.  A good example of inducing psychological fear is a technique used in SERE school.  Audio recordings of disturbing events are replayed over and over again and broadcast into the cells of the “prisoners”.  This often creates a state of emotional helplessness, rage, panic, self-pity or some other debilitating mental state in the “student” of the SERE training.  This fear is very real, but is quite different than the purely physical FF/SNS fear response and can often manifest as a specific phobia which may not have revealed itself before.  And when in this state, the student may perform or participate in actions that he would never do otherwise.  Although few of us can relate to the experience of SERE school, there are many scenarios that a normal citizen may encounter that produce the same condition.

Spiritual Fear may be the most difficult to define.  But it can be described in the most basic way: fear of death. Some would argue that all true fear is a fear of death.  I don’t want to debate that here.  But, how is fear of death a spiritual fear?  The spiritual fear of death is directly relevant to our existence as Faith-based individuals.  While it is said there are no atheists in a combat foxhole, those who suddenly discover faith as rounds are flying by their head may not be as prepared to deal with the situation as one who lives life every day in a Faith-based manner.  We will all die someday.  Having your own unique beliefs on death and dying will directly impact how you behave in a potentially lethal encounter. I personally believe that a strong Faith-based lifestyle, which honors whatever form of God you believe in, and lived in truth, integrity and honest devotion, will allow you to act in the best possible way if you are ever involved in a lethal situation.  While Systema has no requirements about religion or spirituality, the roots of Systema come from an ancient Orthodox Christian ascetic practice known as Hesychasm.  I believe to get the most out of Systema – and of course, life itself – requires you to be a deeply Faith-based individual.  Which will directly translate into how you handle spiritual fear in dangerous scenarios.

Systema training forces you to discover your own fears across all three aspects: physical, psychological and spiritual.  The unique nature and expression of those fears become apparent and you gain the insight and tools necessary to work within, and hopefully, beyond those fears. It also allows you to see the byproducts of real fear, which can be equally dangerous, and more importantly – allows you to distinguish them from real fear and work through them.  The breathwork in particular is what gives us this bounty.  But there is no simple set of breathing exercises to do to be “cured” of fear.  No – the breathwork in Systema is integrated into everything you do in training.  It is the fabric that all your capabilities and acquired skills are woven from.  It is a continuous process that is never finished – for no matter how much you have attained, there is still more to discover.

The last topic of this article is Intuition.  Fear and intuition are actually closely related topics. According to Gavin de Becker, with whom I wholeheartedly agree, true fear supplies one other critical tool: Intuition.  Gut feelings, that little-voice-you-should-have-listened-to, when you know something that seems to defy logic – all of this and much more is your intuition at work.  While all of us have the gift of intuition to some degree, it is my strong personal belief that training in Systema heightens intuition at an accelerated rate. There are actual drills done in Systema to help build this capability. And the more you learn to recognize and tame your own fears, the stronger your intuition becomes. As a bodyguard, I am grateful everyday for Systema – and not so much for the combatives (which are outstanding) – but more so for the elevated awareness, ability to maintain this awareness for long periods of time and for the ability to just be here – right here, right now – whenever I need it, which is essential for the protection profession.

Final note:
While this is a relatively analytical description of the benefits of Systema breathing and training as applied to recognizing and working through fear, I do not want to inadvertently present Systema as an analytical martial art.  There is much more “art” in the martial art of Systema than I can communicate in this article, or even if I had written an entire book.  Systema is experiential; you must practice Systema to begin to comprehend it.  Which is true of any real art form.

References:
Systema – Russian Martial Art;  as taught by Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev. Web site: http://www.russianmartialart.com/

Books:
Let Every Breath, by Vladimir Vasiliev
The Gift of Fear – and –  Just 2 Seconds, by Gavin De Becker, et al.
On Combat, Lt. Col. David Grossman