High 5 Community Blog

Massachusetts DPS Update: State Inspector Visits

2012-02-03T16:31:43Z

We're reaching out to our friends in the state of Massachusetts to let you know of a few developments from the MA Department of Public Safety (DPS).

While the DPS has not exercised the right to perform their inspections in the nearly 5 years since the legislation was passed, we have recently been informed via the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) that state inspectors from the Massachusetts DPS has visited and performed inspections at two or more high schools in the past month. These inspections included a review of all paperwork, a cursory look at equipment and a visual inspection of the challenge course. All 6 state inspectors were present at both inspections.

What does this mean for you? If you operate a belayed challenge course or climbing

]]> wall in the state of Massachusetts, it's imperative that you stay current with state regulations.

File your paperwork with the state annually.

Be sure all of your paperwork is available, current and in order including completed forms and logs, current inspection reports, and staff training plans in compliance with standards.

Make sure you have had an inspection from a certified third party inspector. Call us to schedule if you are due for one.

And lastly, it appears that inspections from a MA DPS inspector are beginning to actually happen.

You can find more about MA DPS Regulations here:
http://www.mass.gov/eopss/consumer-prot-and-bus-lic/license-type/amusements/challenge-course-and-climbing-wall-facilities.html#A2

Note: If you are the challenge course manager on record, check your spam/junk folder as correspondence from the MA DPS notifying you of an inspection could get filtered.

Be more creative this year!

2012-02-03T14:12:07Z

Want to be more creative in 2012?

Well, here are twelve suggestions that you can start using right now to push your creative potential to the limit. I do caution you though, these suggestions may go against what you understand to be acceptable behavior. But, if you're serious about your next masterpiece than giddy up and get going!

1. Talk to yourself out loud and record it. My iPhone has become one of the most valuable creative tools I own. I can record in-the-moment thoughts, record voice memos, take photos and share thoughts from almost anywhere inspirations hits.

2. Doodle when you're thinking. Doodling is grossly misunderstood and enormously powerful.

]]> 3. Make a mess with your props. Whenever I'm planning for a program, I almost always dump my props out on the floor so I can see what I've got to work with.

4. Day dream every day. Stare off into the distance and let your mind go. Day dreaming is misunderstood and often looked down upon by the uncreative. But, in the end your ideas will be awesome and your process eventually accepted.

5. Avoid sitting down when you're brainstorming. Stand up and get moving; physical activity stimulates the creative process.

6. Close your eyes and imagine people doing the craziest things imaginable. Now, make it happen.

7. Read half an activity write-up and make up the rest. I often go skimming through the countless and somewhat repetitive activity books that litter my bookshelf. I like to skip right to the rules section of the write-up and read just enough to get a basic idea of how the game is played... then I make up the rest.

8. Think like a child, present your challenge to a child and listen to what they say. It will probably make more sense than anything else you've heard.

9. Watch, play and surf! Most people say TV, video games, and the internet kill creativity. I disagree and make it a point to do all three.

10. Stop worrying about people stealing your ideas. Most likely they were never yours to start with. If you spend your time creating for the sole purpose of recognition... well, good luck with that, because most people don't care who created the game but rather how fun it is!

11. Ignore assumptions. Too many of us assume people can't or won't... that's lazy. Make it happen.

12. Go social and go collaborative. Talk to other people and don't be afraid to share your ideas. Start a project with someone else and it will be so much better than what you alone would have come up with.

(Illustration by Narisa, used under Creative Commons License)

Color Swatches

2011-12-02T16:10:46Z

Here's another Print & Play processing tool for your bag of tricks. This is a classic processing idea that's been around for years but we've made it easier than ever to get a set of your own. The fun swatch names and color arrangements make it a perfect method for engaging your participants in meaningful discussion. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Click the link to Download the PDF:Swatches Blog.pdf

UBUNTU Circle

2011-08-29T18:16:48Z

Here's another print and play activity that's sure to challenge any group's ability to communicate effectively. Although only a small part of something big, Ubuntu Circles are just a taste of our latest project so please enjoy!
Directions:Ubuntu Circle.pdf

The Sea of Doom

2011-07-12T17:54:31Z

Variations aren't just wonderful but essential to effective facilitation. In order to meet the specific needs of a group we have to have the knowledge and willingness to adapt the experience to adequately challenge the collective skill of the group. Having a few Variations in your back pocket will undoubtedly help increase effectiveness while keeping the program new and challenging.

]]> Check out the attached PDF describing one of my favorite variations to Do I Go (Multidirectional Nitro Crossing). Very similar to the classic Do I Go, the group will need to move via rope swing from one platform to the other without touching the ground. However in this variation, the group must figure out the correct number participants on each platform in order to complete the task. The only clue the group receives is after each successful swing the facilitator announces how many platforms are correct but, NOT specifically which ones. Read the PDF for more specifics and have fun. I hope it inspires you to think more creatively about all your elements.
The Sea of Doom.pdf
The Sea of Doom.pdf

Tape Recording

2011-05-13T19:08:27Z

Here's a powerful processing technique I've found wonderfully useful in helping groups develop awareness of how they speak to each other. Although it's a challenge to pull off requiring fast and frantic writing on the facilitator's part, the end result can be deeply powerful.

]]> The idea is to record snippets of the group's discussion during a given activity by writing down comments you hear on a roll of masking tape and sticking each comment to a wall. By the end of the activity participants have a recorded account of comments made to each other. This can be a powerful eye opener for groups who can be completely unaware of their words and comments. I found it most effective when a group struggles with bullying issues or cliques. The approach doesn't signal any individual out but undeniably identifies areas of concern. They can't ignore that this is what they sound like as the writing is on the wall.
It takes a little practice to pull this off effectively and it can be a lot of writing, but what it can offer a group is invaluable. Enjoy.
Tape Recording.pdf

Fear: Good, Bad or Ugly?

2011-04-26T00:30:26Z

Part 3: Taming the Amygdala

History

Early in my career as a challenge course facilitator, I think I had a telemarketer's philosophy when facilitating on a challenge course. This was probably due to the fact that I was once told by a friend who work for a period of time as a telemarketer, that he was not allowed to hang up the phone until the person on the other end said no three times. I adopted that attitude to my challenge course work.

For full article, download a PDF here: FEAR: Good, Bad or Ugly.pdf

]]> If a participant got part way up a tree and asked to come down, I would ask them if they were sure. If the participant continued to say they wanted to come down, I would then encourage them to reach up just one more staple or rung. I would only let them come down if the participant refused to climb further three times. At the time, I thought I was helping these participants reach their potential. I thought I was helping them by being an external voice that encouraged them to push past their fear. As I reflected on this practice later in my career I realized I had not been facilitating for the participant's need and goals at all. I was only paying attention to my own perception of what they needed, or worse, what I expected from them. It felt like a selfish way to facilitate.

Adventure Foundations

The challenge course has the ability to offer participants an opportunity to push outside of their comfort zone, into that next zone of challenge or growth. That growth means all the more if we can create an environment that allows the participant to come to it on his or her own terms. We don't know what is an appropriate challenge for each individual so we need to create a program that provides a supportive, trustworthy community. We need to allow each individual to feel they have choice and control. We must also give time to reflect and learn from experiences so that we can commit them to memory for use in future situations.

These are the very foundations of adventure education, nothing new. However, no matter how well we sequence our program or create a supportive environment for our groups, participants will still get scared on the challenge course. It is part of the experience and part of the growth potential. But what is happening to participants as they step out of their comfort zone and begin to slide down that slippery slope from challenge to panic? What would we see?

The Signs of Fear

The signs that someone is scared when they are already at height can be a bit more obvious than the more subtle signals a participant gives us before they even leave the ground. As a participant approaches a climb, you may start to notice a quivering voice or distracted look. They may repeat questions or ask questions to which they already know the answer. They might appear scatterbrained, forgetting to do something they have done numerous times before.

As they climb, more physical body reactions become more noticeable. Their body position may tend to be much lower than normal or they may attempt to maintain contact with something solid. They may ask to crawl on an incline log or catwalk or have an oddly stooped stance on a high cable. They may stand relatively steady but keeps a finger on the tree for security. These are all signs you need to be paying attention to.

Refocusing the Brain

If you can recognize these signs and can notice when a participant about to have an amygdala hijacked, you have some tools that can help the participant work with the fear and grow because of the challenge. The objective is to refocus the participant's brain by activating other regions of the brain, allowing the participant to gain access to these portions of the brain that have the information needed to work through the fear, the very areas the amygdala is suppressing in its fight or flight response.

The first thing you can do is having the person stop what they are doing. They may have already done this for you but if not, get them to stop and refocus their attention away from the task at hand. The next step is to have them breath. Again, this hopefully is already happening, but pausing to focus intentionally on breathing will begin to help to refocus the brain.

Once you have them focused away from the task for a moment, you can begin to ask questions. Asking the participant what they are feeling or what they are thinking helps them to put a label to the fear and acknowledge it. You may have heard the phrase, name it to tame it. You have to identify the fear to work through it. Another trick at this point is to help them appreciate something. This may seem odd at a time like this but if you can get them to appreciate the situation or appreciate anything. This will help, as evidently the brain is not capable of fearing and appreciating simultaneously.

You now have the opportunity to activate the other regions of the brain by asking some goal setting questions. "What do you want to do next?" This may be when the participant says, "I want to come down." Great... you have a plan and you engaged other regions of the brain in decision-making. You can now help them evaluate what they are currently doing and how it is working or not working toward their goal of coming down off the course. You now have the brain accessing explicit memory and facts, applying them toward the end goal the participant wants to achieve.

Anecdotal Evidence... or a story to make my point

I would not be so confident in the above techniques if I had not witnessed it first hand. Ironically, the scenario below occurred before I had read about most of these techniques.

During a training I was leading, one of the participants froze half way across the catwalk. Thinking back, there were many of the tell tale signs to which I was not paying attention. There she was, not moving forward or backward, crouched low and clinging to her rope. She was also not speaking, just shaking her head yes or no to questions.

At this point, her friend did something unexpected. Her friend asked the woman where her camera was. This question began to distract the frozen woman from the situation for a moment. Her friend then began to remark that she just had to get a picture to show her family. "Your husband and kids will never believe it if I don't get a picture of you". This statement triggered appreciation, appreciation for her family. Long story short, after a few more probing questions about the where-abouts of the camera and a few more remarks about how proud her family would be, the previously frozen woman stood erect, smiled for a picture and lowered off the log without a second thought. It was remarkable. Her friend diverted the brains activity away from the amygdala, allowing her to regain access to other portions of her brain and memory the amygdala was clouding.

We had a great discussion about this after the woman was back on the ground. We need to take time to process these emotional memories that are indelibly burned into the circuits of our brain, hopefully making the information more readily available in similar future situations.

Changing as a Facilitator

A lot has changed over the years in my facilitation style and in how I design my programs. Some of that change is based on my understanding of fear and how the mind and body process that fear. I focus my attention on the group's goals and the individuals needs and design my program to support the process. When I recognize someone is nervous in my program and hesitating as they climb on a high challenge course element, I may still ask a question, but the questions have changed. When someone asks to come down from a high challenge course element, the only follow up question is, how would you like to do that. No further questions. I feel more success, accomplishment and empowerment is available a participant from asserting their wishes and being heard, listened to, and supported by their group.

Closing
I have just begun to scratch the surface of the research being done in the area of fear and emotion. Quite honestly, it is a bit overwhelming. My hope in writing this article was not to give you all the answers but to hopefully intrigue you enough to seek more information. If you facilitate on a challenge course, lead wilderness expeditions or simply live life, you are faced with fears. Understanding what is happening, even on a surface level, has helped me understand so much about my own personal reactions to situations. These steps I have outlined above are not the secret code for releasing the grip of the amygdala on the body. They are merely a few tips that may work if you find yourself or one of your participants being hijacked. With great knowledge comes great responsibility. When we take people out onto our challenge course we have a tremendous responsibility, not only for their physical safety but their emotional safety as well.
Facilitate with compassion, facilitate trust, facilitate adventure!

Bibliography:
Dr. Joseph Ledoux - http://www.cns.nyu.edu/ledoux/">http://www.cns.nyu.edu/ledoux/

Ledoux, Joseph, The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1996

Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intellegence - http://danielgoleman.info/

Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why It can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam Books, 1995

Goleman, Daniel. Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1998

Nadler, Relly. "What Was I Thinking? Handling the Hijack." Business Management, Issue 16, Human Capital. http://www.busmanagement.com/article/What-Was-I-Thinking-Handling-the-Hijack/

Horowitz, Shel. "Emotional Intelligence - Stop Amygdala Hijackings." University of Massachusetts Family Business Center http://www.umass.edu/fambiz/articles/values_culture/primal_leadership.html

Goosebumps! the science of fear - http://www.fearexhibit.org/brain

TERA/Mid-south AEE Conference

2011-04-19T19:17:46Z

I was recently invited to present a pre-conference workshop and an opening games session for the Texas Experiential Ropes Association and Mid-south Association for Experiential Education regional conference. I had a wonderful time meeting all of the conference attendees. As promised, click on the link for a pdf of the activities we played during the pre-conference as well as the opening games session. Thank you for all for the passion and energy you give to the experiential education field.

TERA Mid South AEE Activities you should know.pdf

Sharpen those Skills!

2011-03-25T19:00:09Z

Last spring Chris Ortiz posted an article entitled Wake Up that outlined several important steps in preparing your challenge course for the busy programming season ahead. Well, it's that time of year again and it's time to start waking up and conducting those pre-programming walkthroughs in preparation for 2011. This spring I'd like to encourage you think about another part of the challenge course that's probably one of the most valuable contributors to the safety and effectiveness of your program, the challenge course practitioner. Here are a few tips and resources for taking inventory and dusting off those skills in preparation for another successful challenge course season.

]]> Keep a portfolio of you challenge course experience.
It's a good idea to keep track of your experience as it provides valuable insight into what skills are the sharpest and those in most need of sharpening. Review your portfolio each year as it may be surprising what you learn. If you don't have a portfolio it's a good idea to get one started. CCPortfolio.xls

Take a moment to assess your skills.
Do you know what you need to know to effectively operate your program? Although challenging, you should be asking yourself this question each year. To help assess your competency, we've included our skills assessment sheets for you to download. Take a moment to honestly fill them out and invite your staff to do the same. Skills Checklist.pdf

Review your training plan.
Are you following your training plan? When was the last time you attended a skills refresher? If you review your training plan and portfolio and notice your training and professional development hours are not being met and/or are low, then that may be a sign that it's time for training. In addition to reviewing your training plan and portfolio, take a look at your skills checklist. If you're seeing lots of 1's and 2's then it's probably another indication that more training is in order.

Review your Local Operating Procedures Manual.
Even though you may know your LOP Manual front to back it always a good idea to read it through again. It's good to ensure your practices match your operational procedures and that both are congruent with current industry standards. If you don't have an LOP manual... time for training.

Organize an in-house practice day.
Taking the time to bring your entire challenge course staff together for a play day on the course is a good idea for several reasons. It provides important practice time while creating consistency among practitioners on the course. Practice days are also a wonderful opportunity to exchange successful facilitation techniques and inevitably strengthen your staff community.

This is probably a lot to think about but that's my hope, to get you thinking. Good luck and happy adventures.

Fear: Good, Bad or Ugly?

2011-03-11T22:07:53Z

Part 2: Hijacking the Amygdala

Background
In Part 1 of this series, I gave some background as to how I came to be interested in fear and its connections with work on challenge courses. My next challenge will be to explain the process our body and minds go through in an emotionally charged situation. How we react, how we process, why we freeze up, shake, make funny faces... Why?
I'll first put this into context of the challenge course. On the challenge course we're faced with three participant types; someone with no previous experience on a challenge course, someone with a previous negative experience or someone who has been on a challenge course and had a positive experience. As we delve into what is happening in the brain and body during a potentially threatening situation, it will be important to think about what these different participants types are experiencing.

]]> Note: In the description that follows, I have left out all of the technical terms that describe where these processes are happening. If you are interested in the biology and science of things like the Thalamus, Hippocampus or Prefrontal Cortex, I recommend visiting these websites: http://www.fearexhibit.org & http://www.cns.nyu.edu/home/ledoux/Ledouxlab.html .

The Amygdala Hijack
When we experience a physical sensation (a loud unexpected noise, sight of a ladder leading up a 50 foot pole) our brain crudely processes this information and sends it on two paths. The shorter path sends this crude information directly to the amygdala to be scanned for threats. The amygdala is always watching (kind of like Santa). If the amygdala were to detect a threat, the amygdala orchestrates a quick involuntary response by stopping normal motion and freezing us up, as well as flooding our body with hormones, which causes increases in heart rate and blood pressure, and sweating, not to mention the anxious facial expression. Primitively speaking, the amygdala reduces the possibility of attracting attention of a predator, preparing us to fight or flee and warning those around us of potential danger (this is important on the challenge course as we will learn). Simultaneously, but at a much slower relative speed, the information traveling the longer path is being processed more fully. This is kind of like waiting for the Polaroid picture to fully develop revealing to see who had their eyes closed. This more refined image gets compared to previous emotional situations and input from your conscious memory. The amygdala then either confirms the threat or stands down. This immediate response by the amygdala is known as an amygdala hijack. Our amygdala takes over our bodies until a potential threat can be fully vetted.

Implicit and Explicit Memory
The amygdala also works in concert with other parts of the brain to store a memory of this emotional event, which in turn will influence similar future situations. These memories are called implicit memories. We have 2 basic types of memories, Implicit and Explicit. Implicit memories are memories tied to emotional experiences, unconscious memories that are more reactionary. They're drawn upon to create the automatic physical response to emotional events that resemble similar situations from our past. Explicit memories are facts, details, and recollections that make up our conscious memory and the things we typically associate with memory. These memories give us a clearer picture and context of a potential threat... the very memories that are suppressed during an amygdala Hijack. A strong amygdala hijack can actually impair our working or explicit memory. The powers of emotions overwhelm our rationality. We can't think straight. The information we so desperately need to confirm or deny the threat, is clouded when the situation is overly traumatic.

Emotional Recall
It is believed that the hormones released by the fear system strengthen the memory path in our brains so that we can recall emotional experiences more easily. This, I believe, is our opportunity when it comes to growth on a challenge course. The challenge course can create emotionally charged situations and during which, facilitators can create positive experiences, with stronger connections to memory. In turn, if we create a negative emotional experience... that too will be strongly connected our memory of the event.

Another interesting tidbit about fear is that it is contagious. The experience your first participant has on any given element will likely educate the amygdala of future participants. That anxious facial expression you make when you are scared is triggering an emotional response from others around you as their amygdalae are also on guard scanning for threats.

The amygdala of a participant standing at the foot of a ladder preparing to climb and who has never experienced a challenge course before has only previous emotional experiences that resemble those to which they are now facing. If this person has no negative emotional memories that resemble this current situation or better yet, a positive previous challenge course experience, the amygdala will scan for threats and find none. However, if this person perhaps fell off of a ladder 2 stories up while cleaning out the gutters, standing at the foot of a ladder would represent an emotional threat. This person's amygdala would likely respond similarly to someone who had a negative challenge course experience, even thought the actual situation has many variables that are different than that past experience (harness, rope, no jammed gutters).

Opportunity for Facilitation
This is where the facilitators come in. It seems unlikely that we can affect the initial amygdala hijack. However, if we have guided this participant through our program in such a way that they are trusting of the group, understand the strength in the safety system and feel emotionally supported, we are providing the elicit memory with enough information to stave off the hijack, informing the amygdala to stand down. Participants new to challenge courses are forming memory based on the experience we give them. The problem comes when we fail to educate the participant and guide them into a space of support, we provide them with no defense. We let them get hijacked.

In Part 3:Taming the Amygdala, we will explore how to begin recognizing the signs of fear in participants and how to be better equipped to react based upon a deeper understanding of what is happening to participants as they step out of there comfort zone and tread the fine line between challenge and panic.

I want to leave you with a quote to ponder that comes from Dr. Joseph Ledoux's book, The Emotional Brain. "The amygdala's emotional memories, as we've seen, are indelibly burned into its circuits. The best we can hope to do is to regulate their expression. And the way we do this by getting the cortex to control the amygdala." I will talk about how you as a facilitator can help your participants get control in Part 3 of this series.

52 Pick Up

2011-03-07T21:43:48Z

As promised at the 2011 Practitioners Symposium here's 52 Pick Up, the latest addition to High 5's Print & Play Prop collection. 52 Pick Up is an all new, hilarious way to get your groups moving, talking, taking risks and interacting. Simply print the attached PDF including the activity write-up and set of 52 cards to get started. The activity can be adapted, changed, and even improved on to meet your unique program goals so feel free to get creative. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
52 Pick UP.pdf

Adventures in Student Leadership and Civil Discourse

2011-03-04T18:43:44Z

Vermont Academy Students Shine!

At a time when our world is struggling more than ever with how to communicate and politicians in Washington continue to favor blind partisanship over the common good, students at Vermont Academy were models of civil discourse at a recent school wide dialogue about issues of respect, acceptance, harassment and bullying held on Feb. 8.

]]>
Vermont Academy is an educational partner with High 5 and serves as our indoor training site during winter months. This past September, we conducted a staff development workshop for faculty, a teambuilding day for student proctors and the orientation program for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Plans called for further High 5 involvement with students and faculty throughout the year, thus the Feb. 8 dialogue event was born.

The school wide dialogue idea was created by Headmaster, Sean Brennan, Dean of Students, Dave Hodgson, school counselor, John Buser and the training staff at High 5. Approximately 260 students and faculty participated in the event which followed a panel discussion about acceptance, respect and valuing issues within the VA community.

Prior to the Feb. 8 event, over 40 students were trained by High 5 as facilitators for the dialogue so they would be prepared to co-lead the small discussion groups comprised of other students and faculty members.

Guidelines for the group's interaction were established early on. They included:
• Respect the confidentiality of each person in your group
• Respect the dignity of each person
• Listening is participating
• Faculty are asked to share as equal members

With the group in agreement to follow the guidelines, they then began to discuss questions related to the Vermont Academy community. These questions had been created by students in a planning session held weeks prior to the dialogue. For over two hours, the Vermont Academy dining hall was filled with the chatter of students and faculty as they shared thoughts and opinions, discussed what's important to them within their community and problem solved ways to improve and strengthen their school. The civility of the discourse was matched only by the leadership provided by the student facilitators making for a unique moment of human interaction. In a world struggling with how to communicate, the Vermont Academy dialogue
was a model of how a school, a community and a world can talk with one another.

Circles

2011-03-01T20:28:45Z

How do you use what you're passionate about to inform your work?

In my case, I've recently found myself in an incredibly creative space both in my professional and likewise, personal life. In fact, thinking about it... I've come to experience a wonderful sense of fulfillment related to the subject. As an adventure practitioner with an appreciation for contemporary art, I wanted to combine an artistic interpretation of an activity called Challenge Circles with a collaborative adventure experience; and so I created a series of images called Circles, summarized in this 38 second video.

]]> This video was created a few months ago using several images created in a collaborative effort by 5 participants in an Adventure Basics workshop. Presented with a sheet of paper with a simple circle drawn in the center, participants were asked to place a dot somewhere on the paper representing their comfort relative to the given scenario. An example scenario would be public speaking or taking a test. Placing a dot within the black circle meant that the individual was anxiety free, calm and completely relaxed. In terms of learning, it's believed that within the comfort circle, little learning occurs. Dots placed outside the circle represented a varying level of discomfort relative to the distance from the central circle. The further from the circle the more intense or anxious the participant may feel. A dot reaching the edge of the paper would represent a panic response or that of fight or flight. Somewhere between the edge of the comfort circle and point of panic is a place of learning as the person's feelings of anxiety or discomfort force them to adapt, try new things, and ultimately learn.

The first image in the video is titled Swimming and represents a collective sense of comfort relative to the idea of swimming. In this image all the dots were placed within the centeral circle. With each new scenario a separate image was created including the final image entitled, Swimming in the Ocean Offshore in the Middle of the Night When Something Mysteriously Bumps Your Leg. It represents a collective sense of fear and panic relative to swimming in the ocean offshore in the middle of the night with mysterious leg bumpings.

The entire series of images was put on exhibit for individuals to interpret, or in adventure terms, process the experience. Like anything in contemporary art, we can simply look upon the image and see nothing more than a playful arrangement of colorful dots, or with greater effort, seek to understand its meaning. I think that's true for the adventure field too. With that I return to my previous question, how do you use what you're passionate about to inform your work?

FEAR: Good, Bad or Ugly?

2011-02-22T20:44:44Z

Part 1: A Prelude to the Amygdala
Several years ago I had a neurologist as a chaperone for participants in a challenge course experience I was facilitating. He and I talked at length about the experience and he started to share with me in simple terms how the body and mind processes fear. I was fascinated. As he described the process of our brains "hijacking" our bodies until the brain decides if we really should be scared, I immediately saw direct connections between the ways we facilitate challenge course experiences and what was happening inside the brain and body of our participants. I had to know more.

]]> Since then, I have stumbled upon numerous websites and articles on the subject that I will share with you at the end of this series but, in short, I discovered that humans are hard wired for fight or flight response. That was a term I had heard but I don't think I ever fully understood its meaning. Simply put, when we sense things in our daily life, our brain (specifically the Amygdala) is constantly scanning for danger. When we are faced with a potentially scary or dangerous experience, the Amygdala hijacks the body, preparing us to either fight or flee(in primitive terms).

On the challenge course, when participants start to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, the Amygdala is on watch. If the situation escalates beyond a challenge into something more emotionally volatile in the mind of the participant, they get hijacked. I would guess that on the challenge course it does not happen all at once but incrementally in small little battles of the mind that build over time. If the participant and facilitator ignore the signs, the end result could be someone frozen in fear atop of a zip platform or pamper pole.

After reading hundreds of pages of material I began to formulate a bit of a hypothesis. Nothing earth shattering but I felt like I was stumbling upon actual scientific proof that proper sequencing and program design was essential to the success of our challenge course participants. If we expose participants to an ideal program design and guide them through a process where their team and facilitator supports them fully, we could have them climb to that point of challenge, to stand in the face of fear and succeed, whatever success means for that individual participant. This ultimately is what has gotten me interested in learning about the psychological and physiological underpinnings of fear. This is what has born this three part series on fear as it relates to adventure education through my eyes.

In Part 2: Hijacking the Amygdala, I will attempt to help you understand fear. How our minds and bodies process fear. I have read a lot about this subject and I don't pretend to understand it all. I am not a neurologist or a psychologist, nor do I have a science-based degree (though my diploma does read Bachelors of Science) but I hope my recreation degree can translate this information in a way that is understandable and entertaining to a degree. At the very least, I hope I can help you understand its relevance as an adventure educator.

In Part 3:Taming the Amygdala, I will talk about how we can begin to recognize the signs of fear in our participants and how we can be better equipped to react based upon a deeper understanding of what is happening to participants as they step out of there comfort zones and tread that fine line between challenge and panic.

I want to leave you with this quote from Dr. Relly Nadler of True North Leadership, Inc. "The power of emotions overwhelms rationality. That is why when we are emotionally upset or stressed we can't think straight." When we are scared, we can't access parts of our brain or memory. Think about that next time you have someone shaking on the end of your belay rope.

ACCT 2011: Little Bag of wonder

2011-02-22T20:25:24Z

The ACCT conference in Minneapolis, MN was a great time. Ryan and I had the honor of leading an activity workshop in which all the props came from a bag not much bigger than activity book itself. About 50 people came to have fun with us. We were able to showcase our new processing/activity cards. There will be more information on those soon enough.

Click on the link below for the pdf handout for the workshop:
ACCT 2011.pdf