I think I'm a pretty "prepared" person. I've thought about the more likely big and little emergencies for my own situation, tried to cover myself gearwise and trainining-wise (like first aid) and mentally rehearse some lists of things to do in given situations. However, through experiencing some "smaller" quickly unfolding emergencies over the past year, I have been disappointed with myself that in these actual situations, I tended to focus on the present moment and completely forgot about thinking about what the next step and the step after that might/should be. I suppose it's related to the "tunnel vision" effect when under extreme stress.

Any advice on training yourself to remain forward thinking when the adrenalin is pumping, particularly when the details of the situation don't fit any of your mentally rehearsed responses? There are an infinite number of possible situations when "thinking quickly on your feet" could be vital, but you couldn't possibly prepare for even a fraction of them ahead of time. That's why I'd like to improve my ability to think proactively, regardless of the details of the situation.

I agree with nighthiker. My experience with emergencies is mostly with medical/first-aid, so take about 10 seconds, put on your gloves, look around you and calm down before anything.

And keep training and imagining scenarios like you already do, but also try to find at least 2 different solutions for a situation. This is good training and can get quite funny

Yep, pretty much the "Dirty Dozen" drill, based on how in the movie they had to talk through their attack plan. Then the Major alters one condition and they have to respond. Which is better, to memorize the plan or to be simply familiar with it and ready to adapt to change?

I liken the mindset difference to regular chess and speed chess. In regular chess, the opponents can study the board and determine every series of moves to their outcomes, then decide which move will lead to a set of most favorable outcome possibilities. This is the way computers are programmed for the game. In speed chess, you can't think through all the different move sequences like that, so you have to develop pattern recognition and strategic tendencies and use those "tells" in your favor. Being an advocate of Chaos Theory, I have little faith in pure chance. The reason is there are always subtle influences that tip the odds one way or another. It is almost intuitive how our minds can perceive and process these little influences if we learn to trust our instincts.

In any case, I think you've just got to practice by incorporating that intuitive process into your life more. Become a keen observer for one, then try and see what is coming, even in mundane situations. Pretty soon you will be thinking like that all the time, and then when critical moments pop up you can be a bit more prepared to think your way through the process.

Practice Practice Practice.....

Thats the only way to be prepared, although you will not be able to predict every situation that might arise if you have prepared mentally and physically your muscle memory will kick like previously stated.

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone. Benjammin, I was thinking that the answer would probably be what you suggested. When you're faced with a situation where you don't have some loose framework to guide your priorities and actions (like the ABC's, using the first aid metaphor) or a specific procedure in mind (like splinting a forearm fracture), and you're faced with a novel situation or set of circumstances where you don't already know what the "right" course of action should be, that's something difficult to try and mentally prepare for.

I'll have to figure out some kind of mental game to get me trained to be mindful of trying to think of a next step because just trying to regularly think of random things that could theoretically happen while I'm going about my life is rather difficult. I'll probably need to key off some action that I observe, then do the what-if? kind of game.

I think I do that already driving, but the possibilities are mostly just driving related possibilities--"What if that car on the corner pulls out suddenly in front of me? That car in the lane next to mine up ahead seems to be weaving a bit--maybe DUI or maybe just distracted so maybe I should move over another lane. The light is changing and that car approaching from the side is still going awfully fast--better not go right when my light turns green because they might run the red." I'll need to try and broaden the situations where I actively do that kind of thinking.

Some people can handle stress well, some cannot. However, periods of stress can usually help us deal with it in the future. Someone who undergoes long periods of stress without a release and some relaxation may be doing themselves and their health no favors. However, some time periods of stress and being required to think under it, can, IMO, improve one's ability to act under stress.

Almost period of military indoctrination is all about something like this, be it boot camp, OCS, whatever. It puts those being indoctrinated under stress and requires them to think at the same time.

Drills are often induced activities designed to get someone used to acting and thinking, while under stress. That's practice.

One other thing I was taught to do when at sea was to train your mind to think about what if, what is something goes wrong, and to run through various scenarios in your head.

Practice is the best way to learn to deal with emergencies, with the exception of actually dealing with real ones on a regular basis. However most people don't really have the background or equipment to practice in a realistic manner, which can cause serious problems in the real situations. When I was a self-defense instructor one of the things I taught my students to do is continually play the “what if” game. Take a situation that you see and ask your self what if. What if while reading this post the power goes out what would you do? What would you do is your family is not there with you? What would you do if when you turn the battery powered radio on there is nothing but static? If you are confronted with a threat or emergency ask your self what will I do to counter this, then immediately ask what will happen when I do this, and how will I react. When your sitting at your desk playing the “what if” game more than one option is a great ay to explore your reactions and feelings as they pertain to what is going on. Once you are in the situation do what you planned in your mind and react to the situation as required. Deal with the situation and then sit back (After some time) and see how you could have done better. Do not second-guess you actions that you took while in the heat of the moment (and don’t pay attention to the finger pointers) they are based on limited information available at the time. After a time integrate the situation and the results into you’re “what if” scenarios

Train, practice and test. Equipped is good, but knowing what to do is everything

teacher

Chess and go both teach you to think ahead like that, othello, checkers and other strategy games to less extent. Then take that, and run through what can happen. "Roleplaying", "sandtable exercise", whatever you want to call it, it is all "what if". If X happens, the likely outcomes are Xa, Xb, Xc... Xn. What are the likely outcomes of those. Work out what variations there might be. Then take problem Y.

Sounds like a pain in the butt. But once you start it, it turns into habit. For example, you don't think about all the things that can go wrong in a building, just that most of them involve getting out, so before long you are looking for conventional and unconventional ways out of every room as you walk in and drawing a map in your head back to the front door and to all the various exits.

*shrugs* At least that's how it works for me. My head is like a filing cabinet full of folders within folders, right down to "are the hostile alien invaders using directed energy weapons or kinetic energy weapons for their personal arms?" *grins*

Reading through some more responses, I'm starting to think that there are two distinct responses that need to be developed: a) Thinking ahead, and b) Being able to function under stress. In this case, the combination is much more powerful than the individual parts.

Actually, when it comes to dealing with novel situations that you've never particularly prepared for, I guess maybe a third element--thinking creatively or "laterally"--could be a third skill necessary to do well in the kind of situation I'm describing. I suppose that this is where "What if?" practice comes into play. We all have information, which is generally learned within a certain context. To be able to quickly take that information and mentally utilize it in a novel situation isn't something that necessarily comes naturally, I think. That's why it could help to regularly think of new situations and then consider the best way to respond to each, which is something above and beyond just mentally rehearsing set responses.

For example, maybe you've regularly thought about what to do if you're confronted by an attacking bear while on the trail or while sleeping in your tent. You've planned for it and mentally rehearse your reponse. But when the attack really happens, you're taking a shower at some campground and you're mentally paralyzed because you've never considered that particular possibility before. Maybe your reponses have always depended on having a weapon but you have none with you. Or you've always considered the best way to escape, except this shower has you boxed in. Your set responses don't fit this situation.