Panic – Maybe if you do, you shouldn’t

Many of the problems that start as problems grow to a mess and end up as a legal issue start when someone loses it. So many times I’ve seen people get into more and more trouble because they panic and they cannot stop the escalation on their own.

Once swimmer from another boat on a class IV whitewater rafting trip resisted efforts to be rescued. He was screaming for help but could not get control. I hit him with two throwbags (ropes), got paddles to him twice and finally got so close with the raft we ran over him. In all of those situations he could not grab anything. Eventually I got the boat to show, jumped in the water and did the old Boy Scout lifesaving moves.

Another time a customer from my boat fell out. He kept screaming for help as he bounced down the river. He bounced because his butt was scraping on the bottom. Finally a rafting bus driver reached down from the show and pulled him out of the river. The bus driver did not get his cowboy boots wet.

People who panic I call tiger meat. 1000 or more years ago they would have been eaten by a tiger or some other predator.

Panic attacks are similar and I found a great article that says you can overcome and control panic attacks. Panic Attacks: The Lowdown