“Like on the battlefield”: military psychologist Zakharov explained what to do in the event of a terrorist attack

The words of one of the girls, who escaped from the bullets of militants by pretending to be dead, spread across social networks… Is this method effective or is the girl just lucky, I ask our interlocutor.

“In this situation, there is no need to pretend to be dead – it will not save or help,” explains military psychologist and combat participant Alexey Zakharov. “When a firearm is fired, the bullet does not target people who are lying on the floor, and criminals do not take the time to make sure whether they have killed a person or not. They simply shoot at the area, at people.

There is an algorithm of actions on how to behave in difficult conditions, when there is an evacuation, when people are running around the premises, which works in almost all crisis situations. It consists of three main points that a person must keep in mind and immediately implement them.

The first thing he must do is to visually and by any other means determine the source of danger, to understand what it is. If it is a fire, then understand where its source is; if this is terrorism or military action, then determine by the noise of shots, by explosions, where they are shooting or exploding. This takes a few seconds.

The second thing he must do is decide on his position here and now, at the place where he is. Understand where he thinks the safest place is, as he imagines it. And thirdly, he must determine for himself how he can get to this safe place – crawling, running, on all fours, hiding behind some obstacles, alone, together, in a group…

When you implement this algorithm, your brain begins to work, your emotions go to the side, and panic recedes. And in any case, a person acts constructively.

Third. Having reached a safe place, then you again need to decide where, from the point of view of the new safe place, the source of danger is located. It is clear that while he reached this safe place, time passed, the position of the terrorists could change, they could move to another place. Therefore, it is necessary to re-determine where the source of danger comes from. And re-define a new safe place. Redefine the path and method of achieving it. And so on until he gets out of this situation.

This algorithm of behavior is valid in any crisis situations, including battle, man-made disaster, natural disaster. People are running around, they are in panic, and they are just running towards the source of danger. We need to stop them, say: stop, guys, don’t go there! Because people sometimes run without understanding where they are running, under the influence of emotions. And you can stop them and lead them to a safe place after you have decided on it. How shall we go? We either bend down, move, hiding behind natural obstacles, or, where necessary, crawl or run quickly in some areas. To drag someone along if someone is hurt.

This is the only algorithm and it works 100 percent. When you implement it, you don’t waste time looking for the right solution, you find it right away. All military people at war, the same special forces, act the same way. When our guys are at war and they have to go on the attack, they clearly understand where the source of danger or the enemy is for them. And they clearly understand that they will not just run across the field – they will find safe places for themselves from which they will act. They will move by crawling, running, and rolling.

According to a military psychologist, the most important thing here is not to doubt whether you have identified a safe place correctly or incorrectly. I did it as I defined it, because these are things that are difficult to quickly analyze.

Alexey Zakharov also touched upon the influence of the experience of a terrorist attack on the human psyche.

– There is a clear indicator that determines that a person has run out of resources – both physical and psychological. This is when we begin to persuade ourselves: “I’m strong, I can handle it.” When we ourselves, even when no one asks us about it, try to convince ourselves of this, this is an indicator that the resource has run out. Because it is difficult for a person to admit to himself that he cannot cope.

When a hot period passes, or rather, not a hot period, but a “feverish” one – such a fever of internal state, a person believes that everything is saved, he has catharsis, he has relief, tears, he feels that he is alive, and is glad that everything is great, everything is good. But then, when he is left alone with himself, when this fever subsides, this stress trauma returns to him. He begins to think, did he do everything right? He remembers people who passed away before his eyes. And this is a very difficult, scary moment, such memories… Therefore, after this fever passes, he still needs to see a psychologist.

Our interlocutor especially emphasized that in this situation it is very important for a person not to be left alone with himself, under no circumstances! We must try to be close to others. Show concern for others. And by caring for another person, you help yourself. “We control the situation of the person we care about. We look at him, determine how much he has suffered, think what needs to be said to him, and so on. And at this moment our emotional range is sublime, high and positive. In this way, we remove the traumatic system from our body,” explained the psychologist.

Reanimatologist, State Scientific Center FMBC named after A.I. Burnazyan Alexey Starkov, in turn, recalled how you can help the affected people during a terrorist attack:

– If we abstract from the monstrous emotional component of a terrorist act, I can suggest the most likely conditions and injuries that threaten the lives of the victims: bleeding; respiratory arrest due to retraction of the tongue, crowding in the crowd, poisoning by combustion products. The most important, life-saving first aid measures in such a situation are: ensuring one’s own safety, stopping severe external bleeding, turning unconscious victims into a stable lateral position, carrying out resuscitation measures for victims with signs of respiratory arrest.