Whether you're speaking to yourself or to someone else on the trail, how you approach someone mentally and emotionally is at least as important as the medical expertise you have, according to Winnie Maggiore, former Asst. Chief of Placitas Volunteer Fire Brigade, paramedic, former Asst. D.A., and now a malpractice defense attorney.
"We saw the same things in the wilderness that we saw locally "snake bites, mountain bike wrecks, breaks, falls, cardiac conditions "but the injuries in the wilderness feel worse to the patient in that he's away from familiar surroundings. Most of what we had to do in rescues was anxiety management. The first step is to let the person know you have the expertise to help. This conviction allowed us to say ˜do this' in a way that motivated compliance.
The other major ingredient in dealing with crises on the trail, according to Maggiore, is giving people some sort of control over what is happening to them. "When we were just learning emergency medicine, we were given a course in hypnosis so it could be used in pain control, because it could be all we'd have to work with out there. The worst part for patients was being out of control so put them back in control as much as we could, gave them something positive to focus on. Panic is a patient's worst enemy.
People normally want to reassure with blanket statements, e.g., "you're fine. When this is obviously untrue, it's the sort of statement that breaks rapport. It's better to say, according to the experts, that the worst is over and you're there to help. Your caring presence is the cornerstone of the healing process. If you don't know what to say, say nothing and listen as you wait for help or do standard first aid. Your care can do more than you might imagine.
Mental survival "regardless of where a person is, whether that's in the extremes of battle or a backpacking expedition "is often a matter of recalling or being made aware of the resources one already has. As Lt. Costello learned the hard way, the mind is the greatest weapon of all.
