An excerpt from Extreme Survival:
“Over the years much research has been conducted into why it should be that some people can survive a life-threatening situation when other in the same situation are overwhelmed. Often it is not the strongest or those with the best equipment who make it, although these things undoubtedly make a big difference. Unequivocally, the same conclusion is always reached: the difference between living or dying lies in the mind. The power of mind, the resilience of the human spirit, an unshakable optimism and a mental readiness to handle the unexpected are vital in the ultimate survival situations.
“Naturally some people have these qualities in abundance, but not all. Happily there are skills that can be learned to help us achieve the necessary mental strength. Just as we can repeate movement, like the running action or biceps curl, to make our bodies physically fitter, so the same principle can also be applied to the mind. But as with getting our bodies fitter, we have to work at it and repeat the action to increase our performance.
“…The conclusion I have drawn from my experience…is that training the mind allows us to cope with situations that take us way beyond any mental or physical pain threshold we may have set ourselves, and that these mental skills, once learned, can be applied to all survival situations.
“…The two most important mental strength-building skills that can be developed can be summed up in two words – visualization and attitude.”
-Debra Searle