Wilderness Drum > Wilderness Writings > Peacemaking

Wilderness Peacemaking
Steve Beyer

Introduction
The Peacemaking Perspective
Sacred Gifts
The Role of Stress
Controlling Your Own Stress
Preventing Loss of Control
The Ways We Communicate
Nonthreatening Approach
The Stress Trajectory
Appropriate Responses
Signs of Distress
Verbal Aggression
Physical Attack
Collapse and Reintegration
Conclusion
References

The Stress Trajectory

Critical to wilderness peacemaking is the recognition, first, that a stress reaction develops through a predictable trajectory; second, that there are appropriate ways to respond at each point in the trajectory; and, third, that recognition and appropriate response at an early point can help prevent the behavior from becoming increasingly disruptive or out of control. A number of names have been given to points along this trajectory – for example, calm, pre-assaultive, and assaultive-acute excitement (Distasio, 1994), and anxiety, disruptive behavior, and harmful behavior (Berman, Davis-Berman, & Gillen, 1998). The following is an outline of this trajectory and an appropriate attitude or response at each point. These will be discussed individually in greater detail later in this paper.

The first sign of an impending stress reaction is a noticeable change in behavior, either quantitative or qualitative. The most common maladaptive response to stress is undirected expenditure of energy – finger tapping, pacing, hand wringing, weeping. It is important to recognize, however, that behavior change is relative to usual behavior: someone normally gregarious may become silent and withdrawn when having difficulty handling stress. The appropriate response to these signs of distress is empathetic, nonjudgmental support. In the wilderness, such support can often take the form simply of providing accurate information.
The second point in the trajectory is verbal aggression, marking an increasing loss of rationality and self-control. The person becomes verbally belligerent, challenges leadership, and subverts rational group decisionmaking processes. The appropriate response is to set limits, provide clear direction, avoid a power struggle, and avoid resolution of the situation by physical intimidation.
At the third point in the trajectory, the person becomes assaultive and violent, marking a virtually complete loss of self-control. The passage along the stress trajectory is from verbal aggression to physical attack. The out-of-control person can be physically dangerous to self or others. The appropriate response is get out of the way, and to utilize physical control and restraint only to prevent physical harm to the attacker, the peacemaker, and bystanders, and only until the out-of-control person can regain control of his or her behavior.
The end of the crisis trajectory is a collapse – the sudden decrease in physical and emotional energy that occurs after a person has lost control and is beginning to regain rationality. The person has passed through a crisis, and comes crashing down from the peak of energy output; the person may be withdrawn, confused, remorseful, apologetic, worried about consequences, vulnerable. For the peacemaker, the appropriate response is to reestablish communication, reassure the person that no one will hurt him, explain what is going on, offer to talk, and encourage rational responses; for the wilderness peacemaker, this includes welcoming the person who has passed through crisis back to the group.

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