THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SURVIVAL

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SURVIVAL

In the face of adversity, the human spirit has demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout history. Whether surviving natural disasters, enduring life-threatening situations, or overcoming challenging circumstances, the psychological mechanisms that drive us to endure, adapt, and thrive are key.

THE WILL TO LIVE

At the core of the psychology of survival lies the primal instinct – the will to live. When confronted with life-threatening situations, our survival instinct kicks in, activating a cascade of psychological responses. The fight or flight response, driven by the release of stress hormones like adrenaline, prepares us to confront or escape from danger. This innate drive to preserve our own lives and protect those we care about is a powerful motivator that propels us forward.

SENSE OF PURPOSE

A strong sense of purpose can be a driving force in survival situations. Having a clear goal or mission gives individuals a reason to persevere and fuels determination. Whether it is reuniting with loved ones, protecting others, or simply surviving to tell their story, a sense of purpose provides a guiding light in the darkest of times. It helps individuals find meaning in their struggle and ignites a tenacious spirit.

MENTAL RESILIANCE

Survival often demands mental resilience – a mindset that allows us to adapt to adversity and find inner strength amidst chaos. The ability to maintain a positive mental outlook, persevere in the face of obstacles, and embrace a growth mindset plays a vital role in survival situations. Resilient individuals tend to exhibit traits such as optimism, adaptability, perseverance, and the ability to find meaning even in the most challenging circumstances.

ADAPTABILITY

Survival often demands adaptability by providing problems to solve under extreme pressure. Flexible thinking, quick decision-making, and resourcefulness are key and having good knowledge and practiced skills goes a long way. Successful survivors are often those who can assess the situation, identify available resources, and find innovative ways to address challenges. They embrace a solution-oriented mindset and are open to trying new approaches.

EMOTIONAL REGULATION

During survival situations, emotions can run high and it is important to manage and channel emotions effectively to make rational decisions. It is crucial to strike a balance between acknowledging and processing emotions while preventing them from overwhelming our ability to think clearly. Emotional intelligence and self-awareness are in survival scenarios.

Alone in the wilderness, surviving in the forest.

When faced with life-threatening situations there is immense power within us to endure, adapt, and triumph over adversity. Understanding the psychological mechanisms at play is no doubt important.  Combined with knowledge and understanding of the environment we find ourselves in and some practised skills is a solid foundation for success.

Ultimately, survival psychology reminds us that even in the most challenging circumstances, the human spirit is capable of extraordinary feats.

PYROTECHNOLOGY

PYROTECHNOLOGY

This fire lighting survival course is all about exploring pyrotechnology. It is glorious and we’ll teach you how to prepare, create and use it as our ancestors would have. We’ll look at the history and importance of fire, explore ignition sources and tinder’s both artificial and natural.  You will become proficient in knowing which resources to use, how to harvest and process them and be able to create fire in all conditions.

This session is for anyone aged 14+ and all participants 14-18 will need to be accompanied by a ticket holding adult.

This event is inclusive of all experience and abilities.

There will be fire (a lot of it!) and warm drinks.  We’ll spend a few hours in a stunning wild place, learning wilderness survival skills at a leisurely pace.

ITINERARY
  • 0945 – Welcome
  • 1000 – Overview
  • 1015 –  History of fire
  • 1030 – Cutting tool safety
  • 1100 –  Tinder and Ignition
  • 1130 – Tree ID & Forage
  • 1200 – Lunch
  • 1230 – Fuel prep
  • 1300 – Fire lays
  • 1330 – Friction fire lighting
  • 1430 – Char
  • 1500 – Close

WILD CRAFTS WEEKEND

WILD CRAFTS WEEKEND

This course combines wild crafts with wilderness living for a truly brilliant experience.

The aim of this course is to provide participants with sufficient knowledge of the woodland environment to identify harvest and process raw materials for crafting purposes.

There is no previous experience necessary for you to take part, we’ll introduce you to or help you hone the required skills giving you the best chance for success in the various projects we will embark upon together.

There will be several sessions covering cordage and basic tool use, along with a number of crafting sessions where participants will use the materials they have harvested to make various tools, items and weapons.  Our focus is on using the right techniques with the right tools with the right materials for the right project.

Some personal kit and equipment is required and whilst this is not a catered for course we can provide advice and guidance on what sort of food to bring in order to sustain you for the weekend.

Don’t have a whole weekend available?  Don’t worry we’ve got you covered, just buy a day ticket and enjoy learning some new skills!

 

Friday: 1800 - 2100
  • Welcome
  • Course overview
  • Set up Camp
  • Safe tool use
  • Intro to Cordage
  • Food / Fire
Saturday: 0800 - 1200
  • Breakfast
  • Cutting techniques
  • Cordage Forage
  • Cordcraft
  • Tree & Plant ID
  • Lunch Prep
Saturday: 1300 - 1800

 

  • Weapon Demo
  • Weapon Materials Harvest
  • Weapon craft
  • Target practice
Saturday: 1800 - 2100
  • Meal Prep
  • Glues and Resins
  • Fire time
Sunday 0700 - 1200
  • Breakfast
  • Clear camp
  • Utensil Demo
  • Utensil Carving
  • Finishing and tweaking
  • Close

WEEKEND SURVIVAL COURSE

WEEKEND SURVIVAL COURSE

This is our next step in survival course and runs alongside our SURVIVE 24 course but is aimed at providing a the basics and then building in a more in-depth knowledge in a number of key areas.  Your second night will give you a real sense of surviving alone in the wilderness.

We’ll get you settled in the woodland with hot drinks and issue you with some kit and equipment for your stay.  Before setting up camp we’ll make sure you know how everything works and help you find a suitable location to bed down for the night, then you’ll prepare your first meal by the fire.

We can’t guarantee the weather (it’s Cornwall after all and we know that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only weather inappropriate clothing!) but we assure you that you’ll learn a heap of useful stuff and have a memorable experience.

This course is suitable for anyone aged 14 and over, Under 18s must be accompanied by a paying adult.

Please note – This course includes the preparation of animals for food. If this element is not for you please let us know, you’re welcome to participate in this course and sit this element out.

Friday: 1800 - 2100
  • Welcome
  • Kit and equipment overview
  • Set up Camp
  • Meal prep
  • Safe tool use
  • Fire time
Saturday: 0800 - 1200
  • Breakfast
  • Cutting techniques
  • Cordage
  • Lunch preparation
Saturday: 1300 - 1800
  • Basic Fire craft
  • Shelter constuction
Saturday: 1800 - 2100
  • Evening meal preparation
  • Fire time
Sunday 0700 - 1200
  • Breakfast
  • Clear camp
  • Friction fire-lighting
  • Species ID & Navigation
  • Close

Don’t have that much time? Check out our SURVIVE 24 course here!

BLUEBELLS – STICKING TOGETHER

BLUEBELLS – STICKING TOGETHER

IDENTIFICATION

In a couple of weeks the Bluebells will be out in force and here in Cornwall there are some great places to visit where you can bask in the majesty of their presence.

The native bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) are the epitome of the British woodland at this time of year and are a proctected species under the Wildlife and countryside act 1981.  This means that digging up the bulb and plant in the countryside is prohibited and landowners are not allowed to remove bluebells from their land to sell.

The Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica) was introduced to British gardens by the Victorians in the early 20th century and escaped into the countryside – this is not protected. Spanish bluebells are lighter in colour than their british counterparts and sometimes pink.  They have blue anthers not white, wider leaves and their structure is more upright with less droop and flowers emerging in all directions from the stem.

The Spanish bluebell can now be found alongside our native species in woodland and hedgerows. Unfortunately the Spanish and British bluebell hybridise easily which muddies the water a little.

The Hybrid bluebell (Hyacinthoides x massartiana) has characteristics of both the British and Spanish bluebell but the anthers are pale to dark blue and although they may droop to one side they generally have flowers arranged all around the stem.

So what does all this have to do with survival and bushcraft?  Ever since I watched Ray Mears controversially chew up a bluebell bulb in his BBC2 series “Bushcraft” I have been intrigued by natural glues.  There are a number of resources that can be prepared and processed to make glue but bluebells have a long history with a variety of applications.

 

APPLICATION

As Bluebells are poisonous their use as a glue for book-bindings not only held together extremely well but also allegedly deterred Silverfish, moths and other paper munching pests.  They have also been used to affix arrow fletchings since at least the 16th century but potentially much longer.

As I had an old arrow in need of repair I was keen to experiment!  Firstly, I should state that I gave myself permission to dig up some Spanish Bluebells from my own garden then, having washed the bulbs, I set to mashing them up into a paste.

They transformed instantly into a tacky paste and I applied them to my prepared arrow shaft before binding the fletchings with some rafia.

With the leftover ‘glue’ I wanted to experiment a little to see what stuff I could stick to other stuff and I set about trying to capture one of my children.  My eldest is now fairly quick and nimble, having recently been training for the school cross country so I turned my attention to the youngest one.  Unfortunately she has taken on a bit of a growth spurt of late and these longer limbs combined with still being small enough enough to climb through hedges and bramble thickets allowed her to evade me fairly easily also!

Eventually I settled with trying to adhere a lighter to the underside of a cherry branch and it stuck there for a good minute before finally falling off!

In conclusion the glue I produced was very easy to make and pretty effective despite not being a particularly fine paste.  The arrow fletchings were still firmly attached after a couple of shots with my wildlife bow and it has dried quite nicely.

If you want to experiment yourself with making natural glues from Bluebell bulbs please don’t go around the countryside digging them up without the permission of the landowner regardless of it’s type protected or otherwise.  If you have bluebells in your garden then please be sure to identify them correctly and only use the non-native varieties or visit a local garden centre and purchase them.

 

Godolphin House, Lanhydrock, Tehidy Country Park and Pencarrow are transformed into a shimmering carpet of blue throughout late April and May – well worth a visit!

Our site at Scorrier has a magnificent display of bluebells this time of year – why not visit us and see for yourself?

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