Spiritual Minded Military Indiana Army Reserve: Why Reservists Can't Shut Off Their Battle Mind — The Civilian Stand-Down Protocol
You're shopping at the supermarket. You hear a squeaking sound from a cart trailing you. Your shoulders tighten. You scan the aisle. Count exits. You observe a man reaching up to the next shelf.
You're at your daughter's soccer match. A helicopter is flying overhead. Your eyes track it. Your body tenses. Your hand stretches out and is extended toward a rifle, but the rifle is not there.
You're sitting on your own couch. Your wife or husband touches your shoulder. Turn and make fists, your heart thumping. There is no threat. Your body is not aware of that.
The war ended. The deployment ended. The drill weekend was over. Your battle mind did not end.
You are not broken. Your brain is still on alert. The Civilian Stand-Down Protocol is the way you train them to stand down.
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in You." — Isaiah 26:3
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WHY YOUR BATTLE MIND WON'T SHUT OFF
You have an alarm system in your brain. The amygdala alerts the system of danger. During a fight, that warning saved your life. In civilian life, that alarm goes on and on.
There are three things that keep your battle mind going.
First of all, you have an overactive amygdala. Your brain has been trained to look for threats everywhere due to trauma. A backfire from a car is not a mortar. That's what your brain perceives it as.
Second, you maintain your cortisol levels. The hormone that is released during stress is cortisol. It should drop if you are safe. Yours does not fall. You're on chemical alert.
Third, your body will remember what your mind wants to forget. The memory of combat is stored in your muscles. In your breath. In your tight jaw! Your body doesn't know the war's coming to an end.
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THE INDIANA RESERVE CONTEXT
Camp Atterbury is south of Indianapolis. It is close to Muscatatuck Urban Training Center. Indiana Reservists practice in situations that mimic combat. Urban warfare. Convoy operations. IED recognition.
The training is realistic and practical. Training is required. The training makes you feel like there are threats everywhere!
The training continues to follow you out of Camp Atterbury. Your brain is not aware of the fact that there is no real war. Your brain assumes it's Indiana cornfields and not Afghanistan.
The enemy takes advantage of your training. Your retraining is the Civilian Stand-Down Protocol.
WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS TO STAND DOWN
You are not your enemy. Your body is trying to protect YOU! It's not your body. But your body doesn't have the "stand down" signal.
Order your body.
Spiritual Anxiety Formula is necessary for your body to decrease the cortisol level and calm the alarm. The body requires cellular hydration for its mineral replenishment and to combat physical stress. Deep breathing is a way for your body to communicate "safe" to the nervous system. Sleep is important for your body to repair the brain and process memories. Exercise is important for a body to dissipate adrenaline.
Words cannot be heard by your body. Your body is a hearing machine. The protocol is what you do.
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WHAT YOUR BATTLE MIND LOOKS LIKE IN CIVILIAN LIFE
Your battle mind manifests in certain ways. Track them.
In the supermarket. You scan all the individuals. You record all the ways out. You have a view of the door. You cannot relax.
At family gatherings. You are seated facing away from the wall. No drinking due to the need to remain alert. Early departure due to the noise.
At work. You take everything you say as criticism. You are hypersensitive to criticism. Looks for danger in emails. You have the feeling that your boss is your enemy. You are not your boss's enemy. In your mind, he's your battle mind.
At home. Locks are checked 3 times. You are startled by all sounds. Sleep side by side with the door.
You won't even know your battle mind saved you. You're losing out on energy from your battle mind.
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THE CIVILIAN STAND-DOWN PROTOCOL
There are 5 steps in the protocol. Carry them out sequentially.
1. Name the state
There is no combat. You are shopping at the supermarket. You're at your daughter's game. You are seated on your sofa. Say the name of the place.
I'm at Kroger in Indianapolis; there's no threat. My brain is reacting to a memory.
The present is named, and the past is released.
2. Breathe
You are taking shallow breaths. You have quick, shallow breathing. Your body is communicating with your brain that there is danger.
The 4-7-8 breath. Inhale for 4 seconds. Hold for 7 seconds. Exhale for 8 seconds. Four cycles.
When you breathe slowly, you're telling your nervous system, "We are safe enough to breathe slowly.
3. Hydrate
The symptoms of dehydration are similar to those of anxiety. When you're dehydrated, your heart is beating like a crazy person. Dehydration helps to keep your battle mind alive.
Drink Cellular Hydrate – Electrolyte Formula. One scoop. Sixteen ounces of water is needed. The minerals help your nervous system relax.
4. Connect to the ground
Name 5 objects you can see. The wall. The window. The lamp. The floor. Your hand.
Identify four objects that you can touch. Your baseball jersey. The land you are standing on. The air you breathe is on your skin. The glass you are holding. The glass you are holding in your hand is empty.
Name 3 sounds. The refrigerator. The traffic. Your own breath.
The series will guide your mind back to the here and now.
5. Declare
State out loud: "The war has ended, I am safe, my body is healing, and my battle mind is learning to rest.
You need to speak the words into your brain. You have to be able to hear the words.
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WHAT TO EXPECT AS YOU STAND DOWN
Your battle mind will not turn off overnight. Be patient.
In week one, you notice your battle mind. You name it. You do not judge it. In week two, you start using the protocol. Some days it works. Some days it does not. In week three, the protocol works more often. You feel lighter. You sleep better. In week four, your battle mind is quieter. You still scan. You still startle.
The edge is duller. By month three, you forget to scan. You sit with your back to the door. You do not realize it until later. By month six, your battle mind is a tool, not a master. You can turn it on when you need it. You can turn it off when you do not.
The progress is slow. The progress is real. The protocol works.
THE MUSCATATUCK TRAINING CENTER
Muscatatuck Urban Training Center is a fake city built for real training. Reservists train in urban combat there. The buildings are real. The scenarios are real. The stress is real.
Muscatatuck taught you to see threats in every window. Muscatatuck did not teach you to stop seeing threats.
Your brain generalized the training. If every window in Muscatatuck could have a threat, every window anywhere could have a threat. The generalization keeps you safe in training. The generalization exhausts you at home.
The Civilian Stand-Down Protocol teaches your brain to discriminate. This window is training. That window is your neighbor's house.
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Conclusion
Indiana Army Reserve, you asked, "Why can't I shut off my battle mind?"
The answer is training. Your brain was trained to see threats. Your brain was not trained to stand down.
The Civilian Stand-Down Protocol is the training you never received. Name the state. Breathe. Hydrate. Ground yourself. Declare.
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The war ended. Your battle mind can rest. The protocol is how. This is the Spiritual Minded Military-Civilian Stand-Down Protocol for the Indiana Army Reserve. Your battle mind kept you alive. Now let it rest. Fall in.
The Remnant does not transition. The Remnant re-enlists.
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