Vendée Globe

You are propelled forward, powerless to fight against the force. Your wet finger tips slip and cannot grip. Too fast, too powerful, it is all too much. You have a clear vision of what is happening, as if you are watching a film in slow motion.You understand the danger and anticipate the shock. In a rapid movement, the body leaps to life, preparing itself, tensing up, all in a few seconds - reflex actions.
 

The shock
The body seems to explode. Thousands of stars seem to burst and pierce you. A silent cry goes out. A deafening paralysis. In this big-bang where the body is ripped apart, the pain is still far off, somewhere outside of you, and you feel like you are floating, leaving behind your body, and looking down on it calmly, as if you were a mere spectator. But then, neuron after neuron the pain appears, works its way inside, grips you and overwhelms you. A primal scream that seems to come from within, a raucous shout, which hurts so much, a cry for life, a cry to drive out the first stabs of pain.

Survival mode
The body switches to semi conscious mode, and the automatic reactions will surprise you, when you think back. The power of life itself is in these instant reactions, that consciousness and feelings can only shut off. First the pain is turned off to stop it paralysing the body. Thanks to endorphins, a natural morphine secreted in minute doses within the pain compartment of the brain, the pain simply turns to numbness, a burning sensation that is much easier to stand. Then, there is the need to act to move away from the danger. In the core of the brain, the hypothalamus, the survival, alarm and defence organ, triggers the appropriate neurological processes and sets off a chain reaction of secretion of substances like catecholamines. Instantly, the pulse and breathing accelerate, the blood is concentrated in the vital organs, and the spleen empties. The sugars in the liver come into play. Boosted by the excess oxygen and energy from the glucose in the blood, the brain switches to supercharged mode to enable it to take the required decisions without the need for thought processes and consciousness.

No standing up
In spite of not seeing anything and not really feeling anything, information about the injury appears to be integrated into the subconscious. You can look at this inert limb with detachment, as if it was nothing to do with your body. You know you can no longer count on it, so it has to be forgotten and dragged along by you, like an animal dragging an injured paw, which he is unaware of.

Quick responses to protect yourself

Sliding along, crawling with your arms on a deck that is rolling around avoiding all the obstacles that normally you would simply step over. Now they are hurdles that have to be overcome. Your mind is fixed on one goal, getting back inside to shelter in your hide, in that cabin, which seems so far away all of a sudden.
It is good to cry and scream. Shouting at your pain, your anguish, your solitude, as you are so far away from human comfort, in the most hostile place on earth. But you are not giving in to these negative thoughts. Get over it and stop thinking such dark thoughts. You need to tell yourself "Go on, Do it, You have to, You must..." You need to hear that voice to persuade yourself, to swear at the pain, to talk to yourself as if you are your double telling yourself what to do. There is the idea of a guardian angel in this dual character, who is free to act and watches over you as you suffer.

Back in the cockpit

Now. Immediately. Apprehension. No time for thinking. Just go, because you have to, because you do not have any choice. You know deep down that the pain will return and sweep over you. You simply become a tense guardian, watching the door and waiting.
You turn over. This limb just falls heavily, as it is impossible to retain it. The shockwave is unbearable. Without the endorphins which mask the pain until it is anaesthetised, without these stress hormones taking over your thought processes and without this incredible urge to live, the human body would simply not have the strength.

Through the doorway to the cabin, pushing and pulling this body, which suddenly feels so heavy and clumsy. Into the bunk. Finally. Lift yourself up, lift up the leg in one final effort. Time to close your eyes and catch your breath and then drift away. And cry a flood of tears, because you have managed it, cry because you know you have saved your life, cry to release the tension, which has taken over your whole body. Slowly, the exhausted brain has had enough and the pain that was blotted out, suddenly explodes again.
Now you can deal with it, even if it is so hard to stand. Pain is life. In your bunk that you had been looking forward to, you can call for help. In the solitude of your cabin, you are no longer so alone. You will need to hold on, but after such a huge effort, you know you can do it and your body never doubted that for once. Too often, pain creates anxiety and the anxiety increases the pain, paralysing you and introducing doubts.

Even if regularly facing dangerous situations helps you to react more efficiently, this story is a marvellous example of optimism and positive energy overcoming adversity and going beyond the limits you could have imagined. Therefore, in situations that may appear to be desperate, the most important thing is believing, trusting and knowing that you can do anything. Even the most incredible feats in order to survive.

Dr Jean-Yves Chauve
 

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