The Phenomenon of Auditory Exclusion

Many of you are already aware of the phenomenon known as ‘Auditory Exclusion’ (a.k.a. ‘Tunnel Hearing’). With the advent of many types of devices and headsets, developed to provide hearing protection, being introduced to the market for tactical law enforcement and military operators, we thought it was important to provide the details of this physical and mental manifestation for those unaware and/or considering some form of tactical hearing protection.

There have been multiple studies done, over the past 10–20 years, with regard to the effects of adrenaline on law enforcement and military operators under stress. The human physiological and psychological response to mortal danger -- the only situation in which one would be justified in using lethal force in self defense -- is well documented. Often called the ‘fight-or-flight’ reflex and accompanied by an enormous surge in adrenaline (a.k.a. epinephrine), the most powerful hormone in the body, the relevant effects include: cardiovascular (increased heart rate), respiratory (dilation of the bronchial passages permitting higher absorption of oxygen), nervous system (pupils dilate to allow more light to enter), release of glucose into the bloodstream, which generates extra energy by raising the blood sugar, visual exclusion (“tunnel vision”), Tachipsychia (misperception of the slower or faster passage of time) and auditory exclusion. Although these effects may be lessened by intensive training, their advent is independent of personal will. Fear is an automatic physical reaction to a perceived threat that results in predictable physical, emotional, perceptual and cognitive changes due to states of high physical arousal. For the sake of this discussion, we will concentrate on auditory exclusion.

According to Massad Ayoob, Director of the Lethal Force Institute in Concord, New Hampshire, auditory exclusion is the result of a primeval decision in the cortex of the brain that “there is only one thing that concerns us now, destroying or escaping the thing that is attempting to destroy us….the eyes still see and the ears still hear, but the cortex of the brain is screening out anything that is extraneous”. Tunnel hearing is a distortion the most common manifestation of which is diminished sound “which can range from total loss to sounds seemingly muffled and distant.”

Auditory exclusion can be described as a high-pitch ringing in your ears at a moment of crisis. Other sounds, like the sounds of gunfire, flash bangs and people screaming, seem to recede into background noise and only the high-pitch ring or tone seems in the forefront of sound. This is partially due to the epinephrine in your system dilating the blood vessels in and around the ears, making it physically more difficult to hear. Another reason for the hearing loss is mental. Cognitive dissonance prevents the mind from prioritizing sounds.

According to the author of What Happens to Nice Guys in Gunfights, “the problems experienced, because of the rise in adrenaline, come with two things that the mind does - (#1) it wants to focus on the threat and does this by narrowing the field of view to a small area (tunnel vision) and (#2) not hearing extraneous noise (tunnel hearing). As a result, two of our most important senses (sight and hearing) are compromised. Knowing to expect it, allows an operator to correct the mind for it. Because the field of view is narrowed and you may not be able to hear your opponent(s), move your eyes more. Make an effort to scan the area”.

As stated above, the activation and flooding of the body with adrenaline is automatic and virtually uncontrollable. It is a reflex triggered by a perception of a threat. Once initiated, adrenaline will dominate all voluntary and involuntary systems until the perceived threat has been eliminated or escaped, performance deteriorates, or the parasympathetic nervous system activates to reestablish homeostasis (proper body equilibrium or balance). This is especially common with police officers or soldiers moments before they make a tactical assault into a potential deadly force environment.

In a study done with police officers by Dr. Alexis Artwohl, author of Surviving Deadly Force Encounters, 84% experienced ‘diminished sound’ during stressful scenarios. She stated that the “eye, ear and other senses do not have a will of their own under stress, rather, they operate at the direction of the unconscious mind – a blink to an object coming at the eye is an instinctive reaction of the unconscious mind, while a directed weapon stare is a reaction of the conscious mind”.

She went on to say, “even in non-stress situations, when something catches our attention we begin to have ‘selective attention’. We focus on the object of our attention to the exclusion of other things. This process involves two steps. First we become ‘oriented’ toward the event – meaning that we shift our attention toward it and then we ‘focus’ on it or funnel our concentration on it – again to the exclusion of other things in the sensory environment”.

We have chosen to provide this information because we have seen an upswing in what we term the ‘marketing of fear’ to tactical operators by some companies and/or product representatives with regard to the needs of hearing protection. While we certainly agree the weapons of today can potentially cause harm to one’s hearing, it is also important to consider the effects of certain types of hearing protection devices on an operator’s ability to effectively carry out his mission. There is no arguing the fact all operators should wear adequate hearing protection at the gun range or during tactical training where loud, diversionary devices are used; however, we believe each operator should have a choice whether or not to implement hearing protection in potential deadly force environments. As numerous studies have shown, auditory exclusion is experienced by many tactical operators during real threat situations. Having the ability to effectively hear and accurately locate potential danger in one’s ambient environment, during an operation, can be crucial to personal and team safety.

There certainly can be a considerable difference between tactical law enforcement officers and military operators with regard to their exposure to potentially harmful sounds. The difference in the number of times a weapon is fired by a tactical law enforcement officer over his career when compared to that of a soldier engaged in war can be enormous. Continuous and long term exposure to potentially damaging sounds should be evaluated and addressed much differently than considerably less frequent events. All operators should subject themselves to at least yearly hearing tests as the phenomenon of auditory exclusion, according to studies to date, is not experienced by all individuals.

We simply believe, based upon interviews with operators with as many as twenty plus years of tactical experience, you should evaluate your past experience with regard to loud noise, under stress. Before deciding to place something in, on or over one or both of your ears, potentially lessening or eliminating your ability to maintain adequate and/or functional situational awareness, you should consider the findings of studies in your professions, re-visit your experiences in the past and evaluate the sensible options available to protect your hearing in crucial situations. We don’t believe you should have to succumb to placing yourself at a potential disadvantage with certain devices in instances where hearing protection is not necessary. Please take an additional few moments to read the link on this website titled “Tactical Hearing Protection Field Test Report”. You may be interested to find there are more alternatives available to you than what some might lead you to believe.

Resources Utilized In the Compilation of This Report:

Killology Research Group - Jonesboro, Arkansas

Violence Policy Center - Washington, DC

Massad Ayoob - Director of the Lethal Force Institute, Concord, New Hampshire

Guard Up, Incorporated – Burlington, Massachusetts

Article: Mental Preparedness and Self-Defense – Guns and Ammo Magazine 1993, Jim Grover, author

Article: Stress Reactions Related to Lethal Force Encounters – The Police Marksman 2002, Bill Lewinski, PH.D., author

Book: Surviving Deadly Force Encounters – Dr. Alexis Artwohl, author

Book: What Happens to Nice Guys in Gunfights – B. Braxton, author

Copyright 2005 Atlantic Signal, LLC


	‘The Phenomenon of Auditory Exclusion’ Many of you are already aware of the phenomenon known as ‘Auditory Exclusion’ (a.k.a. ‘Tunnel Hearing’). With the advent of many types of devices and headsets, developed to provide hearing protection, being introduced to the market for tactical law enforcement and military operators, we thought it was important to provide the details of this physical and mental manifestation for those unaware and/or considering some form of tactical hearing protection. There have been multiple studies done, over the past 10–20 years, with regard to the effects of adrenaline on law enforcement and military operators under stress. The human physiological and psychological response to mortal danger -- the only situation in which one would be justified in using lethal force in self defense -- is well documented. Often called the ‘fight-or-flight’ reflex and accompanied by an enormous surge in adrenaline (a.k.a. epinephrine), the most powerful hormone in the body, the relevant effects include: cardiovascular (increased heart rate), respiratory (dilation of the bronchial passages permitting higher absorption of oxygen), nervous system (pupils dilate to allow more light to enter), release of glucose into the bloodstream, which generates extra energy by raising the blood sugar, visual exclusion (“tunnel vision”), Tachipsychia (misperception of the slower or faster passage of time) and auditory exclusion. Although these effects may be lessened by intensive training, their advent is independent of personal will. Fear is an automatic physical reaction to a perceived threat that results in predictable physical, emotional, perceptual and cognitive changes due to states of high physical arousal. For the sake of this discussion, we will concentrate on auditory exclusion. According to Massad Ayoob, Director of the Lethal Force Institute in Concord, New Hampshire, auditory exclusion is the result of a primeval decision in the cortex of the brain that “there is only one thing that concerns us now, destroying or escaping the thing that is attempting to destroy us….the eyes still see and the ears still hear, but the cortex of the brain is screening out anything that is extraneous”. Tunnel hearing is a distortion the most common manifestation of which is diminished sound “which can range from total loss to sounds seemingly muffled and distant.” Auditory exclusion can be described as a high-pitch ringing in your ears at a moment of crisis. Other sounds, like the sounds of gunfire, flash bangs and people screaming, seem to recede into background noise and only the high-pitch ring or tone seems in the forefront of sound. This is partially due to the epinephrine in your system dilating the blood vessels in and around the ears, making it physically more difficult to hear. Another reason for the hearing loss is mental. Cognitive dissonance prevents the mind from prioritizing sounds. According to the author of What Happens to Nice Guys in Gunfights, “the problems experienced, because of the rise in adrenaline, come with two things that the mind does - (#1) it wants to focus on the threat and does this by narrowing the field of view to a small area (tunnel vision) and (#2) not hearing extraneous noise (tunnel hearing). As a result, two of our most important senses (sight and hearing) are compromised. Knowing to expect it, allows an operator to correct the mind for it. Because the field of view is narrowed and you may not be able to hear your opponent(s), move your eyes more. Make an effort to scan the area”. As stated above, the activation and flooding of the body with adrenaline is automatic and virtually uncontrollable. It is a reflex triggered by a perception of a threat. Once initiated, adrenaline will dominate all voluntary and involuntary systems until the perceived threat has been eliminated or escaped, performance deteriorates, or the parasympathetic nervous system activates to reestablish homeostasis (proper body equilibrium or balance). This is especially common with police officers or soldiers moments before they make a tactical assault into a potential deadly force environment. In a study done with police officers by Dr. Alexis Artwohl, author of Surviving Deadly Force Encounters, 84% experienced ‘diminished sound’ during stressful scenarios. She stated that the “eye, ear and other senses do not have a will of their own under stress, rather, they operate at the direction of the unconscious mind – a blink to an object coming at the eye is an instinctive reaction of the unconscious mind, while a directed weapon stare is a reaction of the conscious mind”. She went on to say, “even in non-stress situations, when something catches our attention we begin to have ‘selective attention’. We focus on the object of our attention to the exclusion of other things. This process involves two steps. First we become ‘oriented’ toward the event – meaning that we shift our attention toward it and then we ‘focus’ on it or funnel our concentration on it – again to the exclusion of other things in the sensory environment”. We have chosen to provide this information because we have seen an upswing in what we term the ‘marketing of fear’ to tactical operators by some companies and/or product representatives with regard to the needs of hearing protection. While we certainly agree the weapons of today can potentially cause harm to one’s hearing, it is also important to consider the effects of certain types of hearing protection devices on an operator’s ability to effectively carry out his mission. There is no arguing the fact all operators should wear adequate hearing protection at the gun range or during tactical training where loud, diversionary devices are used; however, we believe each operator should have a choice whether or not to implement hearing protection in potential deadly force environments. As numerous studies have shown, auditory exclusion is experienced by many tactical operators during real threat situations. Having the ability to effectively hear and accurately locate potential danger in one’s ambient environment, during an operation, can be crucial to personal and team safety. There certainly can be a considerable difference between tactical law enforcement officers and military operators with regard to their exposure to potentially harmful sounds. The difference in the number of times a weapon is fired by a tactical law enforcement officer over his career when compared to that of a soldier engaged in war can be enormous. Continuous and long term exposure to potentially damaging sounds should be evaluated and addressed much differently than considerably less frequent events. All operators should subject themselves to at least yearly hearing tests as the phenomenon of auditory exclusion, according to studies to date, is not experienced by all individuals. We simply believe, based upon interviews with operators with as many as twenty plus years of tactical experience, you should evaluate your past experience with regard to loud noise, under stress. Before deciding to place something in, on or over one or both of your ears, potentially lessening or eliminating your ability to maintain adequate and/or functional situational awareness, you should consider the findings of studies in your professions, re-visit your experiences in the past and evaluate the sensible options available to protect your hearing in crucial situations. We don’t believe you should have to succumb to placing yourself at a potential disadvantage with certain devices in instances where hearing protection is not necessary. Please take an additional few moments to read the link on this website titled “Tactical Hearing Protection Field Test Report”. You may be interested to find there are more alternatives available to you than what some might lead you to believe. Resources Utilized In the Compilation of This Report: Killology Research Group - Jonesboro, Arkansas Violence Policy Center - Washington, DC Massad Ayoob - Director of the Lethal Force Institute, Concord, New Hampshire Guard Up, Incorporated – Burlington, Massachusetts Article: Mental Preparedness and Self-Defense – Guns and Ammo Magazine 1993, Jim Grover, author Article: Stress Reactions Related to Lethal Force Encounters – The Police Marksman 2002, Bill Lewinski, PH.D., author Book: Surviving Deadly Force Encounters – Dr. Alexis Artwohl, author Book: What Happens to Nice Guys in Gunfights – B. Braxton, author Copyright 2005 Atlantic Signal, LLC