Fear is pragmaticĪside from being a source of rapid information relay, fear has the pragmatic function of integrating senses, thoughts and actions, so that dangers can be addressed immediately.įear is a force which demands a sharpened focus of attention toward the source of danger in preparation for action, such as escaping.įear is a reliable messenger between the senses and the cognitive faculties.

The intuitive bodily movements that occur in response to danger are partly what affords an extraordinarily rapid response when there is perhaps only a fraction of a second available to mitigate or avoid catastrophic danger. Intuition, like any other sense, triggers bodily responses to fear before clear factual data is brought into cognitive awareness. This can be felt through the body, where a response and systematic preparation for action originate before the intellect has a chance to ascertain the source of the danger and its various attributes such as immediacy, degree or complexity. This does not come from a mindset whereby one is in competition with nature, but from being attuned to nature.Īn important function of intuition is to detect danger. ( Supplied: SBS)Įssentially, knowing when a venture would be too dangerous to attempt or continue, requires deep self knowledge about one's strengths and limitations as well as extensive experiential knowledge of the environment. She says the bush is where she feels at home. For example, contestants in the show voiced concerns about embedding an axe in a limb or being trapped by a large falling branch or being stuck in a deep muddy bog.Īlone contestant Gina is a rewilding facilitator and bushcraft teacher who lives off grid. While participants in Alone Australia do have a 'get out' plan, it is very easy for a serious accident to happen and for participants to be gripped by the fear of that likelihood. Participants doing similar extreme activities in nature have been most commonly explored from a negative perspective - for example, focusing on the 'need to take unnecessary risks', or the desire to prove themselves by battling against nature. The traditional notion is that people who look for extreme opportunities in nature either feel 'no fear' or have an inappropriate relationship to it.

The contestants have to overcome many obstacles: basic survival, isolation and loneliness and extreme fear. The contestants film themselves throughout the ordeal with the person who remains the longest in the wilderness winning $250,000. Why else would anyone choose to be uncomfortable, alone and without a supermarket for weeks?īased on the US reality TV show of the same name, participants are dropped off in remote Tasmania where they need to survive alone. From one perspective this seems like a foolish thing to do - participants must be crazy or fearless. Alone Australia follows individuals having an extreme adventure in wild Tasmania.

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