What we can all learn from the Thai coach lost in a cave
HollYWood producers and A-list actors are battling to acquire the film rights to the story of the rescue of 12 young Thai boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded underground cave system.
And no wonder! It’s an incredible tale that’s captivated us all, as experts from around the world rushed to help the Thai military find the boys and then launch the incredibly dangerous evacuation mission in which one diver tragically lost his life.
one of the last to be brought out on Tuesday was ekapol Chanthawong, the 25-year-old coach of the Wild Boars team. While he’s faced harsh criticism from some for leading the boys into the cave, to many Thais — not least the parents — Chanthawong is no less a hero than the rescuers.
nine long days elapsed before British divers located the youngsters, two and a half miles inside the cave system, perched on a shelf above the waters.
Imagine how the boys must have felt, trapped in pitch black darkness, forced to lick moisture off rocky walls, increasingly hungry and weak. The sense of claustrophobia and terror must have been overwhelming. Was anyone even looking for them?
The mental torment would have been a far greater challenge for them than the physical deprivations. Indeed, it is an individual’s mental resilience that is a bigger factor than their physical health in determining how they will fare in a perilous situation.
This is where coach Chanthawong came into his own. By a fortuitous twist of fate, he’d spent a decade as a Buddhist monk and practised meditation regularly for up to an hour a day.
His aunt has told journalists that he taught the technique to the boys to help them stay focused, calm and positive. This claim is backed up by one of the rescuers, who praised the group’s strength, saying the coach had discussed with the boys ‘staying strong, having the will to live, the will to survive’.
Meditation is, basically, mindfulness, which has become very fashionable of late. It involves the psychological process of learning to focus attention on the present moment and shutting out all the background chatter in the brain.
I have reservations about mindfulness being the panacea that some advocates would have us believe. But there is no doubt that, along with other types of psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), it can be hugely beneficial for people in distress or difficulty.
In a threatening environment, that monk turned football coach has shown just how valuable it can be.
But he also teaches us a lesson about the importance of being prepared — and this, I believe, is particularly relevant for anyone who has a history of depression, anxiety or other mental health issue.
I often see patients who are in a crisis. In addition to the immediate support we give, they are usually put on a waiting list for psychotherapy. Yet so often, by the time their name comes up, they are feeling better. ‘oh, don’t worry,’ they tell me. ‘I’m ok now — I don’t need it’.
I always respond in the same way: ‘Actually, this is precisely the time you should be having psychotherapy.’
The best time to learn the techniques of mindfulness / CBT etc is not when you’re in the middle of a crisis, but when you feel relatively well. That’s when you can really concentrate and hone the skill, because you’re not also battling the symptoms of mental illness.
So if you’re prone to stress, low mood or anxiety, don’t wait until things get bad. Make sure you have a good grasp of CBT or mindfulness now. Talk to your GP or research these techniques on the internet — and practise them even when you’re feeling good.
Chanthawong could never have imagined the desperate situation he and a dozen youngsters would find themselves in. But he had the psychological tools he needed and was able to bring calm to a terrifying experience. I think he’s more than vindicated himself.