Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Outer Space

What the book “Project Hail Mary” can teach us about anxiety management

In this novel, the main character, Ryland Grace, is a scientist traveling through space in a tiny vessel on a mission to save Earth. He is approaching his destination, and the engines will soon cut off leaving him in a zero-gravity state.

Talking to himself, Grace says:

On a cognitive level, Grace knows what to expect with this transition, and he tries to prepare himself with reassuring self-talk.

Despite his efforts, when he finds himself in zero gravity, his sympathetic nervous system is activated. The amygdala has sent a distress signal, and he begins to panic.

The amygdala is the alarm system in our brain.

It scans for danger and quickly triggers our fight, flight, or freeze response. The amygdala can coordinate a response to a perceived threat before we fully comprehend the situation. It is that fast!

In Project Hail Mary, Weir’s character experiences an involuntary, amygdala-based anxiety attack when he is suddenly in zero gravity. He responds by doing this.

Dr. Grace, the brilliant astronaut from Weir’s imagination, used progressive muscle relaxation to calm a panic attack.

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