Third man syndrome

Third man syndrome, also known as the third man factor, is a phenomenon reported by some survivors of severely stressful or life-or-death situations in which they believe a benevolent unseen presence joins them during their ordeal and guides them to safety. The phenomenon was popularized by the 2009 book The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible by United States-born, Canada-based author John Geiger (1960–).

Cases of third man syndrome have been documented for more than a century. Those who have experienced it report strikingly similar encounters, leading expert commentators to speculate that the phenomenon may result from natural psychological survival mechanisms. Others have forwarded spiritual explanations, characterizing the benevolent presence as a ghost or guardian angel. Some people with firsthand experience of third man syndrome have claimed that the unseen presence they encountered was that of a deceased loved one. As of the early 2020s, the phenomenon has received relatively little attention from mainstream scientific and psychological researchers.

Background

Prior to the 2009 publication of The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible, third man syndrome was an obscure concept that was virtually unknown outside of select niche circles. Geiger, who had previously written multiple books about failed expeditions into Earth’s polar regions, was conducting further research into the topic when he came across a curious tale relayed in a memoir by the Anglo–Irish explorer Sir George Shackleton (1874–1922). Shackleton’s account detailed a strange experience he had during an Antarctic trek in 1916.

Shackleton’s experience took place during the final stages of a 1914–1917 expedition after his ship became trapped by impassable ice. Having no other alternative, Shackleton and two members of his expedition team elected to set out on foot in a bid to reach a British whaling outpost approximately 24 miles (38 kilometers) away on the other side of South Georgia Island. Meanwhile, the rest of Shackleton’s crew was stranded about 685 miles (1,100 kilometers) away.

During the agonizing journey across the mountains, which the trio undertook in harsh polar conditions with few provisions and makeshift equipment, Shackleton said he had a persistent feeling that there were four members in the trekking party, not three. Shackleton referred to the fourth presence as a “divine companion” who helped the party reach safety some thirty-six hours later. Though he said nothing to his companions, the other men volunteered that they had felt a presence on the long trek in the wilderness. In interviews, Geiger stated that he was strangely mesmerized by Shackleton’s story. He then began conducting research in a bid to uncover similar accounts and found that many other people in life-or-death situations had reported comparable experiences.

Though Geiger is widely credited with ushering the idea of third man syndrome into mainstream popular culture, researchers first documented the phenomenon many decades earlier. In 1955, the British neurologist MacDonald Critchley (1900–1997) published an essay titled “The Idea of a Presence,” which chronicles a study he had performed in 1943. Critchley’s research involved interviews of nearly three hundred survivors of shipwrecks and aviation mishaps. The survivors related accounts similar to the narrative in Shackleton’s memoir.

Overview

In his research for The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible, Geiger found that third man syndrome is particularly common among mountaineers who become lost or stranded during challenging climbs in remote areas. People have also reported experiences with third man syndrome in many other traumatic or life-and-death situations, including soldiers engaged in warfare, lost sailors and explorers, astronauts who have become endangered during space missions, accident victims, and terrorism survivors. Geiger eventually compiled hundreds of such stories, all of which display a unifying set of characteristics.

A typical experience with third man syndrome involves an encounter with a nonphysical presence. In some cases, the presence appears abruptly; in others, the survivor gradually becomes aware of it or cannot precisely identify the moment at which they first detected the presence. Some people report the presence as vague and difficult to define, while others recognize it as a faraway or deceased loved one. Some climbers have also claimed to have encountered famous mountaineers, living or deceased, while stranded. In most circumstances, the external presence provides specific instructions that guide the distressed person to safety. However, some survivors have reported that the presence simply offers comfort, which helps the individual remain calm as they make their way out of the distressing situation. Among those with religious and spiritual leanings, such accounts invoke concepts of ghosts, guiding spirits, and benevolent otherworldly protectors commonly known as guardian angels.

Scientists and psychologists familiar with the phenomenon generally believe that third man syndrome represents a mysterious and poorly understood but natural function of the mind as it reacts to and attempts to navigate a severely stressful situation that poses a high risk of imminent death. Some experts have also noted that third man syndrome tends to occur in circumstances involving greater degrees of sensory deprivation. Related hypotheses suggest that third man syndrome may represent a compensating mechanism of the mind as it fills in for the lack of external sensory stimuli during periods of great psychological stress. Many who have reported third man syndrome did so in high-altitude settings or while experiencing drug use, neurological issues, or sleep disorders. Shackleton’s team, for example, experienced sleep deprivation and exhaustion while crossing barren, unyielding terrain.

Though third man syndrome remains poorly understood from a scientific perspective, clinical psychologists have successfully incorporated its defining characteristics into therapies for trauma victims. In one such approach, therapists guide trauma survivors to imagine strong and helpful third-party characters, who can then provide them with guidance and support when they experience trauma-related psychological symptoms. Some mental health professionals who have used the technique describe it as highly effective, noting that mental imagery can be more beneficial than words for patients and trauma survivors in need of emotional comfort.

Bibliography

Darby, Margaret. “Third Man Syndrome: Spiritual Phenomenon or Survival Mechanism?” Deseret News, 26 May 2023, www.deseret.com/23737552/third-man-syndrome. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023.

Dunhill, Jack. “Third Man Syndrome: In Life or Death Scenarios, Survivors Report a Helpful Person Appearing.” IFL Science, 13 Feb. 2023, www.iflscience.com/third-man-syndrome-in-life-or-death-scenarios-survivors-report-a-helpful-person-appearing-67508. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023.

Geiger, John. The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible. Hachette Books, 2009.

“Guardian Angels or the ‘Third Man Factor’?” National Public Radio, 13 Sept. 2009, www.npr.org/2009/09/13/112746464/guardian-angels-or-the-third-man-factor. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023.

McGregor, Alasdair. “An Adventurer’s Guardian Angel: The Third Man.” Australian Geographic, 12 Sept. 2012, www.australiangeographic.com.au/australian-geographic-adventure/adventure/2012/09/an-adventurers-guardian-angel-the-third-man/. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023.

Porter, Liz. “Mystery of the Third Man.” Sydney Morning Herald, 28 June 2009, www.smh.com.au/national/mystery-of-the-third-man-20090627-d0j2.html. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023.

Pritchard, Paul. The Mountain Path: A Climber’s Journey Through Life and Death. Vertebrate Publishing, 2021.

Tougias, Michael. Extreme Survival: Lessons from Those Who Have Triumphed Against All Odds. Mango Publishing, 2022.