DEEP TROUBLE: Too Focused to Turn Back

In the mountains of northern India, surrounded by snow, altitude, and uncertain roads, James Thomas and two other riders pressed on—confident they could make it through. But what unfolded wasn’t just a story of rough terrain or questionable GPS directions. It was about something much more familiar to most of us than we might admit: a mental trap known as cognitive narrowing, where pressure and focus cloud judgment until we can’t see what’s right in front of us. What happens when that focus becomes so tight, so singular, that we stop processing the cues telling us to stop—or turn around?

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