Auditory exclusion

Auditory exclusion is a form of temporary loss of hearing occurring under high stress.
As such it is related to tunnel vision and "the slowing of time in the mind".
The phenomenon is discussed in the literature on law enforcement officers and soldiers.
In 2016, the attorney for Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby wanted the jury to hear about how auditory exclusion could have played a role when the officer fatally shot Terence Crutcher, an unarmed 40-year-old black male.
Auditory exclusion happens as a physiological side effect of increased heart rate. When the heart rate approaches roughly 175 beats per minute, the sympathetic nervous system is activated enough that the brain reduces the amount of attention it pays to hearing in order to focus on sight. Auditory exclusion only occurs when the increase in heart rate is caused by hormonal changes, and will not occur if an individual is voluntarily participating in an intense form of exercise.