PTSD. Sorry.

That training is about taking people out of civil society and giving them the ability to engage in behaviors that would give others (quite rightly) pause. This is not a place to look to generate well-rounded citizens that do not see violence as a way to manipulate others.

The primary "technique" that special forces training uses is just simple exhaustion. It's humbling how much being exhausted can make you re-asses your priorities - and even if you don't quit, you know that you wanted to. Being that exhausted and knowing that rest is nowhere near in your future can be psychologically devastating. The things you listed are probably used, but they're not the primary training method.

I have never been in the military, but I've training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and some mixed martial arts for many years now. Practices can be tough.

s/special forces training uses/having children works on you/

The most effective schools do similar things, and call it "outdoor education". It's expensive, and I doubt there's much evidence about the long-term effects on the students.

I'd guess they don't take it far enough to be useful. When people first experience cold, hunger, fear and exhaustion, most focus on their suffering, and feel helpless. You can learn to take the discomfort for granted, focus on your actions, and feel proud. That takes more experience and mentoring than the average student gets.

Also, being able to handle the normal stuff is good, but not caring about it at all is bad, and the middle ground can be hard to find. Tim Winton's novel, Breath, develops that idea.

> waterboarding, hypothermia, near-drowning, psychological torutre, etc

Do yourself a favor and read Judith Herman's book "Trauma and Recovery." You'll quickly understand why your counter-intuitive observation is simply wrong. These things work in special forces training in a way they never could and never will in prisons and hospitals.