"And then there's also this element of - some people would describe it as spirits or a presence that appears when things are very difficult, physically and emotionally. You know, when you're really putting out. So the third man aura is sort of an appearance. It's the yeti"

Ann Bancroft’s words explore a phenomenon that many have described during moments of extreme challenge or hardship, a mysterious presence that seems to accompany people when they are pushed to their absolute limits. She refers to this as the “third man aura,” a term used to describe accounts where individuals facing dire situations, such as explorers, mountaineers, or trauma survivors, experience the sense of an unseen companion offering comfort, guidance, or reassurance. Some interpret this experience as an encounter with spirits; others think of it more psychologically, as the mind’s way of conjuring motivation and strength when one’s own resources are nearly depleted.

Bancroft draws a parallel between the third man aura and the yeti, suggesting that both are elusive presences, things that are felt rather than physically seen, hovering on the edge of perception. The yeti, as a legendary creature said to inhabit remote mountains, captures the imagination precisely because of its mysterious, intangible nature. The third man aura functions in much the same way: it cannot be easily explained, falls outside the realm of normal experience, and yet feels profoundly real for those encountering it. It can be both a source of solace and awe, challenging the boundaries between reality, perception, and belief.

Physically and emotionally taxing circumstances have a way of stripping a person to their most fundamental self. Under such conditions, the mind may create these presences as coping mechanisms, a psychological support to surpass seemingly insurmountable barriers. It is in these crucibles of endurance and vulnerability that people are most likely to report feeling accompanied by something beyond themselves. Whether understood as a spiritual experience, a psychological adaptation, or something else entirely, Bancroft suggests that this “third man” is a common but deeply personal phenomenon, an invisible companion that arises during life’s hardest passages, helping people keep moving forward when their limits appear to have been reached.