Self Defense Follow Up Information
The Continuum of Sexual Assault/Violence
When people think about self-defense, they often think about the yelling and pad hitting. Remember that the violence starts well before it gets physical.
I talk about it in this episode of The Empowerment Podcast by Naga.
I write about it in my blog “Body, Trauma, Self Defense & Healing”.
Awareness
Your body is designed to protect you and keep you safe. Pay attention to the feelings and messages your body is telling you. Here’s a podcast episode about this.
Getting Help
There are lots of ways to get help if you need it including yelling, using a whistle or panic button on your car. Planning and preparation means you go into situations with a couple of options in mind! Know what your safety plan is!
Uber/Lyft Safety
There are lots of resources about this online. Here is a compilation of some links I think have really useful information.
Things To Remember
Self Defense is about preparation and planning. Here are some things to review and consider.
BREATHE!
When we breathe, we can think better!
ESCAPE
Is always the point!
BODY LANGUAGE
How we present ourselves communicates volumes.
WORDS
It almost doesn’t even matter what you say, just that you SAY IT! Speak up. Practice this in the car, role playing with supportive friends, in the mirror.
PLAYING ALONG
Is always a choice. Meanwhile, you are looking for a moment of distraction, a chance to fight or get away.
COMMUNICATION
The more we communicate what is going on with us, the safer we become and the safer the world becomes. Keep speaking up and talking about it with others!
PHYSICAL CHOICES
Think about distancing. Remember your primary targets, body weapons and how we hit the pads. Take regular self-defense classes. It doesn’t have to be with me. There are plenty of people teaching all around town!
SUPPORT:
I (Silvia) am always here for you if you need to debrief, run some ideas by someone or if you want an advocate. This is what I do. Just ask.
THE EMPOWERMENT PODCAST BY NAGA:
Check out all the episodes. It’s like having a self-defense class streaming to your device. Lots of courageous survivor success stories too!
MORE RESOURCES
Here’s a blog I wrote about why it’s important to get self-defense training.
Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk is an interesting perspective on body language and empowerment. Please watch this 20-minute video! More about Amy and her book “Presence” here.
“Sexual Citizens” is a paradigm-shifting view of safety leading up to and during high school and college. I really recommend it – especially for parents of high schoolers. Here’s my interview with co-author Jennifer Hirsh, a professor and researcher at Columbia University.
Here’s another blog about the different types of self-defense classes available along with my recommendations about what to consider.
Here’s a link to information about other types of corporate classes that I teach.
If you feel you want to step it up and think about your home security, here’s a guide you might find useful.
If you haven’t had the chance to tell us what you thought yet, we’d love your feedback on the workshop. SurveyMonkey
All the best! ~Silvia
