The below blog was written by Brendan McGrath, a senior team member at Protect's Auckland group classes.
Hi there,
I’ve been one of Phil’s students over the past three years (time flies when your having fun;-). So before we kick off just a quick note to say that these views are not strictly those of Protect Self Defence.
I read something in the paper recently, a 74 year old man kicked to death in an alleyway on his way home by three young men, …… fingers crossed there is something valuable here! We really are trying to change ourselves, our friends, and the world!!!
Some stories are great promotional ammunition for the RBSD movement, a martial arts expert beaten up, mugged or worse, dying because they got in a scrap over a shoulder barge, a drunken brawl outside a pub, mugged at an ATM. Sure, true “self defence” can easily help us to control our environment either thru de-escalation or if need be, ultimately thru physical means. So yes, RBSD has plenty of “Look we told you so” moment’s in the media to draw support from, but that’s just too easy, it’s a narrow perspective.
Some stories that are reported are so sad it’s hard to see how we can take something positive from them, some are simply tragic. Some make you wonder how anything we teach would have really helped.
This old bloke on his way home perhaps to his old dear wife, perhaps from visiting his children, he could have been my late grandfather could have been anyone’s granddad or elderly neighbour. A tragic way to mark the end to a life which if he was like my late granddad was filled with generosity and love.
Self-defence is usually a hopeful and empowering message. But there is something about 3 young men beating a 74 year old man to death in an alleyway that is really upsetting and disturbing, it makes me fear for my little boy. That no matter how much I can teach him that at some point perhaps when he’s 70 that this could happen to him, or my dear old mum who goes for walks on the beach with her dog, how can I do anything to protect her?
In fact this event is tragic for those three young men also, their lives are ruined, they may not appreciate it right now as they sit in jail in some ways riding high on the kudos of killing a man, but ruined lives nonetheless.
There needs to be a fuller solution, teaching people kung fu at some point simply becomes bogus and absurd.
I have a secret, a long time ago, almost 20 years ago now as a young man, in a disturbed moment as a very angry kid I swung a piece of rough sawn wood into the side of a woman’s head.
It’s a long story, but in that moment I could have killed her, I wouldn’t have really meant to but it could have happened. I would not be sitting here enjoying my wonderful life, and her children would not be enjoying their loving mother.
It was just dumb luck I didn’t kill her. In the moment that I attacked her, in that moment, I never gave her a name, never understood that her children need her, like mine need me.
Sometimes I find it all rather hard to reconcile how well life has turned out, but it has certainly been on the good graces of firstly a judge, family, friends, and ultimately society. I’m very thankful for that, and that translates to actions not just words, if I spot you out there in trouble I will stop. I physically can’t just drive by; my stomach starts to twist up inside me. I’ve grown up a lot in 20 years forgotten a lot, but the moment I walked into protect the message resonated with me. I have found a lot of redemption in my time at protect, its cathartic.
Something that has stood out for me at Protect, “lets see if we can ALL walk away from this situation unharmed, we are all someone’s child, brother, sister, mother, father, even the arsehole that’s just called you every name under the sun” that fundamentally we care. This is not a soft line on self defence, but a first line. We also have a very hard line for those that would persist and seek to take us from our family, our friends.
At the core of this what I am getting at here is that we avoid violence because we care, we defuse because we care both about ourselves and the instigator of violence and their families, and ultimately we protect ourselves because we care about ourselves and our loved ones.
There is one take out message here, it is NOT about how the principles that “Protect” teach can protect us physically. The message is about how we who believe in the anti violence principles that “Protect” teaches can thru educating our children and those around us to not use violence, in the long term make a safer world, one with more respect and care. In this way our message benefits not only those who come to classes, to seminars, to courses, but it benefits all of our society.
This is the message that can protect my children, my loved ones and people I will never meet, people that have never heard of protect can be safer because of this message.
Some bloke who rants at me from his car, and I apologise and move along… his kids owe an unknowing debt to my learning’s from protect, today their dad wont be in hospital because I put him there or in prison because he’s beaten me to a pulp.
And that view, that aspiration, that higher thinking is not common in self defence. Our aspiration is to affect even those that have never heard of “Protect”. To actually make the world a bit safer for all. In truth a self defence course may not have helped that 74 year old man, we will never know. And the offenders well perhaps it’s doubtful for them also. But consider that we are actually trying to teach people to understand and avoid the terrible cost of violence.
If the offenders parents, older sisters, etc had attended a course…. What we are really seeking is to increase the numbers of people in the population who do not resort to violence as a first base for conflict resolution. It might seem like an impossible task to effect change like that, we cannot afford to let that deter us …………
Heres the story that prompted me to write to you all..
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10755600
Daughters account
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10755787
Showing posts with label Violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Violence. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Schoolgirl attack warning
This article appeared in the Herald On Sunday (3/7/11, italics are mine, see below the article for my comments):
On June 23, a 12-year-old girl from the same school fought off a man's advances with a kick to the groin.
She was walking along Douglas St in Ponsonby when the man came up behind her, made lewd suggestions and grabbed her arm.
Both of the girls in these recent attacks did very well once they were confronted. Awesome in fact!
The reason this article bothered me though was this statement:
The problem is that not enough schools are taking the proactive action to get us in there to teach their kids to be safe. And that bothers me. So many times girls have been attacked, sometimes with horrendous consequences, and the opinion of many is "It's terrible, but there is nothing anyone could have done to prevent it". And that is pure apathy, and is completely ignorant. Most of these situations can be avoided (not all, but most) and that is what we teach people to do. So to hear a 17 year old girl say that nobody ever talks about this stuff, after she has been put through a terrifying situation that could have been avoided is really sad to me.
We are here for any school who needs us, but they have to take the action to get us there. I really hope this changes soon, there are many attacks such as this one, and date rapes, acquaintance rapes, stranger rapes, sexual assaults, drug rapes, and many other situations (1 in 4 kiwi girls are sexually assaulted before the age of 16) which we can help avoid with the school's help.
If you have children at school, please send them our details and insist that they run one of our safety programs for their kids. These are life skills which are no longer a 'nice-to-have', they are a necessity.
A 17-year-old girl attacked by a sexual predator while walking home from school is warning other students about the dangers of wearing iPods.
The teen is one of two St Mary's College, Auckland, students grabbed by strangers while walking to and from school. The second was barely a week ago.
Both were listening to iPods via earpieces at the time and did not hear the men behind them.
The 17-year-old, who did not want to be identified, warned others to turn down the volume on iPods or to wear only one earpiece so they were alerted to potential danger.
"It's something nobody ever talks about. People from age 12 to my age think they're invincible," she said.
In March the teen was on Hamilton Rd, five minutes from home, when a man came up behind her and "tried to grab me and drag me into a driveway", she said.
"I got such a fright. I screamed and shoved him and told him to f*** off."
On June 23, a 12-year-old girl from the same school fought off a man's advances with a kick to the groin.
She was walking along Douglas St in Ponsonby when the man came up behind her, made lewd suggestions and grabbed her arm.
Police described the man as in his 40s with long silver or grey hair and with an orange hue to his skin.
St Mary's College principal Sandy Pasley said students and parents needed to be aware of the dangers of wearing iPods, especially when walking alone.
Following the second incident, she sent a newsletter to parents warning them about the dangers and encouraged students to walk in groups if possible.
Both of the girls in these recent attacks did very well once they were confronted. Awesome in fact!
The reason this article bothered me though was this statement:
The 17-year-old, who did not want to be identified, warned others to turn down the volume on iPods or to wear only one earpiece so they were alerted to potential danger.
"It's something nobody ever talks about. People from age 12 to my age think they're invincible," she said.
Why did this bother me? Because I am saddened that this attack could potentially have been avoided if their situational awareness had not been restricted due to the ipod's blaring in their ears. And the fact is WE DO TALK ABOUT THIS! A LOT! It is a part of the safety discussions we do at every school we work with, and many other courses too. We have writtern articles about it, commented on the issue for media and many others. And not just Ipods, but drink spiking, texting, technology safety, taxi safety, getting followed, and many other safety strategies which make up just a part of the 'recognition and awareness' phase of our school courses.The problem is that not enough schools are taking the proactive action to get us in there to teach their kids to be safe. And that bothers me. So many times girls have been attacked, sometimes with horrendous consequences, and the opinion of many is "It's terrible, but there is nothing anyone could have done to prevent it". And that is pure apathy, and is completely ignorant. Most of these situations can be avoided (not all, but most) and that is what we teach people to do. So to hear a 17 year old girl say that nobody ever talks about this stuff, after she has been put through a terrifying situation that could have been avoided is really sad to me.
We are here for any school who needs us, but they have to take the action to get us there. I really hope this changes soon, there are many attacks such as this one, and date rapes, acquaintance rapes, stranger rapes, sexual assaults, drug rapes, and many other situations (1 in 4 kiwi girls are sexually assaulted before the age of 16) which we can help avoid with the school's help.
If you have children at school, please send them our details and insist that they run one of our safety programs for their kids. These are life skills which are no longer a 'nice-to-have', they are a necessity.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
How do we reduce violent crime?
I was asked at a seminar I gave this week a question I am asked a lot; In my opinion what could/should be done to reduce violent crime in our country. As my opinion is just that, my opinion, I thought I would share it here too.
The usual answers given to this question involve tougher penalties, more Police, more prisons etc, and although I agree that these things are all part of it, I truly believe that our only real chance of solving the violent crime problem is when enough people want to and commit to. More prisons, Police, courts, tougher penalties etc are fine but they are only part of the puzzle, the only true way that violent crime will reduce is if we all stop accepting and tolerating it in our society, our neighbourhoods, our friends, and in our own family. Violent crime is a moral problem which needs to be solved at a moral level and only this type of ‘get to the heart of it’ solution will work, in my opinion. I work every day in the field of violence prevention, I have seen firsthand real violence and the impact it has on those who it is delivered upon, and the resulting ripple effect on all those around them. It is toxic, corrosive, and destructive. I have worked with hundreds of survivors of violence in all of its different forms. I can not recall a single act of serious violence (not drunken brawls etc) that was committed by an offender that came from what would commonly be consider a positive background and supportive, caring family environment. The greatest majority of violent offenders are responsible for their actions, know right from wrong, made their own choices, and deserve to face the legal consequences of their actions. Occasionally one is born who is a true psychopath, but they are the vast, almost infinitesimal, minority. But in my opinion, far more violent criminals are ‘made’ than are ever born. This means that somewhere along the line, something went wrong. Someone who had an impact on them, who provided a profoundly negative influence could have instead provided a profoundly positive one, and that could have made all of the difference.
So in addition to more prisons, Police, tougher penalties etc, what we really need to make a difference is more love, understanding, empathy, and compassion. This is not me being idealistic or simplistic, it is at the true heart of the issue.
Many people will hear this message and dismiss it is being idealistic or think that the problem is too big for one person to make any difference. Some will embrace it and live it. When the ‘some’ become the majority, the ripple effect will be profound, and we will then have the answer to the question...
The usual answers given to this question involve tougher penalties, more Police, more prisons etc, and although I agree that these things are all part of it, I truly believe that our only real chance of solving the violent crime problem is when enough people want to and commit to. More prisons, Police, courts, tougher penalties etc are fine but they are only part of the puzzle, the only true way that violent crime will reduce is if we all stop accepting and tolerating it in our society, our neighbourhoods, our friends, and in our own family. Violent crime is a moral problem which needs to be solved at a moral level and only this type of ‘get to the heart of it’ solution will work, in my opinion. I work every day in the field of violence prevention, I have seen firsthand real violence and the impact it has on those who it is delivered upon, and the resulting ripple effect on all those around them. It is toxic, corrosive, and destructive. I have worked with hundreds of survivors of violence in all of its different forms. I can not recall a single act of serious violence (not drunken brawls etc) that was committed by an offender that came from what would commonly be consider a positive background and supportive, caring family environment. The greatest majority of violent offenders are responsible for their actions, know right from wrong, made their own choices, and deserve to face the legal consequences of their actions. Occasionally one is born who is a true psychopath, but they are the vast, almost infinitesimal, minority. But in my opinion, far more violent criminals are ‘made’ than are ever born. This means that somewhere along the line, something went wrong. Someone who had an impact on them, who provided a profoundly negative influence could have instead provided a profoundly positive one, and that could have made all of the difference.
So in addition to more prisons, Police, tougher penalties etc, what we really need to make a difference is more love, understanding, empathy, and compassion. This is not me being idealistic or simplistic, it is at the true heart of the issue.
Many people will hear this message and dismiss it is being idealistic or think that the problem is too big for one person to make any difference. Some will embrace it and live it. When the ‘some’ become the majority, the ripple effect will be profound, and we will then have the answer to the question...
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Media Article: Understanding Men's Violence
Hi everyone,
Here is Darcy Mellsop's latest article: 'Understanding Men's Violence'
Monday, April 26, 2010
Hindsight: 20/20
A little while ago a few of our members and I were having a discussion about some of the recent salient violent events occurring around New Zealand. We watch these events closely as they give great insight into current trends and behavioural psychology as it relates to violence. The discussion found its way to the topic of Mr Singh, the Manurewa liquor store owner murdered in 2008 as part of an Armed Holdup. I was asked by a martial artist who was attending our group class what I would have done if I were the person in the liquor store. In other words, if I was Mr Singh.
My reply to him was along the lines of; "Well he was shot in the chest at close range so I probably would have died. Why do you ask?" This was clearly not the response he expected and he immediately retorted with "well, that's a great attitude from a self defence teacher!"
I asked him why he felt that way and he went on to explain how his (martial arts) instructor had told the class exactly what he would have done in the situation to not only not get shot, but to physically harm the three robbers, one of whom was armed with a gun (which incidentally involved jumping the counter in front of the gunman and kicking him in the throat etc *Sigh*). I find this attitude incredible. Actually, I find it blatantly ignorant.
No-one can say how they absolutely would react in that situation. We can theorise about it, but there is no way we can say with certainty what we "would" have done. There is never any black and white answer to violence. Ever.
It reminded me of what Rich Dimitri told me about a magazine which called him up after 9/11 to ask him what he would have done if he had been on the plane when the highjackers took it over. Several other self defence 'experts' had told the magazine how they would have dealt to the highjackers and resumed control of the plane saving the day, whereas Rich's reply was "I would have died of course". His reply was not published.
Certainly there is merit in analysing the situation and what occurred retrospectively to help create 'mental blueprints' and provide greater understanding of how these situations unfold and occur, and also to adapt our training to suit and give greater chance of adapting to the specific scenario, but we will never 'fully' bridge the gap between how we think it may happen and how it really happens, unless...It really happens. There are always too many variables which could occur to try to "run a script". But if your self defence training is reality based it will prepare you as much as possible for this type of event. The 'stress inoculation' training that is a core concept of what we teach at Protect helps you to prepare and to make decisions under pressure which best serve you.
I don't know exactly how the events unfolded in the liquor store, and whether any previous training for this type of situation could have helped Mr Singh, I would like to hope it may have, but one thing I know is that he did the best with the knowledge and preparation that he had and in the end he tragically had his life taken from him and his loved ones.
All we can aim to do with our self defence training is gain as much knowledge and preparation against real world violence as we can so that if the worst happens we are as prepared as possible. Still, we will never be 100% prepared but 90% is better than not prepared at all. If the worst should happen you only have a small gap to bridge and will be far more able to adapt under pressure.
Self defence is not about flashy Hollywood moves and being a hero, it is about staying safe and getting home to your loved ones. That's all. And effective self defence training should reflect that.
My reply to him was along the lines of; "Well he was shot in the chest at close range so I probably would have died. Why do you ask?" This was clearly not the response he expected and he immediately retorted with "well, that's a great attitude from a self defence teacher!"
I asked him why he felt that way and he went on to explain how his (martial arts) instructor had told the class exactly what he would have done in the situation to not only not get shot, but to physically harm the three robbers, one of whom was armed with a gun (which incidentally involved jumping the counter in front of the gunman and kicking him in the throat etc *Sigh*). I find this attitude incredible. Actually, I find it blatantly ignorant.
No-one can say how they absolutely would react in that situation. We can theorise about it, but there is no way we can say with certainty what we "would" have done. There is never any black and white answer to violence. Ever.
It reminded me of what Rich Dimitri told me about a magazine which called him up after 9/11 to ask him what he would have done if he had been on the plane when the highjackers took it over. Several other self defence 'experts' had told the magazine how they would have dealt to the highjackers and resumed control of the plane saving the day, whereas Rich's reply was "I would have died of course". His reply was not published.
Certainly there is merit in analysing the situation and what occurred retrospectively to help create 'mental blueprints' and provide greater understanding of how these situations unfold and occur, and also to adapt our training to suit and give greater chance of adapting to the specific scenario, but we will never 'fully' bridge the gap between how we think it may happen and how it really happens, unless...It really happens. There are always too many variables which could occur to try to "run a script". But if your self defence training is reality based it will prepare you as much as possible for this type of event. The 'stress inoculation' training that is a core concept of what we teach at Protect helps you to prepare and to make decisions under pressure which best serve you.
I don't know exactly how the events unfolded in the liquor store, and whether any previous training for this type of situation could have helped Mr Singh, I would like to hope it may have, but one thing I know is that he did the best with the knowledge and preparation that he had and in the end he tragically had his life taken from him and his loved ones.
All we can aim to do with our self defence training is gain as much knowledge and preparation against real world violence as we can so that if the worst happens we are as prepared as possible. Still, we will never be 100% prepared but 90% is better than not prepared at all. If the worst should happen you only have a small gap to bridge and will be far more able to adapt under pressure.
Self defence is not about flashy Hollywood moves and being a hero, it is about staying safe and getting home to your loved ones. That's all. And effective self defence training should reflect that.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Awesome Auckland Charity Event Announced! Women's Personal Safety Seminar!
Hi Everyone,
We have an awesome opportunity for you to learn some great skills and support a great charity at the same time!
As a part of Protect's Community Support Program we regularly run valuable events in support of worthwhile charities and causes.
Below are details of our next Auckland event. It will be an excellent evening event packed with lots of valuable information. We need your help to spread the word please. All of the profits go to RPE and we want to really make this great for them with your help!
So what can you do? Firstly, if you are a woman, register and come along. Secondly, tell everyone you know and get them along too. It is only $25 and will be very worthwhile. To register just go to the Calendar page on our website.
The seminar is raising money for Rape Prevention Education Auckland (Formerly Rape Crisis Auckland) to support them in the excellent work they do. Visit the RPE website at www.rapecrisis.org.nz for more information on RPE.
MC'd by 'Dancing With The Stars' celebrity Aaron Gilmore and supported by RPE advocate Louise Nicholas this event will provide women with important information about keeping themselves safe against violence.
Designed by Protect Self Defence's co-founders Athena and Phil Thompson this 2.25 hour information seminar will cover vital information for women including:
- Dispelling many common (and often dangerous) myths around self defence and personal safety for women
- How to identify the common manipulation strategies males (with often sinister intent) used against females (this is very important information!)
- Focusing on empowerment and eliminating paranoia and un-neccessary worry by knowing what to look out for
- The important stages of real self defence
- The psychology of an attacker and how they choose their targets. Knowing this lets you become a 'hard target'
- The biggest lie of them all that most women in NZ have been told, the truth behind it, and how knowing it can create a safer life for you and your family
- And a whole lot more!
Please note this is an information event, there is no physical component or participation required from attendees, just sit back and enjoy the information.
This seminar is exclusive to women. Because of some of the content the minimum age is 16 years unless accompanied by an adult parent or caregiver in which case the minimum age is 14 years.
$25 for this event is incredible value and you are supporting a fantastic organisation (RPE) in addition to the great information you will receive. Numbers for this event are limited so please book quickly.
Thank you for your awesome support, I look forward to seeing you (and all of your friends) there!
Phil
We have an awesome opportunity for you to learn some great skills and support a great charity at the same time!
As a part of Protect's Community Support Program we regularly run valuable events in support of worthwhile charities and causes.
Below are details of our next Auckland event. It will be an excellent evening event packed with lots of valuable information. We need your help to spread the word please. All of the profits go to RPE and we want to really make this great for them with your help!
So what can you do? Firstly, if you are a woman, register and come along. Secondly, tell everyone you know and get them along too. It is only $25 and will be very worthwhile. To register just go to the Calendar page on our website.
The seminar is raising money for Rape Prevention Education Auckland (Formerly Rape Crisis Auckland) to support them in the excellent work they do. Visit the RPE website at www.rapecrisis.org.nz for more information on RPE.
MC'd by 'Dancing With The Stars' celebrity Aaron Gilmore and supported by RPE advocate Louise Nicholas this event will provide women with important information about keeping themselves safe against violence.
Designed by Protect Self Defence's co-founders Athena and Phil Thompson this 2.25 hour information seminar will cover vital information for women including:
- Dispelling many common (and often dangerous) myths around self defence and personal safety for women
- How to identify the common manipulation strategies males (with often sinister intent) used against females (this is very important information!)
- Focusing on empowerment and eliminating paranoia and un-neccessary worry by knowing what to look out for
- The important stages of real self defence
- The psychology of an attacker and how they choose their targets. Knowing this lets you become a 'hard target'
- The biggest lie of them all that most women in NZ have been told, the truth behind it, and how knowing it can create a safer life for you and your family
- And a whole lot more!
Please note this is an information event, there is no physical component or participation required from attendees, just sit back and enjoy the information.
This seminar is exclusive to women. Because of some of the content the minimum age is 16 years unless accompanied by an adult parent or caregiver in which case the minimum age is 14 years.
$25 for this event is incredible value and you are supporting a fantastic organisation (RPE) in addition to the great information you will receive. Numbers for this event are limited so please book quickly.
Thank you for your awesome support, I look forward to seeing you (and all of your friends) there!
Phil
Thursday, April 22, 2010
To go, or to go off!...
The following article was written by Mr Drew Guest of Bushi Dojos Self Protecton (Australia) and is reproduced here with his kind permission.
Fear and the fight or flight response...
Time seems to slow down and it seems you are looking through another's eyes. You can't think properly and repeat, "this isn't happening" or similar over and over in your mind. Your pupils dilate and your field of vision narrows; your hearing becomes more focussed on your immediate surroundings. You can clearly hear and feel the throb of your pulse in your head as your heart rate, the force of your hearts contraction, and blood pressure increase. After an initial intake of air, your breathing becomes shallower, but more efficient. Your legs are so primed for action that they begin to shake with anticipation. Your face and hands feel clammy from the sweat even though it's a cool night. You feel nauseous because your stomach wants to empty itself. Your bladder and bowel wants to evacuate their contents. This is what it means to "have the crap scared out of you" ... this is fight or flight.
The above is an account of some of the sensations you may experience when the fight or flight response is triggered. It could be due to the threat of violence such as a mugging or an attack, or it could be because you are about to give a talk in front of a large audience. In fact it can be triggered by any physical or emotional stress, especially when fear is involved, but not limited to it.
Fight or Flight Defined
The fight-or-flight response, also called the acute stress response, was first described by Walter Cannon in 1915, in his printed work "Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage: An Account of Recent Researches into the Function of Emotional Excitement". His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing. This response was later recognised as the first stage of a general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms.
The Stimulus
Lets take a closer look at what actually goes on when in fight or flight. We'll look at what happens, how it happens and why it happens.
The first part of the equation is the stimulus - the trigger that sets the entire process off in the first place. For a stimulus to trigger the fight or flight response it must be perceived as stress inducing or introduced suddenly and unexpected. Stress can be physical, such as with intense exercise, or mental/emotional such as fear. The stimulus that produce an initial fight or flight reaction can generally be categorised into "E situations" such as Exercise, Emergency, Excitement and Embarrassment.
The Trigger
Our senses detect the stimulus, though sometimes our imagination creates it, specialised areas of the brain then process it and determine it to be stressful enough to respond with fight or flight. Recent research suggests that reaction to a stimulus may occur in two stages. The first is a quick response based on an initial reaction to the stimulus. This involves a circuit running from the thalamus to the amygdala and leads to an immediate response. The second path travels from the thalamus to the cortex and then to the amygdala, this circuit allows a more cognitive appraisal of the stimulus based on stored knowledge and goals. The second pathway is longer and thus takes more time, this could result in a secondary response, which could either, support the initial reaction (of the first circuit) or stop it. Both pathways end up traveling to the Hypothalamus via the amygdala.
Impulses from the Hypothalamus stimulate sympathetic preganglionic neurons, which release acetylcholine (Ach), which in turn stimulate the cells of the adrenal medulla to secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine. Yep that went over my head too, all these long scientific words are simply names, don't get too caught up with them, it's their role that we are primarily concerned with. Basically the Hypothalamus is a cone shaped part of the brain ending in the pituitary gland. Its main role is to maintain the body's status quo; it keeps the body in a stable state of equilibrium. It regulates the balance between the parasympathetic and the sympathetic division of the Automatic Nervous System (ANS). It is the sympathetic side of the ANS that deals with the fight and flight functions. It is via the parasympathetic division that unconscious body functions are regulated, functions such as heartbeat, breathing, body temperature, etc. During the fight or flight process, the Hypothalamus tips the balance of the ANS towards the sympathetic division.
Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter, (in fact the first one ever discovered), that is released via the firing of pregangleonic neurons - these are nerve cells that are located in the brain or spinal cord and are actually part of the central nervous system. The firing of these neurons triggers the automatic or sympathetic ganglion to release the ACh, which then travels along the neuropathways to the adrenal glands.
Enter The Adrenaline Dump
The two adrenal glands are located on top of each kidney. 80 to 90% of each gland is made up of the adrenal cortex, the balance being the centrally located adrenal Medulla. It is the adrenal Medulla that is primarily stimulated by the ACh. This stimulation releases the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine (aka adrenaline and noradrenaline). This is the infamous adrenaline dump. The adrenal cortex also secretes hormones called Glucocorticoids (mainly cortisol) that influence glucose metabolism, have anti-inflammatory effects and depress the immune system. There are many more chemicals and hormones involved in the process, but it's not necessary to list them all here, they all contribute to the process either directly or indirectly.
The Effects
Activation of the sympathetic division and release of hormones by the adrenal medullae set in motion a series of physiological responses that are collectively referred to as the fight or flight response. They include:
* The pupils of the eyes dilate.
* Heart rate, force of heart contraction, and blood pressure increase.
* The Airways dilate, allowing faster movement of air into and out of the lungs.
* Inhibition of tear glands and salivation
* The sweat glands become active
* The blood vessels that supply the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract constrict, which decreases blood flow through these tissues. The result is a slowing of urine formation and digestive activities, which are not essential during exercise or emergency situations.
* Blood vessels that supply organs involved in exercise or fighting of danger-skeletal muscles, cardiac muscle, liver, and adipose tissue-dilate, allowing greater blood flow through these tissues.
* Relaxation of bladder
* The liver increases breakdown of glycogen to glucose and adipose tissue increases breakdown of triglycerides to fatty acids and glycerol, raising blood levels of these molecules for greater ATP production. (ATP is Adenosine triphosphate. It is the main energy currency in living cells; used to transfer the chemical energy needed for metabolic reactions.
* Release of glucose by liver increases blood glucose levels for greater ATP production.
* Processes that are not essential for meeting the stressful situation are inhibited. For example, muscular movements of the gastrointestinal tract and digestive secretions slow down or even stop.
* Cognitive thought is reduced to its basic primal state as your brain activity moves away from the outer edges towards the central brain ( also known as reptilian brain , monkey brain or the primal brain)
. (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora (2007 pp. 532-533))
All this is done to put your body in the best state for action and allow you to most efficiently deal with the threat. Your eyesight and hearing become more focused on the danger. The increase in heart rate and pressure moves more blood to the action muscles and the increase in breathing rate means the blood carries more oxygen to the muscles. Combine this with the higher levels of blood glucose and it's like throwing fuel on the fire, or like a turbo charger for your muscles. Shutting down non-essential systems, such as the digestive and reproductive systems, allows your body to focus all it's resources on overcoming the threat, similar to when the old man used to turn the air conditioner off when driving up a hill. You sweat to help keep your now supercharged body cool. And your hairs may stand up to aid in cooling and also to help you look bigger (we were a lot hairier before we became human).
Fear and Fight or Flight.
It's important to recognise that what you are feeling is not fear; it is simply your body's preparation to respond to a threat or danger. Fear is often associated with the sensations of Flight and Fight, but fear only plays an initial role in the triggering of the response. It actually comes into play beyond the initial stimulus. The stimulus must first be observed before it is interpreted as dangerous, fear acts as a warning mechanism within this interpretation phase. Simply put Fear is our measure of danger and threat. The things that produce the greatest fears in us are the ones that pose the greatest threat. This should not be confused with Phobias, which are irrational fears of specific stimuli, it is still fear but the threat of the stimulus is exaggerated and often it has little "actual" or current threat. Although irrational and exaggerated the response process is still the same.
Fear is often seen as a negative phenomenon, and in the case of phobias it generally is, but really fear is much more of a positive experience. It acts as our built in "stupid prevention mechanism", that is, it stops us doing stupid and dangerous things. When we do over ride this mechanism and do things that are risky, then fear heightens our awareness of the danger and thus enables us to counter that danger. Fear is actually very empowering, the bodies response to fear, the fight and flight response, prepares your body for action, in fact action that is faster and stronger then usual, as mentioned earlier your body is like it is super charged.
The danger is not in the fear itself, but in the refusal to accept that fear. Apathy and denial, "this is not happening" or "why is this happening to me", results in the person being over fixated on the fear itself instead of dealing with the cause of the fear. It results in the freeze syndrome, and is a major cause of failure for martial artists (and non-martial artists) in real violence. It's not the lack of skill or ability that fails us when real world violence presents itself, the street thug isn't better then the martial artist, the martial artist is just not prepared for that level of intensity of fight or flight, they read this as fear and become fixated on it. The fight or flight felt in the dojo or the ring is not nearly as intense as it is when there is a real risk of losing your life.
The thing that causes humans to freeze during the fight and flight response is unfamiliarity and indecision, or more accurately, having too many choices and not being able to choose the best option (or any option). The brain gets stuck in the void of an indecision loop where it hovers between options, unable to go to (or even see) one option because of the "pull" of the other options.
Can you control fight or flight response?
You can't control the actual response as such, once triggered it is automatic. The control comes at the interpretation point of the process. In most cases fear is the determining factor for the intensity of the response, the greater the fear the greater the response. A related factor is the perceived level of threat, the greater the level of threat the greater the fear associated to it. You can't control the response process but you do have a say over the intensity. The key is to control the fear.
You overcome this fear the same way as you would with any fear or phobia; you face it. You become accustomed to it. When you become familiar with the cause of the fear, eventually your fear of it is reduced. Practice makes perfect, practice dealing with fear and you become better at dealing with it. I'm not suggesting you go out and seek street fights or muggings. Instead, utilise adrenal stress familiarisation in your training, see below.
Confidence is one of the main factors in overcoming fear. Your level of confidence in dealing with a threat will influence your perceived fear of that threat. The more confidence you have in successfully handling the danger the less you fear that danger. A simple way of building confidence is via familiarisation. The more exposure you have to a stimulus the more confident you become at facing it. Familiarity brings about confidence through reinforcement. It is important to focus on success in handling the threat and not any failure. It is the continued success or improvement towards success that truly brings confidence and reduces the fear of the stimulus.
Lets look at the some common treatments for phobias, the principles of which can be assimilated into self-protection training. There are, of course, a number of different psychological treatments available for phobias; here we are going to concentrate on exposure therapies as they relate directly to what we have just been talking about. We will use arachnephobia, or the fear of spiders, as an analogy.
Exposure Therapy is a phobia treatment involving the exposure to the phobic stimulus in a safe and controlled setting. One method of exposure treatment is via "Flooding". Flooding is where the person is immersed in the fear reflex until the fear itself fades away. The person is literally flooded with the stimulus, to a point where the subject becomes accustomed to the stimulus and the resulting fear. Many adrenal stress familiarisation drills utilize flooding Senshido's "Emotional Invocation Drill" is a great example and Geoff Thompson's Infamous "Animal Days" involve a great deal of flooding type experiences. Flooding has the downside of being very overwhelming, and highly stressful to the participant.
Similar to flooding but undertaken in a progressive step-by-step fashion is "Systematic Desensitization". Here the subject is exposed to the stimulus in increasing degrees. The treatment for arachnophobia (fear of spiders) frequently involves Systematic Desensitization. Typically the person will be exposed only slightly to the stimulus, they may just look at a photo of a spider. The next step is to look at a plastic spider and then handle the plastic spider. Next they may observe a real but dead spider and then touch the dead spider. Next they will observe a live spider at a distance and behind a class shield and then without the shield and so on until eventually they are able to physically handle a real live spider. This approach can easily be adopted in self-protection training by exposing the student to increasingly "realistic" scenarios including more and more variables, greater contact more aggression and so on. This approach is often used by Martial arts clubs for sparing; lower grades start with no or little contact increasing the level of contact belt by belt or step by step until they are able to properly spar full or near full contact.
The benefits of increasing the level of familiarisation of a fearful stimulus gradually are pretty obvious, but the real benefit of the therapy is derived from the inclusion of "Counter-Conditioning". Here the subject is encouraged to substitute another response for the fear response when exposed to the phobic stimulus. Relaxation is often a substitute as it is incompatible with feeling fearful or anxious. By consciously relaxing and controlling your breathing (deep, controlled breath facilitates relaxation) when exposed to the stimulus you effectively counter the intensity of its fear-induced effect. Fight and flight will probably still be invoked, but because you train yourself to relax the fear is perceived as less stressful and thus the fight and flight response operates at a lower intensity.
It doesn't have to be relaxation that is used as the substitute; you can train yourself to react in any particular way when in the presence of the stimulus.
You could, for example, train yourself to automatically raise your hands, or drive forward etc
Training and the Fight or Flight Response
The RBSD (Reality Based Self Defence) movement has influence many systems, and now there is more pressure testing and adrenal stress training happening across our industry. In my opinion this can only strengthen the ability of martial arts to provide effective self-defence.
Incorporating adrenal stress familiarisation into your current training can greatly improve your ability to defend yourself if the need arises. There are many ways to do this, scenario replication that simulates real life violence, including the yelling, shoving, threats, foul language, in your face posturing and so on is a good way to start. Add some padding for protection or you could even go as far as a full padded assailant suit to allow the "victim" to feel what its like to land full power shots under stress and pressure. The important aspect is to have the participant perform under the effects of fight or flight ideally your aim is to induce an adrenaline dump in the participant.
Becoming familiar with the way your body responds to adrenaline and fight and flight, as well as feeling the limitations and what it's like to perform under it's stress, will go a long way to allowing your martial arts skills to do their job if the need arises.
References:
Jenkins G.W., Kemnitz C.P., &Tortora G.J. (2007p 646-651). Anatomy and Physiology: From science to life. Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Cannon, Walter (1915). Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage: An Account of Recent Researches into the Function of Emotional Excitement, New York: Appleton & Co.
Westen, D., Burton, L., & Kowalski, R. (2006). Psychology: Australian and New Zealand edition. Brisbane: John Wiley.
Fear and the fight or flight response...
Time seems to slow down and it seems you are looking through another's eyes. You can't think properly and repeat, "this isn't happening" or similar over and over in your mind. Your pupils dilate and your field of vision narrows; your hearing becomes more focussed on your immediate surroundings. You can clearly hear and feel the throb of your pulse in your head as your heart rate, the force of your hearts contraction, and blood pressure increase. After an initial intake of air, your breathing becomes shallower, but more efficient. Your legs are so primed for action that they begin to shake with anticipation. Your face and hands feel clammy from the sweat even though it's a cool night. You feel nauseous because your stomach wants to empty itself. Your bladder and bowel wants to evacuate their contents. This is what it means to "have the crap scared out of you" ... this is fight or flight.
The above is an account of some of the sensations you may experience when the fight or flight response is triggered. It could be due to the threat of violence such as a mugging or an attack, or it could be because you are about to give a talk in front of a large audience. In fact it can be triggered by any physical or emotional stress, especially when fear is involved, but not limited to it.
Fight or Flight Defined
The fight-or-flight response, also called the acute stress response, was first described by Walter Cannon in 1915, in his printed work "Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage: An Account of Recent Researches into the Function of Emotional Excitement". His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing. This response was later recognised as the first stage of a general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms.
The Stimulus
Lets take a closer look at what actually goes on when in fight or flight. We'll look at what happens, how it happens and why it happens.
The first part of the equation is the stimulus - the trigger that sets the entire process off in the first place. For a stimulus to trigger the fight or flight response it must be perceived as stress inducing or introduced suddenly and unexpected. Stress can be physical, such as with intense exercise, or mental/emotional such as fear. The stimulus that produce an initial fight or flight reaction can generally be categorised into "E situations" such as Exercise, Emergency, Excitement and Embarrassment.
The Trigger
Our senses detect the stimulus, though sometimes our imagination creates it, specialised areas of the brain then process it and determine it to be stressful enough to respond with fight or flight. Recent research suggests that reaction to a stimulus may occur in two stages. The first is a quick response based on an initial reaction to the stimulus. This involves a circuit running from the thalamus to the amygdala and leads to an immediate response. The second path travels from the thalamus to the cortex and then to the amygdala, this circuit allows a more cognitive appraisal of the stimulus based on stored knowledge and goals. The second pathway is longer and thus takes more time, this could result in a secondary response, which could either, support the initial reaction (of the first circuit) or stop it. Both pathways end up traveling to the Hypothalamus via the amygdala.
Impulses from the Hypothalamus stimulate sympathetic preganglionic neurons, which release acetylcholine (Ach), which in turn stimulate the cells of the adrenal medulla to secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine. Yep that went over my head too, all these long scientific words are simply names, don't get too caught up with them, it's their role that we are primarily concerned with. Basically the Hypothalamus is a cone shaped part of the brain ending in the pituitary gland. Its main role is to maintain the body's status quo; it keeps the body in a stable state of equilibrium. It regulates the balance between the parasympathetic and the sympathetic division of the Automatic Nervous System (ANS). It is the sympathetic side of the ANS that deals with the fight and flight functions. It is via the parasympathetic division that unconscious body functions are regulated, functions such as heartbeat, breathing, body temperature, etc. During the fight or flight process, the Hypothalamus tips the balance of the ANS towards the sympathetic division.
Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter, (in fact the first one ever discovered), that is released via the firing of pregangleonic neurons - these are nerve cells that are located in the brain or spinal cord and are actually part of the central nervous system. The firing of these neurons triggers the automatic or sympathetic ganglion to release the ACh, which then travels along the neuropathways to the adrenal glands.
Enter The Adrenaline Dump
The two adrenal glands are located on top of each kidney. 80 to 90% of each gland is made up of the adrenal cortex, the balance being the centrally located adrenal Medulla. It is the adrenal Medulla that is primarily stimulated by the ACh. This stimulation releases the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine (aka adrenaline and noradrenaline). This is the infamous adrenaline dump. The adrenal cortex also secretes hormones called Glucocorticoids (mainly cortisol) that influence glucose metabolism, have anti-inflammatory effects and depress the immune system. There are many more chemicals and hormones involved in the process, but it's not necessary to list them all here, they all contribute to the process either directly or indirectly.
The Effects
Activation of the sympathetic division and release of hormones by the adrenal medullae set in motion a series of physiological responses that are collectively referred to as the fight or flight response. They include:
* The pupils of the eyes dilate.
* Heart rate, force of heart contraction, and blood pressure increase.
* The Airways dilate, allowing faster movement of air into and out of the lungs.
* Inhibition of tear glands and salivation
* The sweat glands become active
* The blood vessels that supply the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract constrict, which decreases blood flow through these tissues. The result is a slowing of urine formation and digestive activities, which are not essential during exercise or emergency situations.
* Blood vessels that supply organs involved in exercise or fighting of danger-skeletal muscles, cardiac muscle, liver, and adipose tissue-dilate, allowing greater blood flow through these tissues.
* Relaxation of bladder
* The liver increases breakdown of glycogen to glucose and adipose tissue increases breakdown of triglycerides to fatty acids and glycerol, raising blood levels of these molecules for greater ATP production. (ATP is Adenosine triphosphate. It is the main energy currency in living cells; used to transfer the chemical energy needed for metabolic reactions.
* Release of glucose by liver increases blood glucose levels for greater ATP production.
* Processes that are not essential for meeting the stressful situation are inhibited. For example, muscular movements of the gastrointestinal tract and digestive secretions slow down or even stop.
* Cognitive thought is reduced to its basic primal state as your brain activity moves away from the outer edges towards the central brain ( also known as reptilian brain , monkey brain or the primal brain)
. (Jenkins, Kemnitz, & Tortora (2007 pp. 532-533))
All this is done to put your body in the best state for action and allow you to most efficiently deal with the threat. Your eyesight and hearing become more focused on the danger. The increase in heart rate and pressure moves more blood to the action muscles and the increase in breathing rate means the blood carries more oxygen to the muscles. Combine this with the higher levels of blood glucose and it's like throwing fuel on the fire, or like a turbo charger for your muscles. Shutting down non-essential systems, such as the digestive and reproductive systems, allows your body to focus all it's resources on overcoming the threat, similar to when the old man used to turn the air conditioner off when driving up a hill. You sweat to help keep your now supercharged body cool. And your hairs may stand up to aid in cooling and also to help you look bigger (we were a lot hairier before we became human).
Fear and Fight or Flight.
It's important to recognise that what you are feeling is not fear; it is simply your body's preparation to respond to a threat or danger. Fear is often associated with the sensations of Flight and Fight, but fear only plays an initial role in the triggering of the response. It actually comes into play beyond the initial stimulus. The stimulus must first be observed before it is interpreted as dangerous, fear acts as a warning mechanism within this interpretation phase. Simply put Fear is our measure of danger and threat. The things that produce the greatest fears in us are the ones that pose the greatest threat. This should not be confused with Phobias, which are irrational fears of specific stimuli, it is still fear but the threat of the stimulus is exaggerated and often it has little "actual" or current threat. Although irrational and exaggerated the response process is still the same.
Fear is often seen as a negative phenomenon, and in the case of phobias it generally is, but really fear is much more of a positive experience. It acts as our built in "stupid prevention mechanism", that is, it stops us doing stupid and dangerous things. When we do over ride this mechanism and do things that are risky, then fear heightens our awareness of the danger and thus enables us to counter that danger. Fear is actually very empowering, the bodies response to fear, the fight and flight response, prepares your body for action, in fact action that is faster and stronger then usual, as mentioned earlier your body is like it is super charged.
The danger is not in the fear itself, but in the refusal to accept that fear. Apathy and denial, "this is not happening" or "why is this happening to me", results in the person being over fixated on the fear itself instead of dealing with the cause of the fear. It results in the freeze syndrome, and is a major cause of failure for martial artists (and non-martial artists) in real violence. It's not the lack of skill or ability that fails us when real world violence presents itself, the street thug isn't better then the martial artist, the martial artist is just not prepared for that level of intensity of fight or flight, they read this as fear and become fixated on it. The fight or flight felt in the dojo or the ring is not nearly as intense as it is when there is a real risk of losing your life.
The thing that causes humans to freeze during the fight and flight response is unfamiliarity and indecision, or more accurately, having too many choices and not being able to choose the best option (or any option). The brain gets stuck in the void of an indecision loop where it hovers between options, unable to go to (or even see) one option because of the "pull" of the other options.
Can you control fight or flight response?
You can't control the actual response as such, once triggered it is automatic. The control comes at the interpretation point of the process. In most cases fear is the determining factor for the intensity of the response, the greater the fear the greater the response. A related factor is the perceived level of threat, the greater the level of threat the greater the fear associated to it. You can't control the response process but you do have a say over the intensity. The key is to control the fear.
You overcome this fear the same way as you would with any fear or phobia; you face it. You become accustomed to it. When you become familiar with the cause of the fear, eventually your fear of it is reduced. Practice makes perfect, practice dealing with fear and you become better at dealing with it. I'm not suggesting you go out and seek street fights or muggings. Instead, utilise adrenal stress familiarisation in your training, see below.
Confidence is one of the main factors in overcoming fear. Your level of confidence in dealing with a threat will influence your perceived fear of that threat. The more confidence you have in successfully handling the danger the less you fear that danger. A simple way of building confidence is via familiarisation. The more exposure you have to a stimulus the more confident you become at facing it. Familiarity brings about confidence through reinforcement. It is important to focus on success in handling the threat and not any failure. It is the continued success or improvement towards success that truly brings confidence and reduces the fear of the stimulus.
Lets look at the some common treatments for phobias, the principles of which can be assimilated into self-protection training. There are, of course, a number of different psychological treatments available for phobias; here we are going to concentrate on exposure therapies as they relate directly to what we have just been talking about. We will use arachnephobia, or the fear of spiders, as an analogy.
Exposure Therapy is a phobia treatment involving the exposure to the phobic stimulus in a safe and controlled setting. One method of exposure treatment is via "Flooding". Flooding is where the person is immersed in the fear reflex until the fear itself fades away. The person is literally flooded with the stimulus, to a point where the subject becomes accustomed to the stimulus and the resulting fear. Many adrenal stress familiarisation drills utilize flooding Senshido's "Emotional Invocation Drill" is a great example and Geoff Thompson's Infamous "Animal Days" involve a great deal of flooding type experiences. Flooding has the downside of being very overwhelming, and highly stressful to the participant.
Similar to flooding but undertaken in a progressive step-by-step fashion is "Systematic Desensitization". Here the subject is exposed to the stimulus in increasing degrees. The treatment for arachnophobia (fear of spiders) frequently involves Systematic Desensitization. Typically the person will be exposed only slightly to the stimulus, they may just look at a photo of a spider. The next step is to look at a plastic spider and then handle the plastic spider. Next they may observe a real but dead spider and then touch the dead spider. Next they will observe a live spider at a distance and behind a class shield and then without the shield and so on until eventually they are able to physically handle a real live spider. This approach can easily be adopted in self-protection training by exposing the student to increasingly "realistic" scenarios including more and more variables, greater contact more aggression and so on. This approach is often used by Martial arts clubs for sparing; lower grades start with no or little contact increasing the level of contact belt by belt or step by step until they are able to properly spar full or near full contact.
The benefits of increasing the level of familiarisation of a fearful stimulus gradually are pretty obvious, but the real benefit of the therapy is derived from the inclusion of "Counter-Conditioning". Here the subject is encouraged to substitute another response for the fear response when exposed to the phobic stimulus. Relaxation is often a substitute as it is incompatible with feeling fearful or anxious. By consciously relaxing and controlling your breathing (deep, controlled breath facilitates relaxation) when exposed to the stimulus you effectively counter the intensity of its fear-induced effect. Fight and flight will probably still be invoked, but because you train yourself to relax the fear is perceived as less stressful and thus the fight and flight response operates at a lower intensity.
It doesn't have to be relaxation that is used as the substitute; you can train yourself to react in any particular way when in the presence of the stimulus.
You could, for example, train yourself to automatically raise your hands, or drive forward etc
Training and the Fight or Flight Response
The RBSD (Reality Based Self Defence) movement has influence many systems, and now there is more pressure testing and adrenal stress training happening across our industry. In my opinion this can only strengthen the ability of martial arts to provide effective self-defence.
Incorporating adrenal stress familiarisation into your current training can greatly improve your ability to defend yourself if the need arises. There are many ways to do this, scenario replication that simulates real life violence, including the yelling, shoving, threats, foul language, in your face posturing and so on is a good way to start. Add some padding for protection or you could even go as far as a full padded assailant suit to allow the "victim" to feel what its like to land full power shots under stress and pressure. The important aspect is to have the participant perform under the effects of fight or flight ideally your aim is to induce an adrenaline dump in the participant.
Becoming familiar with the way your body responds to adrenaline and fight and flight, as well as feeling the limitations and what it's like to perform under it's stress, will go a long way to allowing your martial arts skills to do their job if the need arises.
References:
Jenkins G.W., Kemnitz C.P., &Tortora G.J. (2007p 646-651). Anatomy and Physiology: From science to life. Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Cannon, Walter (1915). Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage: An Account of Recent Researches into the Function of Emotional Excitement, New York: Appleton & Co.
Westen, D., Burton, L., & Kowalski, R. (2006). Psychology: Australian and New Zealand edition. Brisbane: John Wiley.
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