Is Any Self-Defense Training Better than None?

As Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) instructors talk more about their work, other self-defense practitioners and students raise questions. ESD Instructor Clara Porter answers some of those questions below.  

    

Is any self-defense training better than no self-defense training?

No. If you are taught physical self-defense in an environment where success means being able to fight through something every time and being able to power over another person every time, it is unrealistic, doesn’t address the realities of violence that women face, and it can damage women’s self-confidence.

Teaching solely physical skills does a disservice. From street harassment to sexual assault by strangers or familiars, physical tools are not always the best or safest option. There are many reasons women may choose not to fight back physically, particularly in situations with people they know and love. Women who have had a self-defense course with a narrow approach to every situation are not realistically prepared.  Failure in the real world after taking such a self-defense course can result in self blame causing psychological, emotional, and physical damage that is more harmful than if they had not taken a self-defense course.

By promoting Empowerment Self-Defense, are you disrespecting other systems of self-defense?

Promoting one thing is not necessarily tearing down something else.

Most self defense systems do not have the data to support their approach. We have the data to show empowerment self-defense works and is rooted in knowledge and experience built over the last 40 years. There is a basis for the claims we make.

The ESD model can be achieved by anyone who wants to teach self-defense and whose goal is to make people’s lives truly safer.

What are the benefits of Empowerment Self-Defense?

What I find most compelling is that after taking an ESD program, people experience increased confidence and feelings of self-efficacy and are more likely to intervene early in situations. They are also more likely to use their voices, to de-escalate, and to interrupt inappropriate behavior. Further, people with ESD training are more likely to report and are less likely to blame themselves.

One of the things I find very fascinating and we need more data to understand is the dramatic reduction in attempted sexual assault when comparing college women who have had ESD training with those who have not. What are the particular ways that women are embodying their ESD training that reduce attempted assault?

Clara Porter is the Director of Prevention. Action. Change in Portland Maine. She is certified by the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation and the Center for Anti-Violence Education. She is also a member of the Empowerment Self-Defense Alliance.

Chipping Away at Rape Culture with Girls' Emotional Self-Defense Training

In "We Can Chip Away at Rape Culture by Teaching Girls Emotional Self-Defense," Thu-Huong Ha writes about empowerment self-defense (ESD) programs that teach girls--preteen and teens--how to say an effective "No" while also claiming their emotional and physical space. 

She addresses:

• The distinctive features of ESD
• The importance of practice
• Assertiveness is not aggressive
• Recognizing boundary violations
• ESD works
• The Future is forthright

Check out the full article where she draws upon the insights of many ESD instructors, including:

No Means No Worldwide Lee Paiva, Sun Dragon Susan Shorn, IMPACT Boston Meg Stone, Defend Yourself Lauren Taylor, Breaking Free Nadia Telsey, IMPACT Chicago Martha Thompson, Safe Passage Lynn Marie Wanamaker.

IMPACT Chicago Instructor Retreat

2018 IMPACT Instructor Team

[front to back]

Martha                                              Rachel

Katie                        Margaret

Rob                     AC

Nat      Bruce

Ben

IMPACT Chicago instructors met for an all-day instructor retreat in May. We use our annual retreats as an opportunity to reflect on the past year and to look ahead to the future. Each of us co-organized  and co-led a portion of the agenda.

This year we addressed:

• The language we use about consent in IMPACT for Girls
• Language to increase LGBTQ inclusion in the Core Program
• Optimizing teamwork
• The hip toss to see how we could improve our teaching of it
• Three major documents: the re-certification process, applying to be an instructor trainer, and the instructor coordinator position
• Organizational expectations
• 2019 Schedule

A dedicated group of people!

IMPACT for Girls: Reflection from M and her Mom

In May 2018, IMPACT Chicago offered IMPACT for Girls at North Park Elementary School (NPES). One of the participants and her mother who attended a final portion of the program shared their experiences.

Participant M, Age 11, NPES

"I felt more empowered and stronger than I thought I was, both physically and mentally. I was so proud of myself and my friends."

Liz Burgess, Parent, NPES

"I was overwhelmed by such a rush of different emotions all at once while watching my daughter work through the scenarios. I was scared for her. I was shocked by how real this felt. I was impressed by how she was able to handle herself with her voice and body. I was proud of the confidence and focus she exhibited while doing so. I was holding back the tears watching my beautiful, smart and strong girl rise up and take control of a potentially unsafe situation. Thank you IMPACT Chicago!"

Tap-Code: When Sexual Assault Survivors Are Not Alone

Do you know about the "tap-code" created by US prisoners of war captured in Vietnam? Held in isolation for years, the soldiers created a code that allowed them to communicate by tapping on their cell walls. In this way, they were able to teach, learn and pray together. Because social support is how we humans become resilient.

Here's today's reflection on the concept of a "tap-code":

Research on the spiritual impact of sexual violence, and the voices of survivors themselves, reveal that the effect of traumatic victimization creates a feeling of “radical separation”—a sense of profound isolation and disconnection.* When I speak and write about the cultural context of sexual violence, I often point out that sexual violence against women is so prevalent that it is an unspoken commonality among adult women. Many factors contribute to the “unspoken”-ness: The fact that the sexual/bodily realm of experience is intensely private and personal. A victim-blaming culture that holds survivors responsible for violence done to them. The power of shame to silence and separate. The short- and long-term effects of the neurobiological stress response that accompanies sexual assault.

But social support is of tremendous value to people facing adversity, and survivors of sexual violence are no exception. Advances in clinical treatment for trauma survivors, much of which is based on neurobiological research, is terrifically important. But macro and mezzo practice also have the opportunity to change social norms and the cultural conversation. This is one reason recent shifts in policy and culture – elevating and validating the voices of survivors – are exciting to me. Creating a common, survivor-supportive language for discussing sexual violence signals survivors that social support is available for them. The way we talk about sexual violence in public—in the media, in public policy, and in our communities—is itself a “tap-code” that tells survivors of sexual trauma that they are not alone.

Lynne Marie Wanamaker

Deputy Director

SafePassage, Inc.

Northampton MA

*The conception of PTSD as spiritual injury rests on an understanding that trauma damages the person's fundamental capacity for trust and attachment--what Sinclair (1993) calls "radical separation," cited in McBride and Armstrong, 1995, p. 8

Reference
McBride, J.L. and G. Armstrong. 1995.The Spiritual Dynamics of Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Journal of Religion and Health 34 (1): 5-16.

Our words matter

A community was outraged when it was discovered that a janitor had drilled holes in the girls’ restroom at a local high school,  taken photos, and had the photos on his laptop. He was fired and charges were filed against him. But the community was left with a swirl of emotions.

In “Words a Powerful Response to Violence,” Empowerment Self-Defense Instructor Lynne Marie Wanamaker offers a path for addressing the ripple effect such an experience has on the whole community by using our words to connect with others and support survivors when people in our communities experience violence.

Internship with IMPACT Chicago: Connecting Women’s and Gender Studies and IMPACT

Much of my  internship with IMPACT Chicago has been  spent archiving the organization’s physical documents and photos. I appreciate being able to look back over a 30-year span and see the paper trail of the organization’s labor and dedication because it really gives me a fuller understanding of the organization. I have seen everything from grant proposals, instructional manuals, and conference presentations.One conference presentation  was on media portrayals of violence and implications for self-defense. Alena Schaim, Resolve (IMPACT in New Mexico) and Martha Thompson, IMPACT Chicago, analyzed popular media images and advertisements, examined assumptions underlying rape myths, and then reframed the images of violence, in order to challenge what the media makers (patriarchy) want us to believe and do. Violent images in the media do not only affect women, but they also influence men’s understanding of masculinity.

In the fall of 2017, I took a violence against women course, Just-321, and this conference presentation on Media  reminded me of an article we discussed by Quinn, 2002, “Sexual Harassment and Masculinity.” In the text they introduced the concept of “girl watching,” which is the phenomenon where a man or men come together to examine women for sexual gratification and humiliation. While they examined this concept in the workplace regarding the relationship between women and male supervisors, it can also be seen in various aspects of daily life through the media. Quinn stated, “Men see harmless flirtation or sexual interest rather than harassment because they misperceive women's intent and responses,” (p.389). We continue to find that, compared to women, men are less likely to define an act as being sexual harassment or violent in nature, and Quinn proposed that when women say, “men don’t get it,” there is actual truth behind these statements. Men do not understand women’s experiences due to the differences in their early socialization and their performative requirements of masculinity. Men tend to lack empathy for women because they lack the need to identity with women’s experiences, due to the male privilege granted upon them by the patriarchy. Men participate in girl watching because it affirms stereotypical-masculine behavior, and the dominant culture uses media subtext to normalizes images of gender-based violence.

          This  internship is aligned with my Women’s and Gender Studies program because it is offering me other tools that I can utilize when challenging hegemony. IMPACT is showing me how not just women in the rest of the world are resisting and creating change, but also how women in my own community are. I have also learned, for as long as IMPACT Chicago has been around, it is only one small branch of an even larger tree. I believe that IMPACT most identifies with third wave feminism because they practice intersectionality. IMPACT is inclusive of woman across all aspects of gender, race, class, and has also expanded their curriculum to create safe, healthy, and informed communities for women with disabilities. Their organization is a non-profit and has 10 chapters in the U.S. and two internationally, in the U.K. and in Israel, and are currently seeking to further expand globally. I believe they are also third wave because they rely on technology and social media outlets to form connectedness, in order to remain at the forefront of current research regarding violence against women, as well as advocating for women’s rights.

Stephanie Elyse Paredes, IMPACT Chicago Intern, Spring 2018

Reference

Quinn, B.A. (2002). Sexual harassment and masculinity: The power and meaning of “girl watching.” Gender & Society, 16 (3), 386-402.