Benefits of Empowerment Self-Defense for Survivors of Sexual Violence
Grounding
Repetition and individualized coaching encourages the use of organized, controlled, focused movement whenever possible. Read more…
Pacing to Manage Nervous System Arousal
Pacing happens in such a way where students are able to stay present and engaged.
Control and Organization
Repetition and individualized coaching encourages the use of organized, controlled, focused movement whenever possible. Read more…
Body Awareness
Students’ attention is
directed toward their bodies, as they learn to begin to tune in to subtle body cues.
Body/Mind Conditioning
Good body alignment facilitates mental organization, and creates feedback loops to counter conditioned previously held beliefs around helplessness.
Kinesthetic Feedback and Embodiment
Students gain a felt-sense understanding of what well-organized movement feels like in the body (just as a child suddenly feels balance on a bicycle) and gain confidence while increasing physical competence. Read more…
Short Verbal Phrases Connect to Motor Responses
It is well known that stress limits language processing. Repeated brief cue phrases are more likely to be internalized and retained. Read more…
Regrounding
Students are not left in an over-aroused state. Following role-plays, instructors ask students to pause and reconnect with their breath, ground into their lower body, and actively scan the environment, thus breaking the “tunnel vision” that may be engaged during periods of high stress. Read more…
Sex Positive Self Defense and Somatic Education 