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This work is full-contact scenario-based high-adrenaline training in a safe and emotionally supportive environment. One of the many things that we do is train women to shorten their freeze response when in a potentially dangerous situation. In technical terms, we instill healthy responses into what is sometimes termed “Implicit Procedural Memory”… i.e. we essentially condition unconscious habits that can help people stay alive in dangerous situations.

The essence of this work is not “the man in the suit”; it is the pedagogy, the teaching style that allows the conditioning to happen. Because we train women in high adrenaline states, they learn to use the adrenaline as fuel to help them survive rather than causing them to freeze.

While still being researched, current neuroscience suggests that when we are under severe adrenal stress, our brain responds in very specific ways. Our amygdala (fear & aggression) “tells” our hippocampus (memory acquisition) to “Remember this!”. This imprinting is the source of trauma and PTSD. When, in our classes, we recreate a traumatic “solution” in a high adrenaline safe space (giving the body a different physical outcome than the original incident) the amygdala tells our hippocampus, “Okay, this is different, now remember THIS!” When the body discovers this new  “conclusion” to the original trauma it appears to help “overwrite” the original imprint, gets the conscious mind on board, and reduces the stress response.

However important the physical skills may be, most of the class is focused on how to avoid danger and, if needed, how to deescalate dangerous situations. The vast majority of assaults can be avoided with verbal responses alone. We spend a lot of time on body language, non-verbal cues, the dynamics of sexual assaults, and situational awareness as well as the legal issues in Hawaiʻi of needing to defend oneself in the home, at work, and in public.

Self Protection:

Self Protection & Trauma Resolution:

Wild Woman Self Protection

Every woman has within her an innate knowing capable of love and protection. For many, this power has been violated and oppressed by trauma.

These classes and workshops inspire and instruct women and girls to reclaim their instincts and intuition and to use them to set clear boundaries and protect what is sacred; to discern clear and present danger from past trauma; to protect themselves in life threatening situations.

This Self Protection class is rooted in FAST Defense, a High Adrenaline Scenario-Based Training designed by Bill Kipp, voted Black Belt magazine instructor of the year, and Matt Thomas the founder of Model Mugging.

The number one factor in effective self-protection is the ability to navigate the fear and adrenaline rush that naturally arises during a dangerous situation.

We teach specific and effective ways to discern if a situation is potentially life threatening, how to verbally de-escalate dangerous situations as well as easy-to-learn full force techniques to overcome a larger and stronger assailant. In simulated realistic scenarios, each student will practice full force techniques on an instructor who is in the “predator suit”, specifically designed to protect the instructor so that the students do not have to hold back their fighting power. The realism of these simulations in a safe and controlled environment allows the body to quickly assimilate these techniques into “muscle memory” should they ever need to be used in a real life altercation.

In this training, you will learn:

~ To take command of your mind, body, spirit, and emotions when triggered

~ Learn to hear, trust, and follow your intuition and body intelligence

~ To find and utilize the power of your fear, not be paralyzed by it.

~ To navigate workplace conflicts with confidence

~ To avoid threatening situations before they become dangerous

~ To use the power of your voice and body language for self preservation (most confrontations and assaults can be stopped by strong voice, good eye contact and body carriage)

~ And when all else fails, to protect yourself and your loved ones with simple & effective FULL FORCE techniques to the attacker’s vulnerable areas.

These workshops empower women at all levels of physical fitness to restore & integrate the wild feminine and warrior energies within to live a life rooted in love and joy.

Please Note: These teachings are not intended as a replacement for professional therapy for healing from sexual, physical, or emotional trauma nor are they a guarantee that you will be free from harm. If you are in need of psychological counseling or emotional support, please see a licensed therapist.

See our Calendar of Classes