Oh--and since our retreat must be single-sex only (due to liability requirements for insurance and facilities rental), there IS a male-only option at http://www.malesurvivor.org/weekends-of-recovery.html too!

I have a problem with their retreat. I see part of their "healing course" as victim blaming. Could you explain to me WHY so many places do this?

If it wasn't our fault, then why do they all offer self defense courses? I don't get it.

And how is that healing???

I'm not bashing her. I like how she worded everything. It's just that doesn't make sense to me!

well think of this Stephanie, wouldnt you have piece of mind if you could kick ass and take names???
I WOULD lol

lol yeah i agree with kardy, i think that the defense classes aren't so much saying "we will teach YOU how to defend YOURSELF because you're obviously incapable", but i see it as a way of giving victims abilties they may not have had before, to keep in their back pocket, for peace of mind. Cause in reality..self defense techniques don't usually work in assaults.

I think of self defense training the same way as I think of seat belts. I don't wear one because I'm a bad driver...I wear one because I don't trust all those idiots I have to share the road with!

There's interesting research on this issue. One review of several studies found that women tended to over-rate the effectiveness of self-defense training in rape prevention, which led to concerns among researchers and sexual assault experts that the women might also over-rely on such trainings, which have not been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of rape ("Judged Effectiveness of Common Rape Prevention and Self-Defense Strategies" Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 4, No. 1, 44-64 (1989)).

However, there is also some really cool research that finds that although self-defense training does not reduce the risk of rape, it DOES reduce the symptoms of PTSD when the trainings are offered to women who have already been raped. So the irony here is that self-defense is not a rape prevention program, but perhaps it is a good component of a rape *recovery* program.

I also found this: "Rape prevention and self-defense: At what price?" Womenâs Studies International Forum
Volume 14, Issues 1-2, 1991, Pages 49-62

Abstract (see especially the last line):

When deciding whether and what to do to reduce their risk of being raped, women may select from many possible strategies for reducing their chances of being assaulted (rape prevention) or defending themselves if assaulted (self-defense). In evaluating these strategies, women must consider the effect that each has not only on their risk of being raped, but also on other dimensions, such as their chances of injury other than rape or their self-esteem. These âsecondaryâ consequences, both positive and negative, may weigh heavily when women decide which strategies give them the greatest benefit at the least cost. The two studies reported here develop methods for asking women about these difficult tradeoffs. These methods are then applied to three diverse groups of US women, as well as groups of men and of sexual assault experts (with an eye toward establishing how well they can help women with this difficult problem). Study 1 used an open-ended questionnaire to develop a comprehensive list containing 162 strategy consequences, both positive and negative. The relative frequency with which these consequences are mentioned provides an indirect measure of their relative importance. Study 2 assessed strategy importance more directly, using two different rating scales. The mean ratings in this study indicate which consequences tend to be most important to women; the variance in these ratings demonstrates the extent to which consequence importance is a matter of personal opinion. On average, the consequences mentioned most frequently in Study 1 were rated as very aversive in Study 2. Men and women generally produced similar ratings, except for an apparent insensitivity on the part of men to the daily toll paid by women in trying to reduce their risk of sexual assault.

I also found this: "Rape prevention and self-defense: At what price?" Women's Studies International Forum
Volume 14, Issues 1-2, 1991, Pages 49-62

Abstract (see especially the last line):

When deciding whether and what to do to reduce their risk of being raped, women may select from many possible strategies for reducing their chances of being assaulted (rape prevention) or defending themselves if assaulted (self-defense). In evaluating these strategies, women must consider the effect that each has not only on their risk of being raped, but also on other dimensions, such as their chances of injury other than rape or their self-esteem. These "secondary" consequences, both positive and negative, may weigh heavily when women decide which strategies give them the greatest benefit at the least cost. The two studies reported here develop methods for asking women about these difficult tradeoffs. These methods are then applied to three diverse groups of US women, as well as groups of men and of sexual assault experts (with an eye toward establishing how well they can help women with this difficult problem). Study 1 used an open-ended questionnaire to develop a comprehensive list containing 162 strategy consequences, both positive and negative. The relative frequency with which these consequences are mentioned provides an indirect measure of their relative importance. Study 2 assessed strategy importance more directly, using two different rating scales. The mean ratings in this study indicate which consequences tend to be most important to women; the variance in these ratings demonstrates the extent to which consequence importance is a matter of personal opinion. On average, the consequences mentioned most frequently in Study 1 were rated as very aversive in Study 2. Men and women generally produced similar ratings, except for an apparent insensitivity on the part of men to the daily toll paid by women in trying to reduce their risk of sexual assault.

Shannon does so much good work on behalf of survivors. I hope she is able to pull of this retreat successfully. Anyone from RAR planning on attending?

(Clarification: "Shannon", in this context, is the administrator of a non-profit program for survivors.)

Good point Matt. The Shannon I speak of is the founder of Pandora's Aquarium and President of Pandora's Project:

http://www.pandorasproject.org/leadership.html

Thanks for letting us know, unfortuently its a bit short notice for me to fly out to the states! Plus its my birthday and I had planned on doing something more lighthearted that weekend!

As far as the self-defence training goes, personally I'd say that any good physical workout will probably help with the PTSD symptoms - from my own experience, I'm not sure it makes any difference whether it's a martial arts class or just some heavy-duty digging outdoors.
Having a few fighting techniques under your belt *might* give your confidence a bit of a boost, but it's not really something you could rely on in a future scenario.

But it is interesting to see that this retreat idea seems to be taking off!

I have thought of taking self defense training or something like it with the girls...not only is it a kick ass work out....I will be sooooo on top of my game for the bare knuckle boxing matches at next years retreat...first up..."LEITHHHHHHAAAAAA...from...FAKE FLORIDAAAAAAAA!!!!

Oh shoot wrong post....sorry