Introduction to Self-Defense for Trauma Survivors
Trauma can change how your body responds under stress, and that is normal. This 4-hour class is roughly 80% emotional and 20% physical. You learn to recognize your default stress response (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) and to move from any of them into focus, through grounding, body awareness and supported practice setting boundaries with words.
Who it is for
- People living with the effects of trauma who want a practical, body-based place to start. No experience needed.
- Anyone who wants clearer boundaries. You leave with a stronger sense of your physical and emotional boundaries, and of your choices if someone crosses them.
- A small, trauma-informed group. Class size is limited. For more physical practice, try I Just Want to Hit Something.
Suzanne Roberts, former IMPACT adjunct instructor
What happens in the room
What you practice
1. Welcome and ground rules: confidentiality, honesty, and being gentle and curious with yourself
2. How stress lives in the body: our most practiced responses, such as freeze, fight, comply, avoid or dissociate
3. Getting into your body: grounding and presence
4. Distance: noticing yourself and others, then asking for space
5. Boundaries: stance and body language first, then clear, assertive sentences
6. Practice scenes with strangers, words only, at a slow pace
7. A check-in and a break
8. Grounding under pressure, then practice scenes with people you know
9. Simple responses to unwanted touch, practiced at a low level, then a closing circle
Who: open to the public. Adults 18 and over, all genders.
Physical level: mostly standing, moving and speaking. About a fifth of the class is physical practice, at your own pace.
No padded, suited instructor in this class. Practice starts slowly, and you choose how far to go.
Choice: class opens with ground rules, including confidentiality. You can sit out any drill or step out, no reason needed. Trainers ask before any touch. No one has to share a personal story. Being uncomfortable is not the same as being unsafe.
Wear: clothes you can move in.
Length: 4 hours, with a check-in and a break. Public classes are offered year-round at an arranged venue; join the class list to hear the next dates.
Who teaches
IMPACT instructors are trained in trauma-informed care and come up through a mentored training and certification pathway. IMPACT Safety has taught empowerment self-defense in central Ohio since 1993.
Cost
Pay what fits: $60, $95 or $140.
If none of the three fits, tick “I may need a reduced-cost seat” on the class list form.
For a group: a private 4-hour class is $1,200 flat for up to 25 people.
Next step
Join the class list and we will contact you when the next dates are set. No payment now and no obligation.
Or call (614) 437-2884 or email info@impactsafety.org.