Power Signals, Posture and the Christian Martialist, 3

Continued from "Power Signals, Posture and the Christian Martialist, 2"

In the previous post I established that the Bible links physical posture to inner moods and attitudes. In the next post, I want to tell a little bit about how I use the power poses in my own training.

First, though, let's look at some of the poses I use. I'll call on two of my favorites, Doc Savage and The Phantom to illustrate.

Above, you can see both Doc and The Phantom taking up space, a classic characteristic of power posing. To me, this pose signifies ready for anything.

Dr. Cuddy calls this "the Wonder Woman pose". In reality, almost every comic book hero assumes this posture often.

Usually, folded arms connote weakness, but not here. The Phantom has not hunched his shoulders, his chin is up, and he has assumed a wide stance. This pose virtually screams, "I'm in charge, here.".

Doc Savage projects power with arms upraised. The upper image reminds me of what I call the strongman pose.

It's difficult to find comic book heroes using the victory pose. When I use it, the word "exultant" comes to mind.

Both Doc and The Phantom project authority, even when seated. For this one, you need the biggest armchair you can find, then spread out to fill the space..

Power Signals, Posture and the Christian Martialist, 2

Continued from "Power Signals, Posture and the Christian Martialist"

In the previous post, I presented the principle that how you position your body affects your own inner attitude. When you are in a hostile environment, you want to project confidence and power to yourself as well as to potential adversaries.

The Christian Martialist, however, must ask himself the question: "Does this principle represent some fad in pop psychology, or does it arise out God's built-in design? Of course, the Word of God holds the ultimate answer to the validity of power poses.

I did a study on where the Bible associates physical posture with inner moods and attitudes. I also checked some commentaries that help to confirm and explain those connections.

Posture, Mood & Attitude

Psalm 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

Commentary:

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? - Margin, bowed down. The Hebrew word means to bow down, to incline oneself; then, usually, to prostrate oneself as in public worship; and then, to sink down under the weight of sorrow; to be depressed and sad. The Septuagint renders it, “Why art thou grieved?” - περίλυπος (Barnes)

Psalm 27:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

Commentary:

And now shall mine head - Now shall I be exalted. So we say that in affliction a person bows down his head; in prosperity he lifts it up. This verse expresses the confident expectation that he would be enabled to triumph over all his foes, and a firm purpose on his part, as the result of this, to offer sacrifices of praise to his great Deliverer. (Barnes)

Psalm 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Commentary:

Therefore shall he lift up the head - Therefore shall he triumph, or be successful. The head falls when we are faint and exhausted, when we are disappointed and are ashamed, when we are conscious of guilt. It is lifted up in conscious rectitude, in success and triumph, in the exuberance of hope. (Barnes)

Psalm 119:48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

Commentary:

My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments ... - As an expression of delight or rejoicing, as people lift up their hands with their voice when they give expression to joy. It denotes a high state of joy, such as leads to an outward expression; not merely that which exists in calm contemplation, but where the heart is full, and when it finds outward expression. (Barnes)

Psalm 134:1 A Song of degrees. Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.

Psalm 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.

Psalm 134:3 The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.

Commentary:

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary - Margin, In holiness. The Hebrew word properly means holiness, but it may be applied to a holy place. See Psalm_20:2. The lifting up of the hands is properly expressive of prayer, but the phrase may be used to denote praise or worship in general. (Barnes)

Lam 3:41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

Commentary:

Lift up the hands which hang down - As if from weariness and exhaustion. Renew your courage; make a new effort to bear them. The hands fall by the side when we are exhausted with toil, or worn down by disease; see the notes on Isa_35:3, from which place this exhortation is taken. (Barnes)

Isa 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

Commentary:

The weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees - Strength resides mainly in the arms, and in the lower limbs, or the knees. If these are feeble, the whole frame is feeble. Fear relaxes the strength of the arms, and the firmness of the knees; and the expressions ‘weak hands,’ and ‘feeble knees,’ become synonymous with saying, of a timid, fearful, and desponding frame of mind. (Barnes)

Job 22:6 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.

Commentary:

And shalt lift up thy face unto God - An emblem of prosperity, happiness, and conscious innocence. We hang our face down when we are conscious of guilt; we bow the head in adversity. When conscious of uprightness; when blessed with prosperity, and when we have evidence that we are the children of God, we look up toward heaven. This was the natural condition of human beings - made to look upward, while all other animals look grovelling on the earth. (Barnes)

Ezekiel 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Eze 2:1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

Eze 2:2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

Jos 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

Jos 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Jos 7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies,

Pro 28:12 When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.

Rejoice:

‛âlats

aw-lats'

A primitive root; to jump for joy, that is, exult: - be joyful, rejoice, triumph. (Strong)

Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Subdue:

kâbash

kaw-bash'

A primitive root; to tread down; hence negatively to disregard; positively to conquer, subjugate, violate: - bring into bondage, force, keep under, subdue, bring into subjection. (Strong)

I read a commentary that said this word’s usage stemmed from the practice of kings in the ancient Near East to place a foot upon the neck of a conquered foe, denoting total and absolute subjugation. (C.M.)

Power Signals, Posture and the Christian Martialist

The following helpful paragraph came from an ad:

There are three groups of power signals, each group or range communicates a personality or character quality.

• Alpha Signals: Leadership, Dominance, Control. An Alpha will initiate action and take up space.
• Beta Signals: Competence, Credibility, Intelligence, Confidence. A person with Beta characteristics interacts and shares space.
• Gamma Signals: Friendliness, Likeability, Interpersonal Attractiveness. A Gamma will respond and give up space.

The ad goes on to say that each serves an appropriate role, depending on the social context. 

I've written previously about how when you project confidence (as opposed to cockiness or bravado), predators tend to steer away from you and look for easier prey. I was also interested to find out that your posture not only affects how others see you, it affects your own confidence levels -- how you feel about yourself.

Power posture -- I like to refer to this as my superhero poses -- has been shown to reduce the stress hormone cortisol. This will serve as one more tool in your kit to control adrenaline in emergency situations. The health benefits that result from regular practice of power poses come as an added bonus.

View the video below for the whole story, and it would not hurt to have your women folk watch it, as well. This could save them from an attack they will never know was imminent.

Would You Like to Know What's Coming? - 3

Continued from "Would You Like to Know What's Coming? - 2"

The next installment is available at the link below:

Judgment on America? - 3

Rear Naked Choke & Multiple Assailants

Normally, you don't think of grappling as a way of dealing with multiple assailants. The following video, however, demonstrates the rear naked choke as a means of controlling one attacker and using his body as a shield to fend off the others

Notice the importance of taking away your opponent's balance. In my opinion, you can get better control by taking his equilibrium than with pain compliance techniques, because the fear of falling is an instinct everyone has from birth.

Motivational Quotes

From various sources (including my Bible & my barber).

Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. -- Deuteronomy 20:3-4

Choose wisely, practice 'til you're proficient and pray that you never need it! -- as seen on a gun forum

Blessed is he who when facing his own demise, thinks only of his front sight. -- as seen on a gun forum

The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth. -- Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson

Call me paranoid at my funeral - until then, call me prepared. -- as seen on a gun forum

A few years ago I was taking some classes in Kali. The instructor said something along that line of thught that stuck with me. He said," I don't fear the man who practices 10,000 types of punches. I fear the man who has practiced 1 punch 10,000 times." -- as seen on a gun forum in a debate about "beware the man with one gun,for he knows how to use it."

Strong men stand up for themselves, stronger men stand up for others.

Out of every 100 men sent to battle, 10 shouldn't even be there, 80 are just targets, 9 are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior and he will bring the others back. - Heraclitus 500 BC

For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. (Jos 23:9-10)

Courage, 2

Continued from "Mindset: Courage"

Core-age (strength at the core) rises in answer to the call of the twin voices: necessity and obligation.

For many years, humorist Garrison Keillor has touted the benefits of Powder Milk Biscuits. "They give shy persons the strength to do what needs to be done." I don't know how much courage one derives from fictitious biscuits, but Keillor has hit the nail on the head when it comes to courage.

Shy people don't like crowds and avoid potentially awkward social situations. But there are those unavoidable situations where you have to deal with people -- drivers' license tests, job interviews, asking for directions, etc.

Sooner or later the fearful or shy person recognizes that the task must be done and that he must do it, no matter how distasteful. At that point he in effect says, "No," to his fears and dislikes, and he does what needs to be done.

To reach the point where he is willing to do what needs to be done, he must have strength at the core.

To be continued

Mindset: Courage

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Jos 1:9)

Richard, the Norman king of England, bore the French nickname couer de leon (heart of lion). In fact, our English word courage descended from the very same French word for heart.

In this sense, heart does not so much refer to the organ that pumps blood as it does to the center, the essential core (which may also come from couer) of one's being. Thus we might think of courage as "core-age".

Merriam-Webster defines courage as follows:

: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty

Simply put, courage is strength at the core.

I am put in mind of a scene from The Magnificent Seven in which two boys from the Mexican village speak with the Hispano/Irish gunfighter, Bernardo O'Reilly(played by Charles Bronson). When the boys refer to their fathers as cowards, Bernardo turns each one over his knee for a spanking and then lectures them on how their fathers go to the fields day after day, enduring hardship and disappointment in order to feed their families. He ends with the words, "I never had that kind of courage."

To be continued

Self Doubt & Fear of Failure

The following comes from an email sent out by Damian Ross of the "The Self Defense Company":

My question is how do you destroy self-doubt? What I mean is I want to be confident and I do try, but there is still always some worry that it won't work or I'll fail-how do I stop that? I tend to give my opponent to much credit and myself very little even if I try shaking it out of my system. Thanks Regards Bob from, Northern Alberta, Canada

Answer:
Bob, that is a very human and normal response. First, knowing that what your practicing actually works helps a lot. . . . When I was young I always had self doubt, especially in the street; even though I was an accomplished wrestler and karate tournament fighter. But once I began learning this method, my common sense and experience told me that this was the real deal. Finally and perhaps most important, you must practice and train harder. . . . Training consistently will erase most self doubt. Since we're human, you can't get rid of it all, even the biggest and the baddest till have a little voice in their head. What you want to do is minimize it and the only what you do that is through training. When trained properly you will automatically go into action.

I think that this is good advice. Before I started training in jujitsu, I harbored a lot of doubts about how I might do in a physical confrontation. My training in Shito Ryu karate did not do much to alleviate those doubts.

But my jujitsu training was different. I could feel the effectiveness of techniques both when I used them on my partner and when he used them on me. This gave me confidence in the system.

The WARSKYL self defense system gives me even more confidence. I designed it around the startle response and the simplest & most effective gross motor skills. These techniques work; I have seen and felt them. Moreover, they work with minimal training.

When you stop training altogether, however, you lose your edge. Then the doubts begin to creep back in. They are simply the messengers of the inner man, telling you what you already know -- you need to get back in training.

Christian Fems Dis WARSKYL

It seems that some Christian feminists have set their sights on WARSKYL.

Well . . . okay, my blog is only mentioned in the comments section (and first appears in comment #661, at that). Wait a minute! Almost 700 comments? Somebody has a lot of time on their hands.

It will come as no surprise to my regular readers (who are in on the conspiracy) that WARSKYL is not really my creation and responsibility. It is actually a conduit for the "patriarchalism" of Vision Forum. (Since I'm their conduit, do you think I could get them to endorse WARSKYL? It might increase my readership.)

Also, my blog is "scary" and "despicable" because I " use urban legends to create fear".

Not only that, I am guilty of "the widespread online networking of 18-20 something NeoConfederate types, who are VisionForum trained and who are recuiting [sic] youth in their areas into Warskyl based groups throughout the country."

Okay, guys. Who's recruiting people into WARSKYL based groups -- and why wasn't I informed? They say I'm spreading fear, but their stuff is pure paranoia.

I did respond to their comments (my comments were no's. 665 & 666 -- just to provide more fuel for the paranoid fires). I invite you to read them, but I would caution you against getting caught up in the discussion. They can and will bury you in responses, and they are not above taking personal shots at those with whom they disagree.

My advice? Just observe for your own edification and amusement.

Truly Paranoid Womanhood

New Year Evaluation, 2

Continued from "New Year Evaluation"

So, what do I need to strive for this year in the area of means?

1) In terms of therapeutics, I need to encourage healing of the shin splints & also find way to normalize my lower back;

2) In terms of fitness, I need to continue my walking regimen & make the anaerobic exercise a regular habit; also, I need to learn to vary my strength training so as not to risk injury (or aggravating old injuries);

3) In terms of physical skills, I need to find a regular practice partner (still hoping and praying -- anyone in the Greenville, SC area interested?); I need to hone my hand strike skills and, assuming full recovery from shin splints, work on adding dropping energy to my strikes; I also need to work on my low kicks;

4) In terms of knowledge, I need to work on making the WARSKYL system deeper (in its effectiveness) and broader (in its scope, including strategic and tactical considerations);

5) In terms of gear . . . well, there's always the desire for more & better.

I have the means . . . and the mindset.

I believe that mindset is an attitude (or a cluster of attitudes), and I further believe that attitude is a spiritual quality. Therefore, mindset evaluation offers peek into one's spiritual condition.

A couple of years ago, my pastor counseled (I'm talking about serious Biblical counseling, here) me about a particular fear that has caused me some problems. After those sessions, I wrote a little book entitle "How to Master Your "Fear". The book works toward the conclusion that, ultimately, fear is a spiritual problem.

I've been reviewing and adding to the book, lately (and thinking of publishing it -- see poll at right). But I've also been thinking of writing a companion book to it about courage.

So, anyway, my spiritual self-evaluation is that I need to work through the courage issues. Not because I'm fearful (fear is not the opposite of courage), but because I'm easily dis-couraged. More on that in the book, as it develops.

What do I need to strive for spiritually this year?

1) I need to develop more consistency and discipline in my study of Scripture and in prayer;

2) I need to deepen my loyalty to the King and my obedience to His Royal Law;

3) I need to work regularly at my own part in fulfilling the Great Commission;

4) I need to use the means of grace to banish fear from my life and to develop true courage in service to the King.

If I can do these things, I will be able to say in all honesty:

I have the means, and the mindset. I will journey into Hell and darkness to protect the ones I love.

Sheepdog Strategies, 9

In "Sheepdog Strategies, 8" I mentioned Customer Centered Selling by Robert Jolles. In it, he teaches sales people to lead the customer through the decision cycle.

The sales process begins with dissatisfaction. The salesman asks probing questions about the product, service or process the prospect currently uses to uncover areas of dissatisfaction. Then he continues with questions that reveal the features/benefits the prospect needs to satisfy him.

The salesman proceeds to the sale with a question: "If I could provide you with [product, service, process] that meets your requirements within your price range, would you buy it?" Now the salesman has a commitment to buy before he even begins his sales presentation.

This approach frightens a lot of sales people, because it puts the customer in the driver's seat. There is a lot more uncertainty than with a canned sales spiel.

What if the salesman can uncover no dissatisfaction, or his product line does not meet the needs of his prospective customer? Then the ethical salesman will recommend the prospect to one of his competitors who CAN meet the prospect's needs.

Now, this series is about how to get our womenfolk to see the need for self defense training. You want to sell her safety and security. Can you see how this approach may apply to your situation?

Do you know what your womenfolk rely on for safety? I mean, do you really know? Have you ever taken the time find out? Have you ever taken the time to figure out the right questions to ask?

Whatever she depends on for safety is the "product" she is presently using. Probing questions will reveal her doubts and fears (dissatisfaction) about that product.

Customer Centered Selling contains a lot of insight into the process that I don't have space for here. If you really want to sell the idea of self defense to someone, I recommend you find a copy of the book at your local library and study it.

Sheepdog Strategies, 4

Continued from "Sheepdog Strategies, 3"

What is it that keeps Minnesotans from preparing for blizzards, keeps Floridians from preparing for hurricanes and keeps Californians from preparing for earthquakes? All of them face high likelihood of an interruption of normal services during a natural event.

Some call it procrastination. But I think procrastination is just one form of denial. "The prospect of a life-threatening event that could, in a moment, take away all I've worked and saved for is a scary prospect. If I don't think about it, I won't have to face that fear."

This is little different from the woman who does not want to think about self defense. The prospect of physical -- and especially sexual -- assault is terrifying. Especially if you see yourself as essentially helpless.

One cultural entity -- evangelicalism -- in our society has perpetuated the idea that women are helpless. That fatal and unbiblical idea blossomed with the rise of Romanticism in the 19th Century. It depicted women essentially as weak, not-very-bright ornaments whose twofold purpose was to bear children and to ooh and aah over the accomplishments of the males in their lives.

One of the weaknesses of evangelical churches is that they have unconsciously adopted some of the Romanticists' idea of women into their worldview. One result is that they don't quite know what to do when they encounter strong, intelligent, capable women. Some either suppress or repel these women while others abandon a Biblical stance altogether.

At any rate, I blame Christianized Romanticism in Church and society for the ideas of weakness and helplessness that haunts many women's mindset. And the very men who want to protect them often exacerbate the problem. But that's a topic for another day.

Continued in "Sheepdog Strategies, 5"

Sheepdog Strategies, 2

Continued from "Sheepdog Strategies"

"She" could be your wife, daughter, fiancee, mother, sister . . . any woman you care about.

You look at your watch. She's never been this late before. You try her cell again, and you get the same recorded voice, "This party is not available . . ." Did she turn it off? Is the battery dead? Or . . . ?

The meeting at church was over hours ago. Where is she? You go over the possibilities in your mind: car trouble . . . a flat tire . . . took one of the other ladies home & lost track of the time . . . .

You deliberately shut out other possibilities. The insistent ones that hover about the edges of your consciousness with a silence that echoes in the pit of your stomach. WHERE IS SHE?

She never listened to you about taking a self-defense class, and she always put you off when you wanted to take her to the range to teach her how to use a handgun. In total frustration, you now teeter between anger and fear.

Then, headlights come into view in front of your house. Is that she . . . ? Or is that a police car . . . ?

We're Christian Martialists, and we are protective of the women we love. That's why we get so frustrated when they refuse to take the proper steps for their own safety.

In a future post I want to analyze why some women seem so averse to thinking about self-protection from possible violence. Today, however, I want to suggest a first, small step that may start that special gal thinking in the right direction.

It's a book by Keith Pascal called Tiptoeing to Tranquility. He calls it a parable because he wrote it in story form. It's about a woman with a teenage daughter who firmly rejects the idea of martial arts, but who does not feel safe, even in he own neighborhood.

Then she meets someone who gives her and her daughter lessons in living safely and tranquilly in the modern world. Further into the story, there is even a soft-sell on taking formal self defense lessons.

As with any book like this, there will be some areas with which the epistemologically (look it up) self-conscious Christian does not agree. Page 40 is a case in point.

On page 40 he refers to Soren Kirkegaard, the father of Existentialist philosophy. In that place he asserts that faith is uncertain. If he had also read Cornelius Van Til, he would realize that without true faith, nothing is certain.

Farther down the page, he makes a comment that indicates he may be familiar with Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I interact more or less extensively with that work's insights and flaws in my book, Christian Methodology.

Perhaps I'll have an opportunity to discuss some of these matters with Keith, sometime, but for now let me say that the value of this book to you and particularly to the special female(s) in your life is worth it. (BTW, I have often used the areas I disagree with in a book as an occasion for discussion and learning with my wife & daughters. This increases, not decreases, the utility of a book.)

Tiptoeing to Tranquility is just a baby step in the right direction for those you care about, but it is a step, for your peace of mind and theirs, that you want them to take.

In fact, if the woman in the story at the beginning of this post had read, heeded and practiced just the first (non-martial) piece of advice described in the book, I believe the odds would have increased by more than 90% that the headlights in the drive were hers and not those of the police.

Continued in "Sheepdog Strategies, 3"

Sucker Punch, 3 (Overhand Right, Hook)

Continued from "Sucker Punch, 2 (Overhand Right, Hook)"

Yesterday's Sucker Punch Video has at least one lesson in common with the Street "Fight" Video: both victims could have benefited from increased threat awareness. In the street beating, the bigmouth let the assailant walk right up to him and nail him with an overhand right without any sign that he expected to get hit. The man in the fast food restaurant got tagged on the jaw when he turned away from a potential threat.

Of course, it was an unusual situation. Orcs don't usually mug people in restaurants. They wait until a potential victim gets away from the crowd.

Certainly, the fast food place was relatively deserted -- possibly much less crowded than the street outside. I don't know how far he stalked his victim, but perhaps he figured the relatively quiet burger joint presented his best opportunity. Nevertheless, he did attack in front of a witness -- the counter person.

The intriguing question here is why the predator chose this particular man as his prey. He was an older gentleman, but did not appear sick or unfit. This leads me to believe that something about the victim's attitude or mindset caught the orc's attention.

My own guess is that it was probably the victim's unawareness -- the very thing we notice in the video that marked him as easy prey. He had just come from a big sporting event, and he was desensitized to the people around him. Predators choose people who walk around disconnected from their surroundings as targets.

But maybe the victim was aware that mugger was following him. Maybe he was in fear and denial. Street hoodlums can sense that, too.

Well, after analyzing the situations and seeing how you might have avoided them, we need to focus on how to defend against the unavoidable sucker punch. I plan to do just that in "Sucker Punch, 4"

Battle Eyes

MGM (Caranfinand) my 16 year old daughter wrote the poem below. Although her inspiration came from The Lord of the Rings rather than from some of my comments on channeling adrenaline, I think the poem fits much that I've been trying to say. And, often, art touches the core where science cannot reach.

BATTLE EYES

Eyes that shine,
Eyes that glow.
Hard eyes.
Battle eyes.

They shine
Bright
Waiting.
Hard eyes.
Battle eyes.

Shine with terror.
Shine with joy.
Who can know?
Hard eyes.
Bright eyes.
Battle eyes.

Controlling Adrenaline Stress: Mental Imaging, 6

Continued from "Controlling Adrenaline Stress: Mental Imaging, 5"

In order to use mental imaging to practice controlling adrenaline stress, you need a subject for a powerful image. I suggest you choose a confrontation with your biggest nightmare. It might be a biker gang member with grungy teeth or a gang banger with a tattoo on his neck, or maybe even an Islamic terrorist with death and destruction in his eyes. Whatever image you choose, it should be someone who would make you nervous (or even scared) if you met him at midnight in a dark and lonely place.

Now, close your eyes and imagine yourself in exactly that situation. Do not see yourself from the outside. Put yourself into the scenario and see the orc as though he were standing in front of you & you are looking out at him through your own eyes.

Put as much detail into the image as possible. Look at your adversary and see his facial features -- does he have scars or blemishes? is he dirty? does he have bad breath? Feel the ground beneath your feet and the night air on your skin,

Once the image becomes vivid and real to you, you can let the scenario play out. The orc taunts you & tries to goad you into a fight. He is big & mean and totally self assured. He reaches out toward you.

You must not only imagine the orc's appearance and actions, but you must also imagine your own reactions. I want to speak to that issue in "Controlling Adrenaline Stress: Mental Imaging, 7".

Controlling Adrenaline Stress: Mental Imaging, 2

(Continued from this post.)
Here's how controlling adrenaline stress through mental imaging works for the sales professional who has lost confidence. He must close his eyes and picture himself making a sale. In his mind, he sees himself make the presentation and close the sale. Simple enough?

Well, simple isn't always easy. Winning the Olympic high jump is simple -- just jump higher than anyone else. But the execution is not so easy. In the same way, using mental imaging to train requires initiative, discipline and effort.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of how to use mental imaging to control your adrenaline stress, I want to talk about why this works. Simply put, it works because you learn from experience. For example, when I was in Jr. High School (Middle School to you moderns), I got beat up -- a lot.

I was 12 and not yet through puberty, but the orcs who singled me out for "special treatment" (the price you pay if you'd rather read a book than play baseball) were big, hairy, and older than I. This went on for almost two school years.

Throughout that time, I fantasized about defeating the orcs, but fantasizing is not serious mental imaging. However, the experiences themselves conditioned my adrenaline stress control. I'll discuss what I learned in "Controlling Adrenline Stress: Mental Imaging, 3".

Controlling Adrenaline Stress: Mental Imaging

I have previously discussed controlling adrenaline by means of breath control and by means of the battle cry. Now I want to address the topic of how to control your adrenaline by means of creative mental imaging. The first question to answer is whether you can actually use your imagination to manage adrenaline.

Anyone who has heard Bill Cosby's "Chicken Heart" routine and remembers being scared silly by a story on radio, TV, the movies or just sitting around the campfire knows the power of imagination to stimulate adrenaline flow. If your imagination can initiate adrenaline stress, it's not too far a stretch to accept the fact that you can use your imagination to learn to control that same stress.

The technique is the same that I've seen described in books on sales training. Beginning salesmen often have a fear of the prospective customer (closely associated with a rush of adrenaline). Even experienced professionals become "gunshy" at a prospect's objections. To overcome that stress, the knowledgeable pro will use a technique based on creative imaging.

In "Controlling Adrenaline Stress: Mental Imaging, 2" I plan to describe the technique of mental imaging as it's used for controlling stress.

The Gift of Fear

Today I want to recommend that you read The Gift of Fear, a book by Gavin DeBecker. A couple of days ago, I mentioned that we have a Distant Early Warning (DEW) system that is inborn, and which automatically warns us of potential harm. DeBecker's book is the definitive work on this topic.

His early life experiences led him to make the prevention of violence his life work, and The Gift of Fear tells that tale. His anecdotal illustrations are so compelling that, if you're an empathetic person, you might weep at more than one point in the book, as I did. Emotion aside, Gavin DeBecker has an impressive resume. For example, he has developed threat assessments used by the CIA, the US Supreme Court police and the US Marshals Service.

The Christian Maritalist trains himself not just to engage violent people. He should become an expert at recognizing, avoiding and preventing violence. Think of The Gift of Fear as your textbook for the course"Dealing with Violence 101. "Here are some things you will learn from the book:

• Random, unpredictable violence isn't random, and it's usually predictable;
• Why & how that nagging, undefinable sense that something is wrong can be your best guide in avoiding violence;
• How to evaluate the dangers posed by strangers;
• How to deal with someone who won't let go;
  
• Why a restraining order often precipitates the violence it's intended to prevent;
• How to help your loved ones be safer;
• How to tell whether the employee you fire may react violently
  

Just running through those points impressed me with the fact that I need to read The Gift of Fear again. I originally found the book in my public library, and you may do the same. I found it valuable enough to want a copy of my own. If you want to buy it from amazon, click on one of the links for a paperback copy, or this link if you prefer an audiobook.

One caveat: The Gift of Fear is not written from a Christian perspective. It explains intuitive warnings in terms of evolution rather than of God's design. A Christian should read this (or any) book critically and from a Biblical perspective. Also, the vivid descriptions of violent events may be upsetting to some. Even after all the warnings, I recommend The Gift of Fear. After reading the book, my daughter Theresa responded to an unusual situation in a way that may have saved her and her children. Perhaps I'll share that story another time.