Called originally 'The Aftershock Awareness Project' back in October 2012, this information based special project was, and still is, aimed at those in the martial arts industry along with those who provide vital support to victims of criminal violence, rape and other forms of physical and emotional trauma. The Aftershock Awareness Project was originally published on its own website for a promotional period of time before being transferred eventually to this site.
Born from a need to bridge the gap between the worldwide martial arts community and the aftercare support services and medical staff that deals with trauma victims the 'Aftershock Awareness Project' was created to provide such a link.
One of the most difficult special articles I have ever undertaken to write, the Aftershock Project was featured in various martial arts magazines, newspapers and journals at the time of publication. The following short extracts from 'The Aftershock Project' are aimed at educating the martial arts community worldwide of the need to provide not only information on prevention and physical training, in the form of self defence courses and martial art classes, but also the need to make students and teachers aware of the consequences to those who are victims of such events and how best to provide support to family members and the victims themselves. Trauma is not just something a person will go through as a result of being violently attacked, it could also be due to any form of horrific event.
Many people each year will go through traumatic events around the world including someone dying within the family, an accident or as a result of war. Each of these things are very much a traumatic thing in their own right and the memories of such things will stay in the person's mind in just the same way for a long time to come. Listening to someone explain how they were sadistically and repeatedly beaten and raped, (and not for the first time had I gone through this situation with someone), I yet again found myself feeling helpless to do anything. My martial art training and teaching skills for the last 40 plus years had no true value whatsoever in a situation of this kind until I started to realise that the martial arts was, and still is, all about giving advice on avoidance, prevention, preparation for a fight, and of course, fighting techniques, but it never covered what to do after the fight was over. Writing a short article on the subject of emotional aftershock called 'Fighting Aftershock', (which means how to fight the aftereffects of emotional trauma), the idea of an awareness campaign came to mind and the Aftershock Awareness Project was born. What Would You Do? Most, if not all, people who do the martial arts often fail to understand that those who are the victims, or the losers, of a physical conflict may need more than just medical treatment as a result of being in a street fight, or after being attacked in a more prolong way, and that being armed with the correct understanding of what to do with a trauma victim is vital if more harm than good can be avoided.
For example, what would you do if a female student came to you and told you that she had been raped? You may have 50 years experience in teaching the martial arts and have trained the police, army and security people, but what do you say to a female student who has been beaten and raped and is crying from the shock of it all? Do you - advise her what she did wrong and what to do next time? - tell her to see her Doctor? - or give her a big hug? If you said yes to any of the above then you need to be aftershock aware far more than you realise. Preparation - Action - Consequences': The martial arts have always been based on two out of the main three factors - preparation and action but the third 'consequences' is totally neglected. The martial arts are very much focused on prevention, which of course is better than cure, and you will find a remarkable amount of advice on how to avoid or defend against being attacked, plus of course instruction on all the various fighting methods, however this is of no practical value at all to those who have gone through such a traumatic event already and are feeling suicidal or are going through emotional hell. Telling someone after they have been beaten or raped that they should have done various things to avoid or defend themselves at the time in fact would only make the trauma victim feel worse as they will feel additional guilt for not taking such actions at the time. Blank Look - Eyes Blinking Away: The martial arts community are excellent at giving advice on prevention, avoidance and how to prepare to fight someone, and when it comes to teaching fighting techniques the martial arts community is the best place to go, however, ask someone who teaches the fighting arts what practical advice they can give to a trauma victim who is lying in a hospital bed suffering from mental scars and all you will get is a blank look and their eyes blinking away with nothing to say. Emotional Aftershock: Aftershock means the emotional aftereffects of being in a traumatic physical conflict that can cover anything from domestic violence, a street fight, rape or even soldiers returning home from a war zone. How often do we read, hear or see news items every single day of someone being raped, gang raped, beaten, sadistically tortured or a combination of all these things on a regular basis? Although we come into contact with such events through the news media every single day, including seeing soldiers on the news returning home from war zones with limbs missing etc.., such events have no true effect on our minds due to being desensitised to such things over a long period of time, however, if it was to happen to a loved one then this of course would have devastating and very long lasting effects. All About Combat: The world of martial arts is all about being prepared for combat and how to use various fighting skills during a fight, but just like the soldier returning home from duty, or a rape victim, the aftereffects of any physical conflict are more dangerous and long lasting to the mind than surviving the trauma itself. The emotional aftershock of such a devastating situation is not dealt with by the martial arts community, only the physical aspects of combat in the main, therefore highlighting the need to be aware of such a devastating situation should be made far more aware to those that teach any of the fighting arts so that they can in turn highlight this specific aspect within training and class sessions. Remember - to help a trauma victim who is suffering as a result of a criminal attack or violent rape you need to arm yourself with knowledge in just the same way as a martial artist needs to arm themselves with fighting techniques. Unfortunately the general public and many, if not all, involved in the martial arts have no true understanding of what is really involved when it comes to providing care for a trauma sufferer within the family, or maybe a student, who has been involved in a serious attack. Many people often think that such care is all about showing love and understanding, however, thinking that all you need is understanding and showing that you care on its own falls very short of what is truly involved and without being fully informed of what is needed the carer can often do more harm than good in the long term. Secondary Aftershock: Aftershock is not only a devastating condition that the victim will go through but also for the people who are close to the victim in a personal way like a parent, partner or close family member. Called 'Secondary Aftershock' the person who is told by a loved one, or close family member, the intimate details of a violent attack or rape will in most cases form their own picture of events in their mind, and in turn, will live those memories many times over and become a sufferer of 'Secondary Aftershock' themselves for a very long time to come. Therefore it is often wise to seek help yourself if you find this becomes a long term problem. Being enlightened - or a master of Zen is of no true value whatsoever to a trauma victim, so if you think of yourself as a true martial artist, with high moral and ethical values and believe in the martial art code - then prove it by taking a few minutes of your time to find out what you can do to help others who are not so lucky. Knowing what to expect from a trauma victim and how to help and deal with it yourself is vital if you do not wish to do more harm than good. For the full version in PDF format go to the link located above on this page! |
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