Dear Jean:

If a student is going to college for the first time and they are concerned about the amount of assaults on campus, what would you suggest they do to prepare themselves?? I have taken self defense courses and they have great ideas but do not address the "freeze factor" or adrenaline rush that occurs when confronted.

Jean responds:

What a comment on our society!--that you have to worry seriously about on-campus assault when thinking about going to college. It occurs to me
that an important factor in trying to increase your own safety may be to explore with potential colleges THEIR POLICIES and procedures for
increasing the safety of female students on their campuses. A paper published by Kansas State University does a good job of presenting what a good policy might look like.

You may also wish to explore the information at
http://www.icomm.ca/wendo/pages/research.htm which discusses self-defense.

I'm not any kind of expert in this field, however, so you may want simply to talk with a representative of your police department about how to counteract the freezing response and/or adrenaline rush.

If site visitors have a suggestion, they may send it in, and I will be happy to forward it on to you.

Jean.

Disclaimer: Ms. Walbridge's response to your question is intended to be educational and informative. It is not a substitute for face to face consultation or psychotherapy with a mental health professional.

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