Thread: Aikido, My Way
View Single Post
Old 08-10-2009, 11:24 AM   #24
Buck
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 950
United_States
Offline
Re: Aikido, My Way

In response to Jason's thought that envoked this:

My experience with being bullied/attacked is like anyone else in that situation. I mentioned the body reacts in a way that is defined as stress under that situation. What I call the presence of mind including mindfulness is a result of Homeostasis, the body's preferred state which is a balance in the body's chemistry resulting in a feeling we identify as calm.

When we are not in Homeostasis, due to a stressor, our presence of mind is altered. For example, clear thinking, assessment abilities and problem solving are hampered. It is best to maintain a Homeostasis and presence of mind when faced with a stressor.

In relation to my experience I needed a environment (Aikido class) where the stressor where simulations . By being so, I was able to work to maintain a better Homeostasis when under a particular set of stressors. In my case, those stressors where being in a violent conflict.

Having a better presence of mind became as skill. Stressors that someone deals with for the first time experiences like being violently attacked experiences an intense stress experience, and physical shock. Overtime that lessens as the body being conditioned to the same type of stressors is able to achieve Homeostasis faster, and longer under those stressors. Thus, by doing so a better presence of mind and body functioning are achieved.

Here is the importance of practice, and possibly having a distinct target for practice. It is to work under simulated conditions to achieve Homeostasis for a set of stressors. And when this is achieved it can be applied under actual conditions.

When I practice in the dojo, I have the opportunity work to stay calm and have a better presences of mind. That has been transferred to being bullied and experiencing violence on the street. I have learned when some one wants to do you harm and use violence there are too ways.

One way is escalation where it is done in stages, where the violent person works up to committing the violent act. It may start out with threats, insults,etc, and/or intimidating physical contact to full contact. The violence is preceded with warnings and stuff. The victim sees the violence coming, and experiences stress because of it.

Then the other way is where the person doesn't work up to it. There are no warnings. The violence strikes hard and fast without indication or warning. The victim is completely taken by surprise without a chance. Stress is experienced at the moment of violent contact.

I think there is allot of misconceptions made about violent conflicts as a result of sport fighting and not being on the losing end of a violent experience. In a violent bully type of situation you are either taken by surprise or your not. In the latter case, stress can be intense as the situation builds to a violent conflict. Therefore, it is my experience that the signs of stress and stress can amplify the violence. Because the signs of stress and stress can be interpreted as weakness and vulnerability.

Most of the situations people will experience will be building to a violent conflict, especially most bully types. Learning and understanding stress in the conditions of class, or just working out, have helpful to be able to have a presence of mind, and have that balance, that homeostasis in a violent situation.

There are terms like describes states of being, like mindfulness and stuff. What ever it is called, it is the body and thus the mind, functioning at a state of homeostasis more then a state of stress. No two experience of violence is really the same twice, and there are different intensities and degrees of violence that are stressors that cause the body to fall out of balance/homeostasis to various degrees resulting in lots of emotions and feelings interfering with perception, thinking and stuff.

It is better to experience all that in the dojo first, for obvious reasons, and not only when in the mist of violence. Aikido has provided me that opportunity to experience in an environment where I can work things out, have trial and error in dealing with stressors. Because learning to control stress is difficult and takes work by nature. A skill that is not thought about by the inexperienced, and/or the less knowledgable. A fatal oversight in my experience.

Last edited by Buck : 08-10-2009 at 11:30 AM.
  Reply With Quote