The Adrenline Factor

The adrenals are a pair of glands that secrete hormones directly into the

bloodstream. Each gland can be divided into two distinct organs. The outer region secretes hormones which have important effects on the way in which energy is stored and food is used, on chemicals in the blood, and on characteristics such as hairiness and body shape. The smaller, inner region is part of our sympathetic nervous system and is the body's first line of defense and response to physical and emotional stresses. These glands are about one to two inches in length and weigh only a fraction of an ounce each and secrete dozens of hormones. 

Our adrenals take instruction from the pituitary glands and have important effects on physical characteristics, development and growth. Each gland has two parts. The cortex, or outer layer, takes its instructions from the pituitary hormone ACTH. The hormones secreted here are called steroids and have three main types: those which control the balance of sodium and potassium in the body; those which raise the level of sugar in the blood; and sex hormones. The inner layer makes two types of hormones and takes all its instructions from the nervous system, producing chemicals which react to fear and anger and are sometimes called "fight or flight" hormones.

It is this inner layer that is so important for the purposes of Personal Safety and Self Defense. It is the Fight, Flight, Posture or Submit  response which has enabled a relatively slow, weak mammal to survive without sharp teeth and claws. Adrenaline has helped keep us alive to propagate through the millennia. It also has less desirable effects on the human body during combat situations. This is known as the Adrenaline Response.

This potent hormone floods into our system during times of stress. It causes an increase in respiration and strength to prepare us to fight or flee. It can also cause us to become fixated on the potentially life threatening situation before us, or “Freeze” and do nothing. While target fixation may not sound like such a bad thing, it is dangerous if it causes us to miss important information such as; (Your attacker is holding a gun) or (There are actually three attackers not one). It is important to note that no one is immune to the effects of adrenaline. The physiological effects of adrenaline affect everyone, including criminals and people who confront dangerous situations and individuals for a living. Through training we can learn to minimize the effects of adrenal stress but never eliminate it. 

As our heart and respiration rates climb, our ability to perform effectively diminishes rapidly. After our hear rate reaches around 150 beats per minute our fine motor skills become impaired and it becomes harder to rapidly process and assess the stimuli around us. After 180 beats per minute (quite common in an attack situation) our fine motor skills are almost non existent and we are operating on training, reflex and instinct. To add to this there is also profound psychological and emotional stressors involved in violent or life threatening situations. All of these variables must be analyzed and acted upon almost instantaneously if one is to survive.

What makes a good street fighter so dangerous? #1 they have conditioned themselves, through repeated exposure to combat, to function while under adrenal stress. #2 they have also overcome the psychological reluctance to harm other human beings. This is an incredibly important piece to the puzzle that needs to be addressed as it is so often overlooked when people discuss and teach Self Defense. We can easily teach people to learn to deal with the debilitating effects of adrenaline during combat. We can also teach them how to confront and overcome their fears. Teaching them to “Throw the Switch” and physically harm another human, being even in their own defense is much more difficult. The most devastating Self Defense techniques are useless if the student is reluctant to apply it during a violent encounter. 

Reality Based Training is an excellent method to safely teach student’s how to overcome this societal prohibition. A properly structured Self Defense course will induce an adrenal stress response in participants regardless of the fact that their minds are telling them that it is not real. What is often forgotten in the design of Reality Based Self Defense programs are the psychological and emotional component of the attack and our innate desire not to harm others. Research by pioneers such as Grossman has shown that “Stress Inoculation” training was successful in preparing military and police units for the realities of combat. It also diminished the likelihood of developing severe stress related illnesses such as PTSD after an incident had occurred. 

We have developed the ASIST© (Adrenal Stress Induced Saturation Training) method of teaching Reality Based Self Defense.  It utilizes Reality Based progressive asymmetric training principles to teach student’s how to regulate their physiological responses to adrenal stress through Saturation Training and the use of Combat Breathing.

Saturation Training involves repeatedly exposing the student to stressors that induce an adrenal response.  Through repeated exposure, student’s learn how to reduce their anxiety level, confront their fears and that they can successfully defend themselves from attack. Combat Breathing helps students learn to utilize focused breathing to control their physiological response to adrenal stress. Instructors must carefully watch their student’s for signs of emotional stress and assist them in working through their anxieties and doubts. In the end, you can’t eliminate the effects of adrenaline but you can learn how to be more combat effective while in its grasp.

Kerry Sauve

http://www.streetsensesafety.ca