PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — An event Oct. 9 and 10 at the Aroostook Centre Mall Food Court is designed to teach individuals how to survive a violent attack through evasion, with a program called Lessons in Violence Evasion.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a fitting occasion to teach people how to evade, rather than defeat, an attacker, according to Loren Gordon, program instructor.
“Violence touches everyone and permeates all areas of our society. Its impact is felt at home, school and work. Whether you realize it or not, you know someone who has experienced a violent situation. Even if you are never a victim, a violent action will affect your life at some point,” said Gordon.
Gordon said one need only become aware of just a few of the multitude of statistics to realize this truth:
• Three out of four women will experience at least one violent incident in their life;
• American businesses pay $4 billion to $5 billion a year in medical expenses associated with domestic violence; and
• In homes with domestic violence, children are physically abused and seriously neglected at a rate of 1,500 percent higher than the national average.
Gordon said he is one of only four LIVE instructors in the state — all four are located in Aroostook County.
“There are two in the Houlton area, with myself and one other instructor in the Caribou area,” said Gordon.
He said LIVE was created as a non-offensive means for women and children to escape and survive a violent situation.
“People confuse what we’re doing with martial arts, where the goal is to overpower an attacker. LIVE isn’t about overcoming your attacker; it’s about freeing yourself from the attack,” said Gordon.
Lessons in Violence Evasion, according to Gordon, is based upon a scientific and experiential knowledge of violence combined with an understanding of the needs and capabilities of women today.
“Violence evasion utilizes natural movements, principles and laws of nature, along with physical sensitivity. You discover how to be aware of the forces of violence and use the space around them to escape and survive,” explained Gordon.
Gordon said the program is based on several principles, which will be discussed during the upcoming sessions at the mall.
“The first principle of LIVE is ‘move what is free on your body into open space,’ the second principle is ‘open space is found in the movement of the attack’ and the third principle is ‘do your best to create movement,’” said Gordon.
He said learning to defend yourself can be tough.
“There’s no doubt, it’s probably one of the most difficult lessons for any woman to learn. Of course, some people will tell you, you can learn to fight without years of training. That’s just wrong,” Gordon said, who also teaches martial arts classes.
Gordon said that’s evident by looking at the latest statistics on violence.
“Violence against women and children is still prevalent and yet one self-defense industry expert estimates that 95 percent of women have never taken a self-defense course. The numbers speak for themselves. Obviously the industry has not provided the right answer for women yet,” said Gordon, noting he and others involved with the LIVE program are working to change that.
Gordon said the problem with self-defense books and classes is they’re “filled with set techniques that require you to memorize them and to be more violent than your attacker.”
“They don’t take into consideration the emotional reaction of most women in a violent situation,” he said.
According to Gordon, fight or flight is a natural instinct we all have but it comes with a decision.
“You have to ask yourself, ‘Can I win?’ If yes, fight. If no, flee. Most women don’t believe they can win so they want to know how to get away – how to evade and escape,” said Gordon.
With LIVE, there’s now an alternative.
“Long-hidden principles of escape from an ancient survival system have been rediscovered and combined with modern educational systems along with first-hand experiences of violence,” said Gordon. “You owe it to yourself to take this program or just to find out more information. Please stop by and see us at the mall on Oct. 9 and 10.”
Two seminars are planned for females 13 years of age and up, scheduled at 2 p.m. at the Food Court on both Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 551-7476.
Sign-up is not required but strongly suggested due to class size restrictions.
