IMPACT: Trauma-Informed Personal Safety & Self Defense
The experience of trauma leaves many survivors with lasting feelings of fear. Learning self-defense skills can help people address these feelings and regain a sense of safety and personal power. IMPACT has 20 years of experience teaching safety skills in a way that is sensitive to the needs of trauma survivors.
Most survivors say that experience of fighting full-force and being powerful in their bodies is a unique opportunity to let go of the past and feel powerful in the present.
Assertiveness in Everyday Life
The IMPACT curriculum makes the connection between standing up for ourselves in a worst-case scenario and communicating assertively with friends and partners. Students practice setting boundaries with people they know and communicating their needs. Learning self-defense is an experience of being effective in the face of fear, which gives many survivors the confidence to take on new challenges and communicate more assertively with people in their lives.
Take Your Power
All IMPACT classes create a supportive environment for survivors of abuse and trauma, but Take Your Power was designed specifically to address the long-term effects of abuse on intimate relationships and sexual health. Take Your Power combines IMPACT�s physical and verbal safety skills with a unique curriculum focused on healthy relationships, negotiation skills, healthy sexuality, and HIV/STD risk reduction. Take Your Power is offered free of charge, and priority for enrollment is given to low-income survivors. Light refreshments and child care are provided.
For more information or to register contact Meg or Nina at 781-321-3900.
Take Your Power for Teens
IMPACT is available to teach Take Your Power to groups of teens. Depending on funding, there may be a charge for on-site programs. Some individual teens may be appropriate students for the adult Take Your Power class.
Finding Strength and Balance: Tai Chi + IMPACT
IMPACT has been providing the Tai Chi plus IMPACT course for about 2 years now. This course provides a slow and gradual introduction to physical and verbal IMPACT self-defense skills and combines it with easy to learn Tai Chi techniques that help students stay relaxed.
For many survivors of abuse and trauma the ability to feel safe and comfortable in our bodies is an important part of healing process. The slow, gentle movements of Tai Chi give us the experience of being in our bodies in a safe way, while being grounded and focused on breathing. This lays the foundation for staying grounded and breathing while learning IMPACT's full-force self-defense techniques.
For class descriptions, click here.
Victim Compensation
IMPACT is an approved mental health service of Massachusetts Victim Compensation. For more information about qualifying, please contact our office. To find out more about eligibility, or to apply, click here.
What Survivors say about IMPACT
"Part of the abuse was living in my body. That had to be physically released.
All the talking in the world can be great, but this hits a spot talking doesn't go.
I have taken several self-defense courses in the past, but none of them was as effective as IMPACT. I imagine the difference is the unique structure of IMPACT--identifying fears openly and taking time to discuss our reactions throughout the class. Rarely can one program address so many needs and allow so much growth as this one.
In my entire life of searching for some kind of program that might be able to help, this has certainly been the most valuable."
