OBSERVATION OF A LIFE SAVING SKILL

A friend battling mental illness, standing in front of you, with an otherworldly expression on his face. The look of intention to harm you, the tensing of his muscles and a knife held in his hand, bring about fear for your life as you attempt to calm him down.

This is the exact scenario that a victim I was interviewing found himself. As I was speaking to this individual about his potential life-threatening attack, he became very articulate in his description of how his assailant was behaving. Tensing muscles, clenched fists, and a “death stare”, were attributes described to me. Thankfully the would-be attacker placed the knife in his pocket and fled the scene. He later admitted to law enforcement that he had the intention of stabbing the man telling me this story.

According to Dr. Albert Mehabrian, 93% of communication is non-verbal. While this percentage is pertaining specifically to emotional communication, there is still truth to the fact that recognizing non-verbal cues can assist in the prevention of a physical attack.

When we start to understand that body language can be recognized as “pre-attack indicators” we can more clearly identify their characteristics and make decisions that can keep us safe. Leaning forward with clenched fists and a thousand-yard stare, if not recognized as a pre-indicator of an attack, can spell out the assurance of your victimization.

CONCLUSION
Cultivate a thought process of recognizing these pre-attack indicators through training and practice. Once these skills are established, determine a course of action to survive an attack, or better yet, prevent one.

Proverbs 16:16

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
    To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Peter Ventimiglia