Hyper-Vigilance in Self-Protection

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Speaking, or writing actually, from a principled based position the philosophy behind hyper-vigilance is a yin/yang oriented principled driven concept. You can imagine and probably already realize that this is anti-vigilance state one ends up in mostly due to "fear and/or ignorance." 

Hyper-vigilance, generally means, "Hyper-vigilance is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect activity. Hyper-vigilance may bring about a state of increased anxiety which can cause exhaustion."

That is putting it mildly because when used for self-protection that exacerbate the mind-state resulting in often, mostly, over-reactive responses to the legal and moral requirements, mandates and laws governing the legal systems defining law of self-defense. HV is dangerous in self-protection because the anxiety, over stressed body and mind and the exhaustion, all negatively impacting the mind-state, will dampen or eliminate any ability to make decisions that coincide with the trained concepts for protection.

Add in the stressors of fear-based, the primary impetus of HV, those who end up in an HV state of mind tend toward over achieving and basing assessments that will far exceed reality will end up easily overcompensating toward dangers, perceived dangers and the levels of force and damage they use on an attacker. Another factor to consider is the perceptions of the actual self-protective methodologies being taught by teachers who have a misguided belief, understanding and concepts of aggression and violence both used on them and what they teach to use in response such as stomping the attacker when no longer a threat just to “teach them a lesson to not mess with you.” 

Those who train, practice and study any physical form of defense-protection must temper their reality so that it fits social and violence based realities and that takes a great deal of work outside the dojo or training hall…making a lot of work a pre-requisite to entering a dojo or training system that promotes, sells and advocates certain types of defense training. 

Remember, you can remember and imagine this can you not? Remember, that some who take self-defense can fall into a fear-based mind-state that produces hyper-vigilance. In my limited experiences if you don’t provide a yin/yang physical, philosophical and psychological base of morality and socially mandated realities along with a deep understanding of the legal and moral righteousness and law and requirements before you teach the fun stuff you open, as you can understand, students to the dangers that far exceed the damage of being physically attacked. 

It’s a big world out there; its a big universe they call self-defense; its a big legal system that is just as predatory as that criminal who attacked you so be prepared to handle things without a fear-based hyper-vigilant attitude and overactive mind. 

Vigilance is proper when balanced with appropriate knowledge, understanding, training, practice and realty-based training applications because true vigilance is someone innate to humans as we scan, observe, analyze and make decisions based on experiences, training both academic and reality-based, concepts derived from knowledge and understanding to create active/reactive concepts that will trigger due to appropriate stimuli within an environment according to the moment and situation. 

I am vigilant to traffic when I want to cross the street; I am vigilant to how folks drive next to me in multiple lanes so I may drive defensively and all of this depends in the particulars of any given situation as it triggers my concepts. So vigilance is a good thing when used in moderation within appropriate applicable methods and methodologies, etc. 

For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)