International Association for ESD Professionals

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Tag: Self Defense

Announcement: Groundbreaking Research Collaboration with Johns Hopkins University 

2025-05-29

IAESDP Announces Groundbreaking Research Collaboration with Johns Hopkins University Creating Milestones in Violence Prevention through Empowerment Self Defense The International Association of Empowerment Self Defense Professionals (IAESDP) is thrilled to share that we are in the final stages of developing a research collaboration with the SEE Change Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This exciting development represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to build a robust evidence base for Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) and elevate the global standards of ESD instruction.  While the collaboration is still being finalized, the IAESDP and our academic colleagues

Notes on the Journey: Sometimes Violence is the Answer

2025-05-09

Notes on the Journey: Sometimes Violence is the Answer What is Violence? I grew up believing, like most of us I believe, that violence is a physical act that harms another. And, most importantly, the belief that it can only be a physical act. But the narrowness of that definition makes me feel like I’m suffocating. For those of us who have experienced other forms of violence, it’s isolating to the point of despair. Before starting training, if you were to ask me what my definition of violence is, I would have said: violence is destructive force. Any destructive force.