This blog series is presented solely for educational purposes and does not contain ethical, professional, legal, or medical advice.

The author shall not be liable or responsible for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this blog, as the information may not be effective in all situations, and may result in actions that require law enforcement, emergency responders, medical or mental health professionals, and legal services.

All or any use of the information must be made with what is permitted by law, and any damage liable to be caused as a result thereof will be the exclusive responsibility of the user or reader.

The sources provided are for informational purposes only and do not express or imply endorsement, affiliation, or sponsorship. We do not control these sources and are not responsible for them or their content, practices, products, policies or services. If you use any of these sources, you do so at your own risk. Due to the changing nature of the Internet, references and links listed may have changed, updated information, or no longer be unavailable.

This blog series aims to provide information on awareness and survival strategies to increase safety and reduce risk. The theories and findings do not claim or insinuate that the survivor was responsible for the attack; the only person responsible for the attack is the assailant.

The blog content may be triggering, with references to violence, abuse and trauma. Proceed at your own pace and if you experience intense physical and emotional reactions while reading, stop and take as much time as you need before you continue.

For help on managing triggers, proceed to GROUNDING TECHNIQUES and for professional resources proceed to SUPPORT SERVICES.

• “Target” is someone the predator plans to but has not yet successfully attacked.

• “Victim” or “survivor” refers to those attacked.

*Note that the terms above are not intended to confine personhood to the attack but only to refer to them within the context of a violent incident.

• “Predator”, “perpetrator," "attacker," or "assailant" refers to the violent offender who intends or is successful in causing harm to another person.

*Note that the non-gendered terminology is meant to reflect the reality that violence can be perpetrated by anyone, even if the majority of violent offenses (either against women or men) are perpetrated by men.

• “Self-defense” is the reasonable use of force to protect oneself or others, in response to force used against a person or others.

• “Assault” is the intentional application of force or violence (with or without a deadly weapon) to another person without their consent, which may result in wounding, maiming, disfiguring, or endangering the target.

The goal of this blog series is to provide more tools and options in reducing risk and aiding in survival. These strategies are not hard set rules as every situation is unique, and there is no “right” or “perfect” way to reduce risk or escape an attack.

If you are a survivor and did anything other than what is presented in the blog, you did not do anything wrong. You did everything that you needed to survive with the tools that you had at the time. If in the future you encounter threats and do not use the tools explored, or tried them but were unsuccessful, you still will have done nothing wrong.

The only person in the wrong, is the assailant.