what people say about us

Ann Shaw

I was talking to Buck a little while ago and he encouraged me to write down the thoughts I was sharing with him Here they are starting with the question How has karate benefited me I feel safe in my house at night Even though I ve always kept my doors dead-bolted and the windows locked I used to be anxious and afraid as night fell Now I go to bed feeling secure I walk and carry myself upright I used to walk with my shoulders slumped forward as if to protect myself I ve been that way ever since I can remember But now I walk tall My friends who know nothing of my karate activites have even commented on my new posture I m treated respectfully at workI used to get bullied and disrespected at work No more Now I have the respect I always wanted Some of my coworkers used to prey on my insecurities Because I felt so vulnerable I usually had one of two reactions when a coworker pushed me around or treated me badly fight or freeze That is I used to lash out or else stay very still and quiet and just take it Now that I feel confident and secure people rarely bother to bully me And if they do try to stand me down I just plant my feet look them in the eye and very calmly push back with just the right amount of force That s what I m learning at IMA the proper use of strength and power I am able to stand up and be assertive like this because I no longer feel vulnerable Not only is work going so much more smoothly at my annual review my manager said I d made tremendous progress and gave me a nice raise I didn t tell her what my secret weapon is I m not yet a black belt but as you can see I ve already reaped great benefits from my training so far I ve found the martial arts training at IMA fits hand-in-glove with the psychotherapy work I ve done After suffering from the effects of trauma for nearly two decades it feels fantastic to yell and scream and kick and to become reacquainted with my own power This is the greatest benefit of all It has no price Since adding the martial arts training to my work with a therapist the change in my has been so profound that when I meet someone whom I haven t seen in many months or longer they almost always make amazed comments on how much more confident and happy I look It s true I am far more confident and happy They may not know that I m taking karate but the positive results are there for all to see I thank each of you on the IMA staff for the part you ve played so far in my personal development You don t know the half of it