Trauma informed Self defense™
A New Evidence-based Program for women
Grounded in nervous system science
ENROLLMENT FOR JANUARY 2026 PROGRAM NOW OPEN
CREATED BY LEADERS IN THREAT MANAGEMENT AND CLINICAL TRAINING
The Trauma-Informed Self-Defense™ program brings together expertise from a Board Certified human trafficking investigator, Certified Master Krav Maga instructor, DD-214 combat veterans, and a clinically trained forensic analyst.
The Trauma informed self-defense program
The Trauma-Informed Self-Defense™ Program is a structured, time-bound training designed to build functional self-defense capacity while accounting for how stress affects perception, decision-making, and physical response.
The program is delivered in a clear progression, allowing participants to develop skills gradually rather than through forced exposure or performance-based pressure. Training begins with awareness and nervous system regulation, then advances into verbal boundary setting, physical response, and decisive action within real-world self-defense scenarios, with attention given to what happens after an encounter, so preparation doesn’t end the moment the threat stops.
Training is educational and skills-based. It is designed to be completed at a steady pace, with space for integration and repetition, rather than intensity for its own sake. The goal is preparedness that is realistic, structured, and grounded in how people actually respond under real-world conditions.
learning options for women
The Trauma-Informed Self-Defense™ program is designed to meet women where they are, recognizing that readiness, pace, and learning style vary.
Some participants engage primarily through structured lessons and guided exercises delivered online, while others choose to integrate in-person learning opportunities as they become available. Periodic live training experiences, including an annual Beach Training Retreat in Florida, are offered to participants who wish to deepen the physical application of the work.
Participation in in-person learning is elective and designed to support integration of the material, not replace, the core program.
Participants are encouraged to move at a pace that respects their nervous system while still building real-world self-defense competence.
WHAT IS TRAUMA INFORMED SELF DEFENSE™ Means
Trauma-Informed Self-Defense™ is an evidence-based approach to personal safety that recognizes how the nervous system actually responds under threat.
Instead of assuming access to calm, strength, or perfect recall, this framework accounts for stress responses such as freezing, dissociation, or delayed reaction. Training is structured to work with those realities, not against them.
The focus is not on memorizing techniques, but on restoring choice, awareness, and functional response under pressure, before, during, and after a threatening encounter.
It integrates physical self-defense training with nervous system education, versus functioning as therapy or clinical treatment.
WHAT MAKES THIS PROGRAM DIFFERENT
Most self-defense classes focus on techniques.
Trauma-Informed Self-Defense™ is concept based and focuses on how your nervous system functions under pressure.
This program blends clinical insight, behavioral science, and real-world defensive mechanics to build responses that work when fear is high and clarity is limited. Instead of pushing intensity, we train the patterns your body relies on when fine motor skills fail or old survival strategies take over.
You learn how to:
• interrupt freeze and fawn patterns in real time
• use your voice with authority—clear, firm, and legally protective
• build movements that hold up under adrenaline, not just in practice
• restore calm, practiced decision-making instead of reactive panic
This is not fitness training or a sports based self defense class.
It is not exposure work.
It is not a traditional martial arts class.
It is a structured, evidence-based system designed to make your body more predictable under stress and more reliable when you need it most. The goal is present-tense capability: steady awareness, confident boundaries, and simple mechanics you can trust.
Develop the capability your body is wired for
Most self-defense programs teach techniques.
We retrain the nervous system.
Trauma-Informed Self Defense™ blends behavioral science, threat management training, and simple defensive mechanics to create responses you can rely on under pressure.
What makes this program different
A different starting point, a different outcome
MOST programs start with technique.
This program starts with how stress alters perception, decision-making, and physical response. Rather than assuming access to calm or precision, training is built around what the body and brain actually do under threat. Technique is introduced only after that context is established, so responses are usable when pressure is real.
MOST TRAINING REWARDS SPEED AND INTENSITY
This program prioritizes clarity, timing, and functional response over performance. Progress is measured by stability and decision-making under pressure, not how quickly or aggressively a technique is executed. The goal is competence that holds under stress, not compliance in controlled conditions.
MOST COURSES END AT THE MOMENT OF DEFENSE
This program accounts for what follows an encounter, recognizing that real-world incidents do not resolve cleanly. Preparation includes how to regain footing, make decisions, and move forward once the immediate threat has passed, so readiness does not stop at the point of physical contact.
Program fit
Trauma Informed Self Defense™ may be a good fit if you are
✔ Looking for self-defense training that accounts for how stress actually affects your body, attention, and decision-making.
✔ You want practical skills, but you also want to understand why certain responses happen and how to work with them rather than forcing yourself through them.
✔ You are willing to engage with both learning and physical application, even if your pace varies over time.
✔ You value preparation that is realistic, structured, and grounded in real-world conditions rather than performance or spectacle.
✔ You are seeking increased agency and functional readiness, not merely validation or motivational framing.
This program may not be a good fit if you are:
You are looking for a fast-paced, technique-only class focused exclusively on physical skills.
You are seeking therapy, counseling, or clinical treatment for past experiences.
You want guaranteed emotional outcomes.
You are not currently in a place where reflection, pacing, or nervous system awareness feels tolerable or appropriate for you.
You prefer highly competitive, intensity-driven training environments.
If the structure and scope described fit your goals, you can review investment and access here.
Meet the creator
Trauma-Informed Self-Defense™ was developed by Renée Rose, a medicolegal forensic consultant and crime analyst with more than a decade of experience in threat management, victim advocacy, evidence-based self-defense education, currently pursuing doctoral studies in clinical-forensic psychology.
Her professional work sits at the intersection of psychology, physiology, and real-world safety. Through years of supporting legal teams, survivors, families, and private security organizations, she has seen how fear affects the body and how traditional self-defense often fails the very people who need it most. Rose specializes in understanding freeze, fawn, and shutdown responses, and in designing training that can be used by individuals who may not feel physically confident, emotionally ready, or comfortable in high-intensity environments.
Rose is a partner of Shaan Saar LLC Security Group, an intelligence-led security and threat-management organization with a 70-year legacy of protective service, criminal behavior analysis, and international-level security experience. Drawing from this background, she redesigned self-defense through a clinical lens: simple mechanics that work under stress, paired with nervous-system tools that restore both agency and choice.
Her approach is grounded, compassionate, and firmly rooted in evidence. She created the Trauma-Informed Self-Defense™ program for women who want practical skills without overwhelm, a system that strengthens calm control, reinforces boundaries, and teaches actionable strategies that hold up in real conditions.
Rose’s guiding belief is straightforward:
”You don’t need to relive the past to develop or regain the capability your brain is naturally wired for. You need a method that teaches your body to support you instead of reverting to old survival patterns.”
program
features
Inside your program portal, you’ll receive an 8-module workbook, downloadable tools, on-demand video with audio lessons, and weekly live meetings. Each session is recorded and archived so you can review at your own pace or catch up anytime.
✓ 8-Module Guided Workbook
✓ Downloadable Checklists & Practice Tools
✓ On-Demand Video Lessons
✓ Audio Practices for Nervous System Regulation
✓ Weekly Live Meetings + Full Replay Archive
What You’ll Learn in the Trauma Informed Self-Defense™ Course
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Learn simple, repeatable techniques that help your body shift out of panic and into controlled, deliberate action.
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Understand the biopsychology behind freeze responses and practice micro-skills that re-engage choice, movement, and clarity in real time.
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Develop strong, steady verbal scripts that communicate confidence and disrupt an aggressor’s momentum before physical escalation.
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Train movements designed for adrenaline, fear, and unpredictability—techniques that work even without strength, speed, or experience.
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This program integrates research-driven self-defense, behavioral psychology, and threat-response science into a step-by-step system you can trust.
powerful words
“Renee gave me a piece of myself back that the offender took from me. She gave me back my body autonomy and my voice…she empowered me with practical knowledge on how to protect myself and my family.” -Marla S.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Google Reviews
One pass, endless possibilities
An evidence-based self-defense system grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and real-world threat analysis, designed to retrain your nervous system and rebuild your sense of safety under pressure.