What to do about Restraints

[Nihilanthic]

Having participated in a marital art (Brazilian jujitsu) that amounts to basically how to grab, take down/throw/trip/sweep someone, get on top of them, and choke, joint lock (or break) or beat someone up, and how to fight against that at every step, I'll mention a few things.

1. Do not fight back unless you, uh, know how! If I have to tell you this, ya don't. And even then if you're out numbered this amounts to "pulling guard" which is just putting your legs around the other person waist, and TIGHTLY squeezing yourself to them, and putting your arms around theirs or their torso or grabbing their upper arms. Naturally, if you don't know what you are doing it looks like dry humping or just nonsense. They're SUPPOSED to restrain you supine anyway, but if they insist on you turning your back I guess there isn't much you can do about it.

2. learn to fall? Simply going limp, holding your breath and closing your jaw (unless you like getting your tongue bitten off) can help fall without injury. Try to "roll down" instead of slam down on your hip or arm. Also, if you're already on the ground they can't slam you on it, so keep that in mind!

3. DO NOT PANIC. Stay calm, breathe, if there is pressure on your neck simply tense up the muscles at the front of your neck - someone could stand on you that way and you could still breathe. Keep your abdominal muscles slightly tense so you don't get the wind knocked out of you as easily.  You tend to get the wind knocked out easiest if you are breathing in so be careful about it if you're being struck or someone likes to drop their weight on you via their hip, knee, or whatever to your back or chest.

4. If someone tries to cover your face turn your head quickly, and again, fight the urge to panic, it will only make it worse for you if they're looking for an excuse to hurt you and tire you out faster. Do not stop trying to breathe, keep focusing on that.

5. Go to a freaking BJJ class or something so you can put the damn guy trying to take you down into a crucifix or face lock  :rofl: (not recommended...)

6. Try not to take it personally, or it will only start screwing with your mind. Sad to say, but thats kind of the point behind using restraints so damn much... submission to them. I'd say it amounts to rape without actually doing anything necessarily sexual  

7. Avoid giving them reasons to restrain you in the first place. Ounce of prevention = pound of cure.

[Nihilanthic]

IIRC its illegal in a lot of cases to restrain a friggin child in a psychiatric environment prone.

Its very dangerous, makes someone VERY panic easily, makes them very vulnerable to positional asphyxiation... it's just fucking stupid man!

Meh. I wonder if catching programs doing this shit would let us nail the bastards legally?

[Nihilanthic]

Why did I move to a fucked up state?

I need a facepalm gremlin...  :roll:

[Anonymous]

I think your only long term recourse is to memorize the staffs name and face. Repeat the person's name before you go to bed everynight for a few weeks until it's ingrained into your very soul. Then later you can use this information to call the proper authorities, or seek your own personal revenge in whatever way you might feel necessary.

I don't really hold a grudge against those who restrained me. It's embarassing to talk about because I can't say I didn't bring it upon myself. But man, it felt good. When you are completely powerless, a good physical struggle sure can do wonders for the soul. Fighting to me is extremely intimate, second only to sex. It's almost like another way of sharing feelings, let me "show" you how pissed off I really am. Well obviously this doesn't go over well so I got my share fair of takedowns.

There are definitely a few different styles I've seen. At the private wwasps program I was at in montana, I was restrained a bunch of times in the hobbit and worksheets, sometimes for fucking around, other times for nothing. But there it was young staff, who had a hot head and it felt more like we were fighting or something, even though he was huge and always won. Being restained I found to be a completely different experience. That's when a group of people take full control of your body, and you can't do shit. You can't kick, you can't move your arms, you are totally powerless.

To me, that felt like a physical representation of what they were doing to our heads. That's what sucks about it I think, when it comes down to it, it's proven to you in action that you have no goddamn choice in the matter whatsoever. It can be a very clarifying moment.

Anyways. I agree with all the advice. But if a kid feels like fighting back, I think they should go right ahead. The staff can easily handle it, and it does a hell of a lot more good than the therapy ever would. But that would never fly because the point is to keep the kid feeling powerless, that's the game from the top. Also by restraining kids its showing them that everything being said about caring about them and that fake bullshit, its just that fake. Abusive parents do the same thing... when the words dont match the actions kids notice they aren't stupid.

Restraints at other facilities than private programs were different with better trained staff but not any less coercive by any means. This one state run camp I was at they seemed to be very trained in all ways of physically handling us, from escorting us down the hall to where they stood when we went to the bathroom. Much more professional, but again the same effect.

Psych ward restraints are not any different. Bunch of huge male "nurses" pile on top of you, but they got the added benefit of chemicals. Thorazine shot takes about .5 seconds to take effect and you become jello. Then they strap you down with leather straps in an isolation room with a metal bolted down bed face down with only a video camera to keep you company for 24 hrs.

So to me it seems like all the same shit, just a slightly different flavor.

If I had advice to give a kid I would say don't do the things necessary to deserve a restraint. Yeah sometimes it happens for no reason, but a lot of times it's provoked. I provoked it in most cases by trying to escape, breaking things, threatening people or fighting. But I needed to do that at the time. I couldn't just take it up the ass at that point in my life. I needed to fight back in order to save my own sanity.

You can't build a system and not expect the users of said system to push it to the edge and then some.. wishful thinking these socialists are. I am a firm believer in the power of human instinct.

[Anonymous]

I completely agree. I am not "suggesting" other kids fight back. I am just relaying my own personal experience. Yes, you will get fucked up an injured if you do these things. But really, so what? Would you rather have those people say they love you, they are the only people who care about you and are trying to save you from yourself? Fuck them, they are lying.

Prove to yourself and the world who they really are, their true intentions. Let them show you through their actions. Push them until they drop the facade, make them show their true colors to everyone who watches. That's what I did, and it worked for me.

I can feel the anger pulsing through my veins, these threads of yours have a little too much truth in them TSW..  :wink:

[Anonymous]

A lot of these places require pencils and pens as part of their regular exercises; wait until some other kid is being restrained, then strike.

Your goal is not to "hurt". Your goal is to permanently maim. Find the staffer who has his hands full the most, grab his head, and ram that sumbitch as hard and as deep into his eyeball as you possibly can. It doesn't matter if he screams; keep pushing it in. Remember, you'll only get one chance. With luck you might even spark off a full-blown riot.

Of course, if for some reason you have a really sharp object such as a knife, come around from behind and jam it downwards into the lower part of his throat, into the rib cage, filling the trachea with blood. (This is much easier to accomplish than "cutting the throat".)

[Anonymous]

Then enjoy your state run program for the next 30 years lol!

[Anonymous]

Good call.. better get back to trolling Karen.

Shall we??

MINIONS UNITE!

I think thats kind of inevitable...

[Froderik]

Good call.. better get back to trolling Karen.

Shall we??

MINIONS UNITE!

 :rofl:

[Nihilanthic]

If you cause that kind of Grievious injury the cops will be called eventually... even if the program doesn't when Mr. Blinkie goes to the hospital (he will HAVE to) the authorities will find out and come for you.

So, either try to endure a hell of a beating when the cops come (which will probably help to get everone thrown in jail and bust the other kids out...) or if they immediately call the po-pos beat yourself up if they refuse to and capitalize on the situation.

REGARDLESS, you will end up in jail, and then its a matter of using your newfound ability to communicate to get a fucking lawyer A S A P.

Also, I do not condone stabbing someone in the eye, but if you do...  8-)

[Anonymous]

If you want to do something violent to get out of the program, stab yourself. At least you aren't fucking up some random kid. I've seen it done, and it does indeed work. Be sure to smear blood on the wall and write out free me with your bloody hand for effect. Yes this did happen, and the kid got sent away.

 

[Carmel]

Two things Id like to point out....and I I know you mentioned this in the original post, about how it doesnt ALWAYS apply.....but just some thoughts....

When I was in Straight, firstly....it was mostly other clients doing the restraining....staff only got involved after the immediate fact.  We had entirely too many kids acting out for only staff to be restraining them, even though they tried several times to insist that only staff participate.  My point here is that no specific restraint technique was ever really used....it was more of a tackle and immobilize at any cost scenario.  That being said...I agree with the basics of maintaining calm, breathing and working not to get mangled.

Secondly, greivous injury was rarely if ever a solution to the person being restrained.  I observed a girl get her nose and arm broken in the same restraint....one that consisted of a male client hurling his body weight over three rows of chairs and landing on top of her.  She was given a bandaid for her bleeding nose and an arm sling and sat back in the group an hour later.  She never received proper medical treatment, nor were her parents informed.  The same is true even if its self inflicted or a product of being an innocent bystander.  I was attacked and thrown to the ground with a resulting concussion courtesy of a concrete parking divider and offered no medical attention, my mother was also never told.  My point is, hurting yourself could end up being the worst idea if someone doesnt want the outside world knowing youre hurt.

[Carmel]

Two things Id like to point out....and I I know you mentioned this in the original post, about how it doesnt ALWAYS apply.....but just some thoughts....

When I was in Straight, firstly....it was mostly other clients doing the restraining....staff only got involved after the immediate fact.  We had entirely too many kids acting out for only staff to be restraining them, even though they tried several times to insist that only staff participate.  My point here is that no specific restraint technique was ever really used....it was more of a tackle and immobilize at any cost scenario.  That being said...I agree with the basics of maintaining calm, breathing and working not to get mangled.

Secondly, grievous injury was rarely if ever a solution to the person being restrained.  I observed a girl get her nose and arm broken in the same restraint....one that consisted of a male client hurling his body weight over three rows of chairs and landing on top of her.  She was given a bandaid for her bleeding nose and an arm sling and sat back in the group an hour later.  She never received proper medical treatment, nor were her parents informed.  The same is true even if its self inflicted or a product of being an innocent bystander.  I was attacked and thrown to the ground with a resulting concussion courtesy of a concrete parking divider and offered no medical attention, my mother was also never told.  My point is, hurting yourself could end up being the worst idea if someone doesnt want the outside world knowing youre hurt.

[Carmel]

oops

[Anonymous]

I don't think any kid has the right to attack another kid. That's one of the most selfish and fucked up ideas I've ever heard. Self defense, of course, but premeditated attack on an innocent kid in your exact same situation? That's just fucked up. You can fight the programs and not stoop to their level, and still maintain your dignity and honor, even though they desperately try and steal it from you. It's all mind games.