Awww dam!

dmccarthy wrote:
The main difference between motor points and pressure points is that pressure points rely on pain compliance due to constant or dynamic pressure. Motor points do not. </quote>

Exactlly! Pressure points are used for pain compliance, and some people are none responders. Motor Nerve Points on the other hand effect anantomny are rarely have a non-response, some are more dramatic but all will have a response of some type provided that you have a functioning autonomic nervous system.


<quote> For the record, I've never knocked someone out using this technique before, but I've also never wanted to. I've used it for demonstrations in the classroom, but I'm very careful with it. Even a simple slap with intent behind it will make you see stars.

I on the other hand have knocked people out using the brachial plexus origin, and caused muscular dysfunction using the brachial tie in and the common peroneal on MANY MANY individuals. Not once has a motor point failed to function.

dmccarthy wrote:
It is one of two possible answers..you are a non/partial responder.

I'd really like to learn more about these 'non responders' - i.e., what makes them like that?
Is it possible to become one? or
Is it possible to override their non-responsive nature in any way?

Also, if they're non-responsive in this way, does that indicate anything else about them?

Well, there are those that do not have any percievable response to any normal pressure point (i.e. this does not include motor points). We call them non responders. These people are very rare, but I've met two. I had a student at one point who you could stick your fingers straight into his suprasternal notch (the soft spot above the sternum on your throat). No pain, no gag reflex, no nothing. I have another student currently who is a non responder. It doesn't matter what the point is. With him I think it is an abnormally high pain tolerance. He does respond normally to joint manipulation.

Most of the population will have full to partial response to some pressure points. Sometimes it is a matter of they have an incredibly high pain tolerance, so they can ignore most of the signal from the pressure point. Sometimes it has to do with anatomical differences in a person that occured during natural development (a bone didn't form exactly proper, so the point does not totally function right), or maybe some previous trauma (a nerve has been damaged or something).

I more or less respond normally to most pressure points that have been applied on me. There are a few that I have more of an ability to fight, but I don't know if that is due to me building some level of tolerance to them or what.

Ahhhh yes Pain Tolerance. A person can develope a wide range of tolerance to pain. Last Friday I went to a class on the Stinger BAND-IT system. It is a electronic control device to assist in controling detainees. It is straped to an arm or leg and if the detainee acts up it may be activated remotely.

Pulsing at 22 pulses/second and at 45,000V it gets your attention. However, it did not mentally cause me stress. I did not cry out, or fall to the ground. Some did. But I could not stop the muscle contraction that occured and I could not straighten out my arm. It would have been difficult to fight that.

Pain compliance vs motor dysfunction. IMPORTANT difference.

Wow, Thank you both dmccarthy and mprowe - I love learning stuff like this!

dmccarthy wrote:
Well, there are those that do not have any percievable response to any normal pressure point (i.e. this does not include motor points). We call them non responders. These people are very rare, but I've met two. I had a student at one point who you could stick your fingers straight into his suprasternal notch (the soft spot above the sternum on your throat). No pain, no gag reflex, no nothing. I have another student currently who is a non responder. It doesn't matter what the point is. With him I think it is an abnormally high pain tolerance. He does respond normally to joint manipulation.

Most of the population will have full to partial response to some pressure points. Sometimes it is a matter of they have an incredibly high pain tolerance, so they can ignore most of the signal from the pressure point.

I more or less respond normally to most pressure points that have been applied on me. There are a few that I have more of an ability to fight, but I don't know if that is due to me building some level of tolerance to them or what.

What you're saying here makes a lot of sense to me from what I experience using pressure points in a therapeutic setting - where different people have different responses; however most people (not all) will be hyper sensitive in points where their energy is weak or blocked.

What you're saying about pain tolerance therefore makes a lot of sense. To be able to detect a point you have to 'sensitise' yourself to it, but to ignore the pain signals you have to be able to train your mind and body to tolerate such situations. Its a bit like 2 sides of the same coin.