Elemental is a sexual assault protection program that offers realistic training for realistic situations. This program:

  • Combines the best of classroom education and self-defense training in a program with peer-reviewed evidence of long-term effectiveness.
  • Offers an organized, cost-effective, and holistic curriculum that is grounded in social science research and is inclusive of a variety of participants, including gender and sexual minorities (GSM).
  • Assists your institution in filling the most recent requirements of the Violence Against Women Act (including the SaVE Act). Elemental combines some of the best elements of primary prevention and risk reduction programming. We offer face-to-face training and ongoing prevention through self-directed student review.
  • Provides program participants with choices in the way they respond to an assault, each based on the four elements of To-Shin Do. Our name comes from this element-based problem-solving paradigm.

What are the four elements?

Earth (Confident)
Hold your ground
Water (Surprised)
Step back momentarily, assess, then react
Fire (Connected)
Anticipate the threat and stop it before it grows
Wind (Withdrawn)
Exploit weaknesses within the threat that enable you to leave entirely

Latest News

Recent Adoptions of Elemental in Iowa and Wisconsin

Posted on Feb 2nd, 2018

Elemental is happy to announce that Grinnell College in Iowa and Edgewood College in Wisconsin have adopted the program for their campuses. Both schools are in the process of certifying instructors and hope to be offering 6 hour seminars and/or full semester classes beginning in the fall of 2018!  We are so pleased to have you on board!

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Testimonials

I liked how the different techniques weren't gender specific, and I liked how you could use each of the elemental moves to cater to your specific personality. It made the techniques more approachable. I loved the seminar, it was really empowering!

2013 Participant

I would recommend this seminar to others because I think it addresses many different angles of sexual assault and how to deal with them not only physically, but also verbally. Because it is more common for people to be assaulted by people they know, I think this program does a good job of addressing those types of problems and how to deal with them.

2012 Participant

I would 100% recommend this class to others; in fact, I already have. It flows really well, it's very informative, it doesn’t tiptoe around the subjects, and you can ask any question and you don’t feel stupid or like you're alone. Everyone was really helpful and nice (even the creepers), and now you get review materials so you can keep practicing so you don’t forget what you learned.

2014 Participant

My favorite part of the seminar was the video. So many times, I hear about these situations, but never really have any idea what goes on in these scenarios. Although I am not involved in any type of party scene, I do think it is really helpful to see these situations in context so I know how to react in an unexpected situation.

2012 Participant

I really enjoyed your "no pressure" approach and it allowed me to actually try the techniques without feeling uncomfortable.

2013 Participant

I believe this seminar should be a requirement for every senior in high school! It would be an awesome investment.

Parent of a Participant 2015

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you & your team on what a fantastic program Elemental is. I have been through several different types of programs, and I have to say that yours is one of the best I’ve attended.

2013 Assistant Residence Hall Director

I really liked the "uh-oh" moment identifications because a lot of them I would have never thought of and it allows me to look out for them in real life situations.

2013 Participant

I also appreciated that we were given the opportunity to try things that we might actually experience in real life with the couches and the beds.

2012 Participant

It is an empowering program that really shows people they aren't helpless in situations like this. Granted, you can't be prepared for everything, but I personally feel much more confident in my abilities after taking this program. It was educational; it was hands-on; and it was ultimately a really fun day.

2013 Participant