[Sailariel]

Paulette, Wow! What a traumatic experience. Indeed, thankfully, a relatively rare ocurrance. In my response to Tapdiggy, I mentioned the concept of Shame--which is tied to Dignity. The loss of dignity over time creates shame. Initially, the person who feels shame, withdraws. The person can do that by being an isolate who does not communicate with others, or the individual withdraws with the use of chemicals and alcohol. That phase lasts for a while during which time the person is relatively harmless. If no relief from the shame materializes, the shame converts into anger. Violence is not too far away.

The best suggestion that I have for you is that if a panhandler approaches you, try to act upbeat and relaxed. You might say to him, "Let's see what I can do" Have a dollar stashed outside your wallet--reach into your purse and grab the dollar. You hand it to him and in a neutral fashion say something like, "Hope this helps" or "That's about all I can spare today" and walk away. The probability of you being harmed would be very slim 99% of the time. That is where the Dignity component comes in. Negative, judgemental vibes accentuate the Shame component. An upbeat to neutral vibe accompanied by even a token of help (The Dollar), boosts the Dignity component. You want to de-emphasize shame, which in turn helps the peson keep his or her dignity. Sounds like a lot of Sociological mumbo jumbo--but it works.