[Bellflower]

I use to walk home from work at night past a lonely, wooded area. I carried a small, sharp knife in my hand, securely. The thing I did, though, is playact and practice bludgeoning someone with it pretending I was being attacked.

I think that to prepare yourself to do the unthinkable, if you must, it is a good idea to go through the actions, pretending you are doing it. If you do this every so often you will be much more psychologically prepared if, God forbid, the time should ever come where you need to act to protect yourself or others.

[hinckley buzzard]

...to prepare yourself to do the unthinkable, if you must, it is a good idea to go through the actions, pretending you are doing it. If you do this every so often you will be much more psychologically prepared...

You are correct. Mental rehearsal, as lifelike as possible, can be a very useful preparation for emergency situations.