Has anyone here ever used pressure points in self defense or know someone who has?

I do wish I knew someone that has.
I read Dillmans book and played with it a bit myself.
Mostly all I can suggest is it is really important to have an experienced person to teach you if you are experimenting.
I have studied Shiatsu massage a bit and reflexology but not near enough to play with P.Point strikeing more than a few minutes at a time. When I over did testing on my own arms and legs I could see how important experienced training would be.

the only PP strike i have ever used is a ridgehand to the side of the kneck.

I've used it in self defense. It works. If you train your pressure points, you'll hit them and you'll press or squeeze or rub them depending on whether you are striking or using tuite or take-downs or looking for compliance or whatever. Keep training them. They really are good for something.

If you think that one uses pressure points to attain impressive light touch KO or NTKO then I'd answer "maybe". I'm pretty sure I could get a KO if that were my goal. My self defense is at work and if I knocked someone out, I'd have a lot of explaining to do. All of the KOs I've done have been in the context of training with willing ukes and good supervision. That NTKO thing? Forget it. I suppose you could argue that if you really had chi control you could walk on water. Maybe so but if I'm in a fight, I just want to hold my water and be able to walk away. So give me points that will make my arm bars better and give me points that will help me knock someone down and put them under control. Just my opinion.

I've used them a couple of times working as a doorman. I was trying to get a guy to let go of railing to walk him out but he refused, I pushed my thumb into Small Intestine 8, on the radial side of the arm just above the elbow. This is a release point for the elbow, and it did indeed release the elbow so that I could get a hammer lock on him to walk him out. I've also used stomach 9 a few times, but I don't think that one really counts as most people know how to stick their fingers into the neck and the fact that your going into the carotid's makes it quite easy. I've woken quite a few people up using the pressure point revivals, which have worked really well, but that wasn't really the question was it?

Underdog, what line of work are you in?

To continue farther with my last comment on this topic - I do use Pressure points when sparring.
After finding several on myself it bacame natural to tap, squeese or grab an opponent. With whatever flinch or recoil I got from them I could then execute an attack.
I do highly recommend you learning to use them too.

I am a psychiatric nurse. I also teach the course to people on verbal and other deescalation skills and so I'm not looking to enter combat with my patients. We jave a duty of care. However, with the higher proportion of dangerous people in hospitals these days, and especially with new patients, there will by physical confrontations.

I reread my post. I'd want to say that while I have seen NTKO and will place myself on the side of the debate that agrees they exist, I do not believe that I could ever learn to do one. I won't live that long. I want to concentrate on what is going to help me now and do that one step at a time.

I'll let the people who want to dedicate themselves to the matter, work on perfecting the NTKO. It isn't a combat ready skill. It is impressive to watch. It leaves me in awe wondering what else a human being can do. Still, for myself and my own training,I'd rather develop the leg bar from ground grappling right now. That would be far more likely to save my life.

One of our students is a psychiatric nurse, so I have the upmost respect for what you guys do. As a Doorman, all though we're not supposed, sometimes people will receive a little "dig" to help them comply, this option isn't availble to you guys. Our student actually teaches restraining techniques to other nurses, and is going to show me some of the stuff used. I believe the system they use is called the PRICE system?

Think of pressure points as the petso in a psata sauce, on it's own not all that good but when added to the main course and it adds so much. If you are the underdog and can't choke somone out or don't have the power to subdue someone adding the pressure point might give you the extra bit you need.
Seperate note: has any one heard of those crazy movie pressure point tricks working like kill bill's 5 point exploding heart thing