{"id":10283,"date":"2020-01-15T12:23:23","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T19:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/btsadv.wpengine.com\/?p=10283"},"modified":"2020-01-15T12:23:27","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T19:23:27","slug":"survivor-story-as-she-was-leaving-he-attacked-her-with-her-baby-in-her-arms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakthesilencedv.org\/?p=10283","title":{"rendered":"Survivor Story: As She Was Leaving, He Attacked Her with Her Baby in Her Arms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Submitted by: Amanda, Survivor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>On average, it takes seven attempts to leave before a victim successfully exits an abusive relationship. There are many reasons why exiting is so difficult. Some victims may not want to break their family apart or rely on the abusive partner to survive. Others hold out hope that the abuser will change or, because they believe the abuse is their fault, think it is possible to change something about themselves to make the abuse stop.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Even if there has been no physical violence in the relationship or if the victim has been quietly planning their exit, leaving is still incredibly dangerous. Amanda shares with us why she kept going back to her abuser, what happened when he realized that she was finally leaving, and where she is now. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As is usually the case, Amanda says that the man who abused her was an amazing\nperson when they first met. She was thankful and in shock that a man could be\nso good to her. Slowly but surely, things changed. He was quick to get angry\nwith her and had no patience with her child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Amanda\u2019s family would come over, he became angry and said horrible\nthings about them. He also started to manipulate and gaslight her, and she eventually\nstarted thinking that her family was the problem. Later, Amanda agreed to move\nout of state with a man that would continue mental abuse and cause her more\npain as time passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amanda recalled that she tried to leave him multiple times. Each time\nshe left, he would sweet-talk her into coming back. The abuse was escalating, and\nAmanda found herself becoming increasingly angry with the situation she was in.\nShe started fighting back, and he hated it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Slowly, Amanda started to separate herself from him. She carefully\nplanned with a way to leave and began seeing a counselor while he was at work. Although\nAmanda was gaining confidence and self-esteem, she was able to convince him\nthat she was still completely into their relationship and committed to him\nlong-term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, when he realized she was leaving, they had the worst fight\nthey had ever had. Amanda was scared to death that she was not going to make it\nout alive. She desperately tried to figure out how to call the police while he assaulted\nher while she held their baby in her arms. Amanda cried and screamed for\nsomeone to save her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once she was finally able to get to a phone, Amanda called 911 and\ntried to protect her baby from the attack. She begged the person on the line to\nhelp her and recalls that waiting for help to arrive felt like an eternity. The\nfear from that night was enough to keep her from ever returning to her abuser.\nThe next day, Amanda filed for divorce, full custody of the children, and an\norder of protection; she was granted everything she requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThat night was the last time I have ever had to talk to or see my\nabuser. Now, I\u2019m getting counseling and learning how a healthy relationship\nprogresses. I\u2019m also seeing an amazing man that treats my children and me with\nrespect. Most importantly, I feel safe. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThe old me spent three years craving the safety that I have now. I\u2019m\nlucky to have made it out alive. Just remember, every time you try to leave and\ngo back is not a reason to quit trying. Get out \u2013 there is a way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>**If you or someone you know is\nin an abusive relationship, there is help. You can visit the Break the Silence\nwebsite at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/breakthesilencedv.org\"><em>www.breakthesilencedv.org<\/em><\/a><em>,\nchat with one of our helpline advocates at 855-287-1777, or send a private\nmessage through our Facebook page.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">========<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s YOUR Raw Truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sharing our stories can be incredibly empowering while also helping\nothers connect with survivors who have similar experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are inspired to share your story with us, <a href=\"https:\/\/breakthesilencedv.org\/break-your-silence\/\">submit here<\/a>. You\ncan choose to remain anonymous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Submitted by: Amanda, Survivor On average, it takes seven attempts to leave before a victim successfully exits an abusive relationship. There are many reasons why exiting is so difficult. Some victims may not want to break their family apart or rely on the abusive partner to survive. Others hold out hope that the abuser will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[90,116,187,160,25,117,34],"class_list":["post-10283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-break-your-silence","tag-domestic-violence","tag-emotional-abuse","tag-gaslighting","tag-isolation","tag-leaving","tag-physical-abuse","tag-verbal-abuse"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Survivor Story: As She Was Leaving, He Attacked Her with Her Baby in Her Arms - Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakthesilencedv.org\/?p=10283\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Survivor Story: As She Was Leaving, He Attacked Her with Her Baby in Her Arms - Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Submitted by: Amanda, Survivor On average, it takes seven attempts to leave before a victim successfully exits an abusive relationship. 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