Survivor Story: Her Abuser Broke Her Ribs Because She Would Not Give Him Money
Submitted By: Erica, Survivor Even without additional stressors, domestic violence tends to escalate over time as the abuser becomes more controlling and usurps power in the relationship. When drug or alcohol is added to the mix, it becomes more dangerous. Survivor Erica briefly shares with us how the abuse escalated and what happened the night […]
Survivor Story: Her Abuser Emotionally Manipulated Her to Get Her to Come Back
Submitted by: *Becky, Survivor On average, it takes seven times for a victim to successfully leave an abuser. Many things contribute to someone returning to their abuser, including financial dependence upon the abuser, desire to preserve their family, children, and fear. Survivor Becky shares with us how her abuser’s manipulation of her emotions and his […]
Survivor Story: Her Voice Was Heard in Court
Submitted by: Melissa, Survivor Leaving an abuser is terrifying and dangerous enough as it is. Having to face our abusers in court not only increases the risk of retaliation against the victim disclosing the abuse, it can also retraumatize them in the process. There is no guarantee that justice will be served, and for many […]
Survivor Story: Her Abuser Threatened to Mutilate and Kill Her if She Left
Submitted by: *Jenny, Survivor Leaving an abuser is not a simple case of just walking away, and it is not always immediate. It is not uncommon for a victim to wait years before leaving or go through a process of several attempts before they can permanently break free from the abuser. Regardless of how long […]
Emotional Abuse and Sleep Deprivation as Tools of Coercion – Part Two
Written and adapted by: Amy, BTSADV Volunteer In part one of this series, I discussed the basic progression of verbal and emotional abuse and how it can affect us. I also made references to another frequently applied but barely spoken of method of abuse in the abuser’s arsenal against their victim: forced sleep deprivation. If […]
Survivor Story: I Know Why Women Stay
Written by: Brandon, friend of a survivor Victims of domestic violence face many barriers to leaving their abusers, including financial controls, manipulation, coercion, intimidation, isolation, physical punishment, and conditioning resulting from verbal and emotional abuse. Brandon, who has experiences with verbal, emotional, and mental abuse in his own life, shares a painfully profound story of […]
