Survivor Story: She Thought She Failed as a Mother Because She Couldn’t Protect Her Children
Written By: *Annie, Survivor One of the most common questions survivors of domestic violence hear after leaving their abuser is, “Why didn’t you just leave?” This question is a form of victim-blaming that often influences survivors to keep silent about the abuse they endured and reinforces the belief that they are somehow to blame for […]
Survivor Story: Her Abuser Threatened Her Children with Foster Care and Death
Written By: *Jackie, Survivor Domestic violence has far-reaching effects on all family members living in a home where abuse occurs. Growing up in a home with abuse increases a child’s risk of harm in several ways. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, between 30 – 60% of abusers will also abuse the children who […]
Emotional Abuse and Sleep Deprivation as Tools of Coercion – Part Three
Written and adapted by: Amy, BTSADV Volunteer This post will detail what happens when the forces of verbal and emotional abuse discussed in part one collide with forced sleep deprivation discussed in part two. As the second post covered the more technical side of sleep deprivation, this post will focus on how combining methods of abuse with sleep […]
Survivor Story: A Survivor Shares a Letter to Her Abuser
Submitted by: BTSASDV Survivor Writing letters that we will never send can help us process the hurt and trauma of past experiences. It can help us make sense of things that we struggle to understand. Survivors of trauma can also benefit from writing down our feelings or telling others how what they did affected us […]
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 […]
