jenniferwomensvoic

In my previous article, Reclaiming Your Voice After Partner Abuse , I focused on the external barriers survivors often encounter when seeking support—misunderstanding, judgment, fear, and well-intended but unhelpful responses. Part two of this series turns inward to explore the internal barriers abuse creates: fear of escalation, hope for change, self-doubt, confusion, self-blame, and fear of making the wrong choices. These barriers are not signs of weakness or indecision; they are...

“Opening our eyes to how intimate partners harm us hurts. . . This may feel excruciating, but it’s also the beginning step to reclaiming yourself.” This quote from chapter one of Coercive Relationships , describes the hurt that makes it painful to admit a partner is abusive. The journey of reclaiming yourself is not easy, but the way is smoothed for those fortunate to have supportive friends, family, faith leaders, and professionals. “Reclaiming your voice” refers to recognizing abuse is...

Find Your Voice’s mission is to provide therapy resources for healing and for leaving relationships that are abusive when necessary. I invited Dawn Lanaville to be my guest co-blogger because of her expertise with forensics and family courts. She speaks about shifting the focus to perpetrators and providing answers to an survivors’ oft-asked question, “Why do they hurt us?” Lanaville is a clinical/forensic psychologist who primarily works in family courts in Intimate Partner Violence and...