When Being A Survivor Hampers Your Career
by Rick Dougherty When I started volunteering for Break The Silence Against Domestic Violence, one of the ideas I pitched was delving heavily into ways that survivors face tangible economic struggles beyond those normally mentioned in such conversations. That piece is coming, but I often see anecdotal examples of this in my own life. […]
Re-Learning to Love Yourself After Abuse
Loving yourself after abuse means allowing yourself to dance across–to and fro, weaving in and out of–the four Stones of Healing (self-study, self-love, self-compassion, self-awareness)… for the rest of your life.
Survivors in the Grey-Area: Intersecting Identities, Vulnerabilities, and Inequalities
Our identities are based on, among other aspects, our race, class, gender, sexuality, faith. What happens when the vulnerabilities and inequalities associated with each of these intersect? Survivors who are black women, pregnant working mothers, illegal immigrants or male could see their multiple identities interlock against them, but by analyzing their abuse through the lens of intersectionality we can better understand how to help.
Leaving My Abuser and Living with PTSD
A survivor leaves her abuser and is left the PTSD. Her story epitomizes the dangers that survivors face during and after escape.
I’m Still Working Hard to Find My New Normal
Valerie escaped her abuser after a 13-year relationship, finding safety for herself and her 3 children. Like most abusive relationships, hers escalated steadily to almost deadly levels, while she hid signs of abuse from those around her. Read her story to find out how she survived both her abuser and the legal system to get to where she is today.