Healing the Wounds of Trauma

2. Why do you think Ann stayed with Joe even though he was violent and abusive? 3. What helped Ann get out of this abusive situation? 4. How much is domestic abuse an issue in your community or family? 2. What is domestic abuse? Domestic abuse is a pattern of someone trying to control another family member. It can be directed towards elders, spouses, siblings, or children and it can take many forms: • physical: beating, choking, throwing things, kicking, and so on. • verbal: telling the victimthey are stupid, unable to do anything right, and so on. • emotional: making the victim live in fear, isolating the victim from others. • sexual: forcing sexual relations on the victim. • economic: not allowing the victim to havemoney, food, educa- tion, medical help, and so on.

TENSION

CALM

ABUSIVE INCIDENT

All families have conflicts, but when there is a pattern of control and manipulation, it is domestic abuse. The abuse happens in a predict- able cycle: tension, violence, calm; tension, violence, calm. . . . The cycle can happen daily, or on certain days like weekends. Over time,

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Domestic Abuse