Abuse and the Repercussions

The words contained within these pages were not put to paper by someone sitting in a leather chair, clothed in an overpriced suite, and secure in a finely decorated office proclaiming to have an understanding of actions, emotions, or issues that they themselves have never endured. I am not a physiologist and I don’t claim to be a counselor. I am a person that has learned to live and learn off of the experiences that I have endured. I am a survivor; and I have been through the shattering of my world and the struggle to pull the pieces back together. I have witnessed others go through the same types of terror as well. I am writing about what I have learned from my own personal experience and the experiences of others that I have witnessed. This information will help you identify an abuser and understand some of what makes them tick. Also explained is how and why a victim thinks and acts the way they do. I’ll explain the steps to take to help a friend prepare to leave an abusive relationship or how to leave it yourself.

I am a thirty five year old single woman living in Kansas.  I am a few years out of a relationship that was, to say the least, horrific. I was subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse that left me ill prepared to face life and move on. All that I was and all that I had was stripped away and I was summarily cast naked upon barren shores to survive the elements. The violence I was subjected to nearly ended my life more than once. Now, for the first time in my life, I am living.

Within these pages resides my hope, my pain, my suffering, my life. I wrote this based on what I have learned and what I have observed. I am putting forward this effort to help others understand what I and thousands of others have and are going through every day. Most of all, I hope in reading this book, I may prevent someone else from ever experiencing the horror of domestic violence. I am a survivor of domestic violence and I continue to grow stronger each day.