Good Morning friends! Today begins week two of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Last week I gave several ideas for very public ways to bring awareness to the dangers of domestic violence.
This week, I’d like to take a different focus. For those of us who have experienced domestic violence, we know that the trauma doesn’t end the minute you leave the relationship. We also know that healing from DV is a longer and more arduous journey than we would like. (Tweet This) However, this is a journey worth taking.
On January 1, I will be releasing my second book, A Journey to Healing After Emotional Abuse. In this book, I outline many steps abuse survivors can take to begin their healing process. I pray it will be a huge blessing to abuse survivors.
In the meantime, I have written many blogs that focus on healing, you can access them here.
One blog in particular is called How Can a Formerly Abused Woman Heal? I wrote this blog as I began to get ideas for my recent book. Some of the main ideas from both the blog and the book follow.
What are some important steps to take on your journey to healing?
- Set boundaries around your relationship with your former abuser. (Note: if he/she is potentially dangerous, make a safety plan with a DV advocate).
- Learn to take care of yourself, i.e. have good self-care.
- Grow/repair your relationship with God.
- Examine your past, and get healing for what you experienced there.
- Get counseling if at all possible.
- With God’s help, strive to forgive those who have hurt you, not for their benefit, but for yours.
- Delay starting another relationship, this will only complicate your healing process.
- Use what has happened to you to help others, this will also help you heal.
- Be patient with yourself and your healing process. There is no timetable to healing. The longer and more severely you were abused, the longer your healing process will likely take.
I believe God is the God of healing. Isaiah 61:1-3 says:
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
May He bless you on your journey toward healing.
Caroline
