The origin of flying monkeys is found in The Wizard of Oz. These scary creatures did the Wicked Witch's bidding. In recent years, the term flying monkeys has come to identify people that do the bidding of abusers. This might be someone who tells the abuser's partner...
Tia Payne describes her journey with abuse, realizing God loved her more than her marriage, to becoming a DV advocate and founder of Legacy31.
Deciding whether to leave an abusive relationship is not an easy task. People who have never been in this situation often don't understand this. In their...
One of the most difficult things about domestic violence (DV) is that we often don't know if we are experiencing it. It took me years to realize I was being abused. When I was finally free, I wrote A Journey through Emotional Abuse: from Bondage to Freedom to help...
I recently read a great article on DrugRehab.com that highlighted the link between domestic violence and substance abuse. Some people believe that an abuser using drugs or alcohol causes domestic violence. This is not true. Taking drugs and alcohol does not cause...
I left my abuser 12 years ago. At that time, to receive help, I had to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline. I had just recently received a cell phone, and it wasn't a "smart phone." My phone didn't have my contacts in it, so I carried around a small address...
We don't often hear about group counseling. I am currently going to my local seminary to get a degree in counseling. Since studying group counseling this semester I have learned a few things I didn't know: Group counseling can be just as effective and sometimes even...
Have you ever heard of DomesticShelters.org? I truly hope so. If you follow me on Facebook, you probably have because I am one of their biggest fans. DomesticShelters.org began two years ago, through a partnership of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence...
I sometimes hear people say, "Nothing good ever came from the web." I disagree. I have made friends, learned a ton, and built a support network online. Recently I was contacted by a group called IssuesIFace.com. They found my blog online, and asked me to write about...
In my last blog, I shared my story of taking out a restraining order against my abusive ex-husband. For me, that was definitely the right thing to do. Should every abuse victim get a restraining order? Not necessarily. Should every abuse victim get a...
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