I know many women (and men) who have come out of abusive relationships. Sometimes they jump right back into one. There are many reasons for this. One of them is that they feel adrift without their abusive mate, and they have not yet learned to value themselves. So,...
I don’t want to look back
I saw an interesting blog last week written by Mike McBride of ChildAbuseSurvivor.net. Mike writes about abuse as an adult male who was abused as a child. In his blog, he talks about healing from abuse, and growing older. He says many abuse survivors try to heal so...
How/When To Include Your Kids?
I hope you have enjoyed my series on dating after abuse. If you have been dating someone, and you think you may seriously have a future with him,* you may wonder when is the right time to introduce each other to your kids? Also, what is the best way to do this? I...
Safety Guidelines for Dating
Former Abuse victims often worry about picking another abuser when they begin dating again. This is a valid concern. Why? Here are a few reasons many survivors will unintentionally pick an abuser again: Abusers are very charming at the beginning of a relationship, and...
Are You Ready to Date?
In last week's blog I began my series about dating after abuse by looking at what the bible says about divorce and remarriage. This week I will help you decide if you are ready to date. This is an important question for someone who has previously been in an abusive...
We Store Our Trauma in Our Bodies
I put off taking a yoga class for years, though many friends, counselors and doctors had recommended it to me. I knew it was often very “new age,” and I didn’t want to deal with that. When I finally tried it, I found that to indeed be true. When instructors begin...
How to Forgive Yourself
In my last blog, I gave several reasons why forgiving yourself is important when healing from abuse. Today, I’d like to share some practical steps for doing this. The following is taken from my book, A Journey to Healing after Emotional Abuse. Step 1 – Seek God’s...
Forgiving Yourself
Abuse victims struggle with forgiveness . . . for good reason. The person they love most, and who was supposed to love them, has treated them worse than most people would treat their worst enemy. This is a betrayal of the worst order. How does one forgive that? Why...
My Writing Journey – I C Summer Blog Tour
As a blogger, I have the privilege of meeting other women who blog about domestic violence. Some of them become good friends. My newest friend is Katelin Maloney. Katelin is passionate about raising awareness to domestic violence issues. Her working novel, Drowning,...
Returning (Reluctantly) to the Days of Emotional Abuse
Today I would like to get more personal than I usually do . . . here goes. I am a step-mom. I am also a survivor of domestic violence. Some days these two don’t collide, but often they do. Let me explain. I love my stepchildren, but make no mistake, being a step...