Daily Excerpt: Recovering from Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Stalking (Romer) - Introduction

 

The following excerpt comes from Recovering from Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Stalking by Joanna Romer.

INTRODUCTION 

This book is for you if you’ve ever been the victim of domestic violence, abuse or stalking. It’s also for you if your sister, mother or friend has been victimized, as one of the stories in this volume describes. Having escaped a dangerous situation or come to grips with it in some way, you must now start the process of rebuilding your life. Where do you turn? How can you find the “self” you were before the abuse began? Is this even possible?

Hopefully, this book will provide some answers to those questions. Included are interviews with women just like you who overcame the reality of domestic violence, stalking or abuse. You will also find advice from therapists to help you sort your life out and put the pieces back together.

Domestic abuse these days ranges all the way from being called a slut to hospitalization and even murder (included in this book). In the latter instances, most of the attention on the news is given to the perpetrator. Often, there is surprise that a member of the community could do such terrible things because the bruises and scars of the victim are kept hidden. (One woman whom I interviewed claimed her husband was a Jekyll/Hyde figure: respected by the community in public, beating her up and pointing guns in the faces of her children in private.)

But the abusers are only half the story. The real tragedy, of course, lies with the victims and their families, who are left stunned, battered and heartbroken by the attacks. Victims of domestic abuse are often afraid to speak for fear of further violence. In the case of murder, siblings and parents are left in shock and anguish; children are sometimes forced to handle the situation on their own. The scope of the problem is appalling. According to statistics on domestic violence, one in three women has been beaten or experienced abuse by a family member (Domestic Violence Statistics, 2016). Almost half of female homicides globally in 2012 were committed by an intimate partner or family member (United Nations Women, 2016). How does the family cope? How do battered victims recover from the trauma?

This book will attempt to explore some of these issues in a compassionate manner, often offering advice and insights from victims of abuse themselves. If you have survived domestic violence, abuse or stalking, you need to feel proud of yourself. Your courage and wisdom have given you a new start in life. As for the answer to my earlier question whether you can find your old self again, be assured that you can. With patience, forgiveness, and above all, a new respect and love for yourself, your life will be transformed.

You’ve taken the first step and removed yourself from danger. Now go forward, and build your new life!

Purchase the paperback at the MSI Press webstore. Use code FF25 for a 25% discount.

For more posts about Joanna and her books, click HERE.

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