The physical abuse in domestic violence is the physical manifestation of cowardly actions of an abuser on the very person they claim to love. There are sometimes obvious signs- bruises, black eyes, broken bones. Sometimes it is under the radar and you’re not even aware it’s happening.
What do we mean? What’s under it all?
The immense grief, that the person who claims to love you, also chooses to inflict harm to your brain and body.
Check out below for the beginning of a vocabulary you never imagined you would live through.
Physical Abuse
Regardless, it always comes as a shock. The shock leaves you paralyzed in a “what just happened” kind of way. Your mind can not process what just happened. And, in the beginning, the physical abuse can be accompanied by huge apologies from the abuser. Tears. Begging and pleading for forgiveness and promises it won’t happen again. But it does. Again and again and again. Until the apologies stop and the blaming begins, “Why do you make me so mad?! I don’t want to hit you, but you really make me mad.”
What does physical abuse look like? This is by no means the full list, but it’s a start.
- Kicking, punching, biting.
- Throwing items, food, furniture, (really, anything!) at you.
- Strangling you.
- Putting hands around your neck.
- Throwing you against a wall, down the stairs, against a table, into oncoming traffic, (really, any physical movement of you into the path of another object).
- Leaving you with sexually transmitted diseases due to his (her) numerous affairs.
- Forcing you to have sex when you don’t want to, even if you’re married. (Yes. Even if you’re married it is called rape!)
- Abandoning you in unfamiliar places.
- Threatening or actual abuse of your children.
- Drugging you
Physical Violence has been shown to always include every other form of abuse within the systematic physical blows. Emotional, verbal, financial and trauma are all included along with every blow.
You do not deserve any of it. None of it at all. There are people who will help, and you’re worth the effort. You deserve better. If you’re hurting and can no longer cover the bruises, take our hand. We want to help change your world.
Physical abuse leaves scars. It’s the scars which can be seen and the voice which stays in your head long after the person departs. Healing from the wounds can be an act of endurance because sometimes the effects last a lifetime.
But there is hope. We are here to give you the vocabulary. Once you know. You can act. You’re worth it.
Check out our Flower of Feelings to explore the emotions of your relationships, and how to recognize and heal from those feelings which hurt the most.
We envision a world where survivors can recognize the feelings in their relationships as the hallmark red flags of abuse. We stand as architects of change, amplifying the voices of survivors by addressing the intricate web of emotions entwined with unhealthy relationships. Our values encompass a sanctuary where feelings find validation, where emotions find expression, and where healing begins.
