Emotional Abuse Healing Process

Emotional abuse healing process is something that is going to be a bit different for everyone that has one, Emotional abuse is something that is very hard to deal with in your life but it can be conquered, healed, and you can move on in your life.

Domestic Violence: Healing the Wounds

Millions of people are in abusive relationships, or directly affected by one. After living in an abusive relationship, problems don’t end when victims escape the nightmare. The abuser’s psychological and physical attacks leave them with wounds that are difficult to heal unless carefully attended to in the aftermath of such trauma.

There is hope for survivors of domestic violence. Although difficult and painful, recovery from abuse it is possible. The healing process starts with recognizing how domestic violence impacts the life of a survivor.

• Fear and anxiety, while normal responses to dangerous situations fear and anxiety can become a permanent emotional state without help. Memories of the trauma can trigger intense anxiety and immobilize the survivor. Children may express their fears by becoming aggressive, develop phobias or revert to infantile behavior.
• Guilt, shame and blame, Survivors often blame themselves for allowing the abuse to occur and continue for as long as it did. Survivors feel guilty for allowing their children to be victimized. Sometimes others blame the survivors for allowing themselves to be victims. These emotions increase the survivor’s negative self-image and distrustful view of the world.

Recovery

To recover from domestic violence, the survivor must:

• Stop blaming their self for what has happened; take responsibility for present and future choices.
• Stop isolating yourself; reconnect with people in order to build a support network.
• Stop the cycle of abuse, get yourself and your children counseling to help heal psychological wounds and to learn healthy ways to function in the world.

Recovery from domestic violence is a step-by-step process; a journey no one should take alone. The first step toward becoming a survivor is taken when victims call for help. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is (800) 799-SAFE.

• DENIAL:

This is characterized as shock and disbelief. Survivors are taught from an early age they won't be believed which feeds directly into their own desire for it not to be true. Then the reality and shock of the abuse starts to permeate one's entire system and shatters one's world view, ties, relationship to oneself and one's environment. Added to this dynamic, is the fact that there is little or no community support.

This stage can produce severe forms of anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive sexual feelings and thoughts, loss of appetite, compulsive eating. Emotional distress can cause distractions such as addictions, self-harm, dissociation, keeping busy.

• ANGER:

Expressions of anger can cause hostility, rage, explosive behavior or turned inwards can cause depression, fear, and self-mutilation. This is also characterized by guilt and self-blame.

• GRIEF:

The survivor starts to experience the many losses associated with trauma loss of a safe childhood, loss of love, loss of friends and support from the community. There are all types of healing activities to address releasing intense emotions that are trapped in the body. These feelings can again cause the survivor to self, medicate through addictions and self-harm.

• ACCEPTANCE:

The survivor's personal identity and belief system becomes integrated and the survivor finally lets go of the past, including working through the memories. The survivor becomes an empowered individual with deep compassion for oneself and others, who can overcome any of life's obstacles and challenges.