By Kayla Woody, CPN House of Hope Prevention Specialist
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time” is great advice from Maya Angelou. If you were able to remove the emotional connection with a person, these would be easy words to follow. However, love seems to skew our vision and makes it difficult to truly see the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Intimate relationships are complex and often complicated. When you add abuse to the mix, the ability to differentiate between reality and manipulation becomes difficult and can cause individuals to become “entrapped in a world of confusion, contradiction, and fear.” (Stark, Evan (2007). Coercive control: How men entrap women in personal life. Oxford University Press.)
If domestic violence were more simplistic and easier to spot, fewer people would find themselves ensnared by its grip. Unfortunately, 24 people per minute become victims of abuse by an intimate partner in the United States, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. This equates to 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experiencing violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
To prevent abuse from happening in a relationship, everyone must first understand what abuse is. There is a serious misconception that abuse is only physical. This is far from reality.
There are many tactics used to gain power and control by abusive partners. It’s important to understand what those tactics look like and how they can be used.
The CPN House of Hope is here to help anyone actively experiencing abuse in their intimate partner relationship. There are a variety of services that are available for individuals who find themselves experiencing the abuse tactics listed above. Those services are completely free and 100% confidential.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking and would like more information, please contact the House of Hope at 405-275-3176 or visit us online at cpnhouseofhope.com.