Violence Survivors

They’re going to show up. If you’ve been teaching self-defense for any length of time, chances are that you’ve already taught a survivor of violence, whether you knew it or not at the time. If you are going to teach for any length of time, meeting a survivor is a ‘when,’ not an ‘if.’ These students present a specific set of challenges, and have specific needs. If they’re handled unconsciously or inexpertly, they can be damaged more easily than most other people.

My life with Chad was rocky at best. His need for control extended to me and led to an abusive situation that ended in trauma and murder. This is the story of how I found courage and healing after being married to my abuser for several years.

You see the path forward. Yet. You find yourself frustrated by their inability to take ownership of their advocacy. You might find yourself struggling to simplify complex legal information, to delicately navigate emotional conversations or even answer repeated questions. If only there was a way to understand what was going on in the victim’s mind…

In this brave and beautiful memoir, written with the raw honesty and devastating openness of The Glass Castle and The Liar’s Club, a woman chronicles how her marriage devolved from a love story into a shocking tale of abuse—examining the tenderness and violence entwined in the relationship...