Running head: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HEALING

Healing from Domestic Violence

Courtney M. Clayton
University of Texas El Paso

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HEALING

Healing from Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a growing problem in the United States that continues to be a
constant battle within communities. Domestic violence is not just physical assault; it can also
include sexual assault, intimidation, and emotional abuse. Most cases are between members of a
family or between intimate partners. The abusers motivation usually derives from an intense
desire to have power and control over the other individual. It is a complex psychological problem
for all members involved. Domestic violence itself is not the only problem facing communities
in the United States; the healing process and opportunity for aid is also a problem that needs to
be addressed. Each person handles and reacts to domestic violence differently, which makes it
difficult for experts to find a universal plan to aid these individuals, and because of this, there are
a plethora of viewpoints of how domestic violence victims should be handled and what
opportunities they should have during the healing process. This paper will discuss a handful of
these viewpoints and also explore the realm of domestic violence and how these issues and
challenges affect communities.
What is the current statistical situation of domestic violence in the United States today?
The statistical data on domestic violence in the U.S. possesses many different facts, but
the viewpoints always exemplify the same view: that domestic violence is a growing problem
and needs to be addressed. Nearly all of the sources that talk about the statistics of domestic
violence prove that domestic violence is a larger problem than most communities in the United
States realize. Recovering Irma, a film based website published in 2013, encompasses a unique
viewpoint and many different facts such as what domestic violence is, signs that one is in a
domestically violent relationship, creating a personalized safety plan, and myths about domestic

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violence. The author especially expresses the viewpoint when focusing on the importance of all

people in a community having a personal safety plan. It acts as a door into the world of domestic
violence and suggests that each person is different in not only the healing process, but also that
each person needs a unique preventative safety plan based on age, marital status, whether
children are involved, geographic location, and resources available (Recovering Irma 2013).
This implies that domestic violence is such a problem in the U.S. that each and every resident of
the United States needs a plan if ever a victim and that all individuals need to be aware and
informed about this issue. It also infers that each individual is unique and that they should be
treated that way by professionals in the healing process of domestic violence. This is also
supported by actual statistical data. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a domestic
violence support and informational group, provides statistical information that highlights the
problems that domestic violence is causing and why
each person responds in a different way. The NCADV
states that, between 21-60% of intimate relationship
abuse victims will lose their jobs due to reasons
stemming from the abuse (NCADV 2014). This wide
range in percentage highlights just how different each
victim reacts. The amount of abuse and how the victim
reacts affects just how much they are going to lose,
including their profession. The NCADV makes it a priority to inform everyone about the damage
of domestic violence. The NCADV also believes that men are just as likely to get domestically
abused as women, which is a surprising statistic. The NCADV states, 1 and 3 women and 1 and
4 men have experienced (some sort of) physical violence by an intimate partner within their

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lifetime (NCADV 2014). This is a concept not understood by most individuals in the United
States. Most people have a false vision that only males abuse females. Figure 1 above shows this
stereotype, that only men abuse women, and also shows another problem with domestic violence
in the U.S.: the unawareness and the amount of people who are not educated about domestic
violence. It is vital to show in ads or pictures like in figure 1 that women are not the only ones
affected by domestic violence. Appealing to everyone who is affected by domestic violence,
including men, will be more effective in raising awareness in the community than just appealing
to one gender. The lack of domestic abuse education and awareness is a worry for almost all of
the domestic violence researchers. According to Loyola Marymount University most percentage
of people in the community and on campus have heard of domestic violence but they do not
know what it is (Loyola Marymount University 2014). This awareness is the key to fighting
domestic violence and being able to provide more for these victims. It will also aid organizations
who have the purpose to inform the public and will provide more advertising and opportunity for
these groups. These organizations attempt to change this by creating websites, holding meetings,
and advertising like figure 1 above. They believe that the more people are aware, the less likely
domestic violence will occur.
What impact does domestic abuse have on an individual?
Domestic violence causes many psychological, emotional, and physical problems for its
victims. According to Clark Prosecutor, an attorney office in Indiana, The long term effects
have not begun to be fully documented (Clark Country Prosecuting Attorney 2014). The
complexities of this issue makes for a hard argument about what the impact really is on these
victims. Everyone reacts differently to the many different types of abuse, so it is difficult to say
that there is a universal formula to how each victim is individually impacted. Many professionals

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agree that there are some ubiquitous impacts that domestic abuse has on its victims. These
include: loss of jobs, loss of confidence, financial issues, instant physical problems, future
physical problems, emotional turmoil, and abandonment by ones church. The attorney office
explains that, Some battered women are abandoned by their church when separating from
abusers, since some religious doctrines prohibit separation or divorce regardless of the severity
of abuse (Clark Country Prosecuting Attorney 2014). Losing the church that one attends, as
well as ones income, job, and possibly children is essentially losing everything. This is the cause
of the victims not wanting to leave their abusers, which even further prolongs the healing
process. Even if the victim successfully leaves their abusive partner it does not always lead to
healing. Another source from an Australian news website explains, The effects of violence and
abuse dont just end when people escape the relationship and now we are hearing about how this
impacts on womens lives later, particularly on their health and wellbeing, working and personal
lives (Cornish 2014). It is more complex as an individual to leave the abuser and also heal
successfully. There is so much that one can lose that it is almost always a lose/lose situation for
the victim, and that is why better options and aid need to be offered to these victims, to give
them the confidence to leave their abusers.
According to another source, it is also believed that domestic violence does not just affect
the victim and the people involved; it also largely affects the communities. The communities are
affected in numerous ways, some ways most people do not even realize. The Alameda Fire
Department has a lot to say about this topic. Their extent of knowledge on the topic is immense.
Most of the people interviewed in this video were public service personnel who responded to a
domestically violent stimulated call in the Alameda community. Most of these individuals agreed
that these calls changed their lives forever and also made the community uneasy. One firefighter

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commented, I hope my daughters never have to go through anything like this in their life time
(Alameda Fire Department firefighter 2014). This exemplifies that domestic violence is an even
bigger problem than it already is and it needs to be addressed by the community as a whole.
Once it starts to affect a community it is no longer a personal problem. When the community as a
whole starts to be affected, the fear, shock, and worry will begin to increase. Many community
members were interviewed in this video and the stress can be heard in their voices. One member
who was interviewed proclaimed, It is sad that this is not a uncommon occurrence (Alameda
Community Member 2013). Having the community worried and scared like this will never
promote a healthy, well functioning community. The Alameda Fire Department also stresses how
important it is for all communities to be aware and educated and to call 9-1-1 if one ever suspects
any form of domestic abuse. Although there is no universal formula to how an individual will be
impacted, the sources agree that the number one way a domestic violence victim is affected is
psychologically, and they will never be the same again, even with the right resources, and
communities will forever be scarred.
What do researchers and professionals say needs to be provided for victims violence to
help them heal?
Lisa Ann Haeseler, a Community Outreach Consultant, believes that social services
practitioners need to more fully understand the complexities involved in a womens coping
spectrum after suffering the abuse. Service professionals must be sensitive to the concerns and
needs of the victims to provide proper resources. (Haesler 2013) states, In many states across
the nation, numerous homelessincluding female clientsare coping with issues of polysubstance abuse, mental illness, and domestic violence abuse Haeseler and other creditable
sources stress that integrating the understanding between economic, emotional, and neurological
factors will often improve the outcome of treatment and healing. In addition, in his text Domestic

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Violence: A Reference Handbook, McCue believes that there are many different views on how
domestic violence victims should be handled and how they are feeling. The different views
include: feminists, psychologists, and sociological. There is an undeniable overlap between the
two sources, because both posses a common goal and a similar point of view, especially with the
sociological view point. The sociological view by definition is that society or the community as a
whole is to blame for the violence, because the abuser thinks that society accepts this behavior
and that in America you have the right to do anything. The parallel between these two sources is
the sociological viewpoint and the sociological affects it has on the victim. Also, McCue and
Haeseler both agree on some of the emotional factors that being domestically abused causes.
Specifically, McCue believes there are five main emotional effects on battered women: learned
helplessness, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, The Stolkhom Disorder, and crazy behavior.
Haesler also believes that these emotional and psychological effects often occur. The most
important thing that needs to be offered to these victims is a safe place to go and emotional aid.
If this is offered correctly and varied by how each person is personally reacting to the violence,
more people will have a healthier healing process. One method of therapy approach is through
multiple therapeutic activities. These include: equine therapy, art therapy, yoga, meditation,
exercise, nutritional counseling. This approach hopes to promote brain wellness to make the
healing process healthy and effective for each individual. They also promote healthy brain
cognition such as NAD/NTR (Naturally-Assisted Detox and Neurotransmitter Restoration) for
even more brain treatment. Each facility completes their treatment in a different way, but brain
wellness is one of the most unique.

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What resources are actually available to victims of domestic abuse to help them in the
healing process?

Many resources already exist to victims of domestic violence. There are options like safe
houses, emergency hotlines, and websites offering service to these people or anyone involved.
The problem is, professionals believe that the services offered are not adequate and do not aid in
the needs of all individuals. Safe houses are the hardest to find information about. Safe houses
specifically do not offer a lot of information because abusers often use the web to hunt down
their partners if they do decide to leave. Because of this, safe house addresses are often not listed.
There is a process one must go through to get to these places. McCue believes that the current
options available to domestic violence victims are not adequate and believes that each unique
individual should have a unique healing plan, based on the needs on the victim. McCue states,
There is a psychological view, feminists view, and sociological point of view (McCue 2014).
Each different point of view has a different healing plan and will help each unique victim. The
psychological viewpoint perspective suggests according to McCue, that there is a mental illness
present in either the abuser or the abused and therapy is geared toward changing the underlying
disorder (McCue 1995). The mental illness is what they try to solve or diagnose. The next
viewpoint is the feminists viewpoint which exemplifies the power difference between men and
women socially and the women are the only ones abused. McCue explains, As the dominant
class, men have had access to material and symbolic resources, while women have been
devalued and inferior (McCue 1995). This viewpoint exemplifies that women are being abused
because they have been inferior in society for hundreds of years, and this view needs to be
changed to prevent domestic violence from happening. The last viewpoint is the sociological
viewpoint, which encompasses the community as a whole. Sociologists believe that cultures and

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societies that accept domestic violence have a higher domestic violence rate. McCue explains
that, In the United States, spanking has been accepted as a form of punishment so this abuse
seems acceptable (McCue 1995). It is up to the community and the people to not accept or
ignore instances of domestic violence, and it is vital for the community to be safe. As a whole,

these views all have a common goal of helping end domestic violence, the right one has yet to be
found. In the future all of these people hope that domestic violence will end and our communities
and the world will be a safer place for all.

Conclusion
In conclusion, domestic violence is a growing issue that needs to be addressed and
recognized by members of all communities. Before this happens, domestic violence will continue
to grow and will continue to be an issue here in the United States and also throughout the world.
It is vital that each individual is offered equal aid and be offered different forms of aid because
each victim reacts differently. Domestic violence needs to be stopped, and it is up to the United
States and its people to make a change.

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References:
About Domestic Violence (2013). Recovering Irma. Retrieved from
http://www.recoveringirma.com/home.html
Alameda Fire Department [Alamedacountyfire] (2013, October 11). Talk About It: The
Impact of Domestic Violence in a Community. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpYFvyEYcaU
Ruth Glenn (2011). National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Retrieved from
http://www.ncadv.org/index.php
L Cornish (March 26, 2014). New Australian study reveals the long-term impacts of
domestic violence. Australian News. Retrieved from
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/new-australian-study-reveals-the-longtermimpacts-of-domestic-violence/story-fneuz9ev-1226864485471
Lisa Ann Haeseler (2013) Practitioner perspectives of the economic coping experiences
of women of domestic violence abuse, journal of evidence -based social work, 10:(1), 19. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15433714.2012.751004
McCue, M. (1995). Domestic Violence: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif:
ABC-CLIO
Felicity Okolo. [Video File]. (2011, October 4). How Long To Recover From Domestic
Violence. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rdB1Ff2b2w
Stewart D. Steven (2014). Long-term effects of domestic violence . Retrieved from
http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/domviol/effects.htm

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D. Payne, L. Wermaling, (2009). Domestic Violence and the female victim: The Real
Reasons Why Women Stay. Journal of Multicultural, Gender and Minority Studies.
Saint Hoax (2014) retrieved from http://www.mamamia.com.au/social/disney-princessesdomestic-violence/

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