It is a nightmare for many women. The fact that someone we love or care about would harm us emotionally or physically is devastating. Please know that you are not alone. As you read the rest of this letter and consider each point, please remember you deserve a life free of violence. No one causes another person to abuse, no matter how they act.
Abuse is always the choice of the abuser.
Battering is not mutual and it is not a couple's quarrel. Disagreements happen occasionally in all relationships, but battering invades every aspect of a relationship with fear and control. You are the victim of a crime. Almost any reaction is normal. Others may react in ways that seem hurtful because they do not understand what you are going through.