Healing: a qualitative study of women recovering from abusive relationships with men

TOPIC. The essence of the healing phenomenon in women who had been abused METHODS. A qualitative study using a phenomenological approach (N = 7) FINDINGS. Four major themes of healing were identified: flexibility, awakening, relationship, and empowerment. Each theme became an explication of the whole healing experience for each participant. CONCLUSIONS. The results of this research add to the knowledge of healing in women who have encountered abuse. Key words: Abusive relationships, abused women, healing, phenomenological, qualitative Battering constitutes a major health problem for women regardless of race, economics, education, or religion. The occurrence of battering within relationships escalates in frequency and severity. Approximately 50% of all women in the United States will experience battering at some point in their lives (Walker, 1989). It is estimated that a woman in the United States is physically assaulted within her own home every 15 seconds (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1992). "In 1995, 25-30% of women presenting to emergency departments had complaints directly related to battering" (Grant, 1996, p. 296). At first the focus of professional literature describing battered women was on the woman's psychopathology (Back, Post, & Arcy, 1982; Bergman, Larsson, Brismar, & Klang, 1989; Campbell, 1985; Frisch & MacKenzie, 1991; Khan, Welch, Zillmer, 1993; Launius & Lindquist, 1988; Mills, Reiker, & Carmen, 1984; Morrow & Sorell, 1989). Within recent years, several assessment profiles have been developed for women who encounter battering (Campbell, 1986b; Drake, 1982, Parker & McFarlane, 1991; Stuart & Campbell, 1989). The need for appropriate interventions with women who encountered battering has also been described in the literature (Bergman & Brismar, 1994; Campbell, 1986a; Campbell, Poland, Waller, & Ager, 1992; Candib, 1990; Henderson, 1989; Limandri, 1986; McKay, 1994; Moehling, 1988; Parker, McFarlane, Soeken, Torres, & Campbell, 1993; Tilden & Shepherd, 1987) as have been the dynamics between power and abuse within relationships (Babcock, Waltz, Jacobson, & Gottman, 1994; Cordova, Jacobson, Gottman, Rushe, & Cox, 1993; Frieze & McHugh, 1992; Gage, 1991). Though extensive research exists on the violent aspects of abuse, there is limited discussion in the literature of the healing experiences in women who were abused. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of healing in women who encountered abuse within a relationship with a man. The study provided the participants with an opportunity to validate their lived experience of healing. Many of the women expressed a strong desire to participate so that other women who were battered would know about the participants' experiences and derive benefits for themselves. Methods Sample The seven women who agreed to participate in the study had experienced abuse while they were involved in a relationship with a man. All seven had completed a yearlong community program that provided housing, educational support, and counseling to women who were homeless. Criterion sampling was accomplished by asking all seven of the women who completed the supportive program within the last 12 months to participate in the study. All the women agreed to participate. The women in the sample ranged in age from 25 to 37 years. The type of battering experienced by the women included physical, sexual, and psychological. All the women had children. The length of abuse within relationships varied from several months to several years. All the participants encountered abuse within multiple relationships. At the time of the study, none of the women had been in an abusive relationship for at least one year (see Table 1). [TABULAR DATA 1 NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Ethical Considerations Human subjects review approval was obtained from the appropriate agencies. …