Content warning: This conversation contains description of domestic violence.
By the time Trish Reedy's boyfriend told her to get rid of her dog, she had already endured him pushing her down a flight of stairs, choking her and isolating her from her close-knit family.
Reedy pointed out that in these situations, women are usually talked about as victims and survivors, "but we don't really talk about the men."
Psychotherapist Natalie Jones offered a litany of clues that point to an abusive relationship: isolation, financial control, comments about how you dress or eat, always deciding what the couple will do, attacking your character, name-calling.
As for her abuser, Reedy doubts he has changed or can change. She was able to speak with the woman he dated before her, and the one he dated after her.
Reedy observed that her abuser treated other women the same way he treated her, "all the way down to the exact words he used."
- Trish Reedy, survivor of relationship abuse
- Natalie Jones, Psy.D., founder of Lifetime Counseling and Consulting
The National Domestic Violence hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233 to help identify abuse, find local resources and create a safety plan.
