Knoxville, TN (PRWEB) September 23, 2014
Just as the football season is getting underway in September, a disturbing video was released showing the now ex-NFL player, Ray Rice, hitting his then fiancée, Janay Rice in an elevator. Since the video’s release there has been increased light shed on the atrocity of domestic violence.
Along with the shock of witnessing a famed football star and his wife engage in domestic abuse, the video also made waves regarding the fact that the couple wed shortly after the incident. Although no one can speak for the reasons Janay Rice may have for marrying her now-husband, it is unfortunately a common response to abuse.
Even the strongest, most successful women can find themselves tolerating the very things they said they never would. Some women struggle with co-dependency, making their relationships unhealthy and volatile, yet they stay and even come to the defense of their abusive partner; some women are scared of financial and physical retaliation, and others fear judgment. Unlike random acts of violence, domestic abuse is shrouded by stigma, fear and unhealthy love that keep the violence hidden and very dangerous.
Domestic violence is alarmingly common; according to government statistics, 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence, yet it is still a very taboo conversation. Along with financial devastation like homelessness and physical injury, domestic violence significantly influences a woman’s mental, social and emotional health.
Threats, intimidation, isolation and control leave lasting scars on a woman’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Survivors may have difficulty coping and experience feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem and dissociation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice, women who have experienced domestic violence have higher rates of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Brookhaven Retreat is committed to providing women with the support needed to overcome emotional breakage. Through psychotherapy, experiential therapy, and life skills groups, women are able to work through the pain and aftermath of traumatic events such as domestic violence.
The physical, mental and emotional trauma caused from domestic abuse can be long lasting and debilitating. Many women feel broken, depressed and unworthy of a happy life. By learning how to open up and deal with painful memories and emotions, it is possible for women to heal from this trauma and create a life with zero tolerance for abuse.
About Brookhaven Retreat
Brookhaven Retreat is a women's treatment center nestled on a naturally beautiful 48-acre site secluded in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. It has helped hundreds of women across the United States overcome depression, trauma, anxiety, substance use and a range of other behavioral health challenges. Brookhaven’s Founder, Jacqueline Dawes, has predicated its gender-specific treatment on “healing emotional breakage” for women. In this way, she has established a sanctuary and a place where women can feel safe, secure and cared for by a staff of highly trained professionals.