When “cold feet” are not “cold feet”
Over the years, many women have said to me that on their wedding day they knew they were making a huge mistake. Societal pressure to go ahead with the wedding once the invitations have been sent is huge. Some women confide in a friend or family member about their fears but are often told they just have “cold feet”. With the women I work with, after the wedding, they discover that their partners are abusive. This is usually not clear before marriage but still some women know marriage is a mistake. However, they are discouraged from hearing this inner prompting once they are engaged. If women could be encouraged by friends and family to listen to their gut (or inner voice) instead of disregarding it, women could be spared a lot of pain and heartache.
Survivors need to be given a choice not an ultimatum
Sometimes friends and family give women, who have experienced abuse, ultimatums. For example, “If you…
Stockholm Syndrome in the context of abuse?
Stockholm Syndrome was coined 40 years ago at the end of a six-day bank siege…
What should we be able to expect in our relationships?
Sometimes women impacted by abuse wonder if their expectations are too high. In our experience…
His goal in couples counselling was to gain more control over me
We had been married 15 years. Things had been very hard for a long time.…
Interview with Danielle Smith, 770 Radio Calgary
In 2016 Danielle Smith, with Newstalk 770 on the AM dial, interviewed us about our…
Jill and Karen, on What She Said
The When Love Hurts team was recently on What She Said and we had a…
Interview with Ward and Al
Our interview with Allison Dore and Arthur Simeon on Ward and Al…
Struggling to find the “right” words so your partner will stop hurting you?
Have you ever thought, “if I could just say the ‘right’ thing to my partner,…