Season 1 Episode 18: Survivors Aren’t Broken: An Intimate Discussion About Support and Partnership in Relationships
About This Episode
In this episode of Partnered with a Survivor, David and Ruth offer a very personal look at relationship dynamics when one partner is a survivor. In response to a request from a survivor to explore this topic, David and Ruth share their personal challenges and rewards of navigating historical abuse. What does living with and partnering with a survivor really look like emotionally and behaviorally? How does one learn to honor and respect the emotional implications historical abuse has inside relationships?
Ruth and David talk about how:
David learned about and honored the impact of Ruth’s earlier abuse in their relationship and while co-parenting
Ruth’s openness about her trauma and her advocacy for the voices of survivors has deepened and enriched David’s work
Both survivors and those who live, love, and work with them can navigate trauma, trauma content, trauma emotions, and trauma behaviors in a healthy and responsible way that improves trust and collaboration
David’s personal internal work assisted him in learning the principles of how to partner with survivors
This discussion is truly the place where personal meets professional and is an intimate behavioral look at how partnering looks and feels in a relationship and in practice.
Additional Resources
Safe & Together Institute’s domestic abuse–informed trainings
Safe & Together Institute’s upcoming events
David Mandel’s book Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers: How to Transform the Way We Keep Children Safe from Domestic Violence