Season 2 Episode 11: “We Need a Revolution”: Integration of Trauma Healing and Behavior Change for People Who Choose Violence
About This Episode
The discussion of the relationship between histories of trauma and the perpetration of abuse is often fraught. Many people are worried that any consideration of the trauma histories of perpetrators will become an excuse for violence. Others advocate for the need for a more holistic approach, especially for those perpetrators who are also survivors of intergenerational traumas related to colonization and racism.
Building on their previous episode, Trauma-Informed Is Not the Same as Domestic Violence–Informed: A Conversation About the Intersection of Domestic Violence Perpetration, Mental Health & Addiction, David and Ruth turn their attention to the relationship between trauma histories and the choice to act in abusive, violent, and controlling ways. They anchor the conversation to following three main points:
Adult and child survivors’ realities and stated needs should be reflected in our conversations about perpetrators’ trauma and behavioral accountability.
Trauma histories do not cause someone to engage in violence, and violent and abusive behaviors do not heal trauma (and in fact impede healing).
A perpetrator pattern–based approach to measuring behavior change can help make trauma and addiction work more domestic violence–informed.
David and Ruth also highlight how the work of the She Is Not Your Rehab is an example of how to bridge the conversations around behavior change and healing. (And Ruth does a shout-out to Jess Hill, author of See What You Made Me Do.)
Additional Resources
Online Course: Intersections: When Domestic Violence Perpetration, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Meet
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