Season 5 Episode 5: A Trauma History Is Not an Excuse for Acting Abusively

About This Episode

In this episode of Partnered with a Survivor, David and Ruth have an intimate discussion about how we can be emotionally and behaviorally responsible even when we have been trained into fear and reactivity through violence and abuse. 

David and Ruth discuss:

  • How we need to drop binary definitions in order to prevent abusers from using their history of trauma as an excuse for current behaviors of coercive control and violence. 

  • The importance of unlearning reactive behaviors that we came by “honestly” through trauma.

  • The importance of considering context, patterns of behavior, and impacts on functioning as part of the conversations about survivors’ reactivity and use of violence.

  • The value of self-reflection on the impact of our behaviors when we are triggered back into a state of fear or defensiveness.

Additional Resources

Season 5 Episode 2: Women’s Use Of Force In Intimate Relationships: An Interview With Lisa Young Larance

Season 3 Episode 7: Understanding And Validating Survivors’ Acts Of Resistance

Season 2 Episode 11: “We Need A Revolution:” Integration Of Trauma Healing And Behavior Change For People Who Choose Violence

Previous
Previous

Season 5 Episode 6: This Work is Sacred: An Interview with Beth Ann Morhardt

Next
Next

Season 5 Episode 4: Unveiling the Impact of Domestic Violence on Children: Beyond the Myth of the Child Witness