Trauma doesn’t stop when the abuse stops

We live in a culture full of stereotyped images of survivors of trauma lashing out or collapsing, as dangerous or pathetic. Even worse? When survivors do struggle, they’re often told they shouldn’t: as a survivor of intimate partner violence (IPV) myself I’ve been told many times I shouldn’t have any problems “because you’re not being abused now” – I should just move on.

Domestic violence is on the rise in Canada. Statistics Canada says police-reported IPV rose 13 per cent between 2018 and 2023, and family violence reports increased 17 per cent. It takes courage, planning, luck and support to escape abuse. But the ongoing effects of that trauma don’t end when the emotional, physical and sexual coercion stops. As The Lancet Psychiatry commission on IPV and mental health put it, “Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), whether in adulthood or in childhood, increases the likelihood of developing a range of mental health problems … [that] appear to occur across the lifespan …” Link to full article here.