What We Treat – Abuse
Anyone can be a victim of abuse. Although the statistics unfortunately show it’s a common experience, abuse is not normal and never okay.
Supported Data
- Nearly 3 in 10 women (29%) and 1 in 10 men (10%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by a partner and reported it having a related impact on their functioning. (National Domestic Violence Hotline)
- 40% of child abuse victims also report experiencing domestic violence. (Unicef)
- 1 in 10 high school students has experienced physical violence from a dating partner in the past year. (CDC)
- 1 in 5 college women has been verbally abused by a dating partner. (LoveisRespect.org)
- Survivors are 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. (National Domestic Violence Hotline)
Wanting to know why this is happening or why it happened to you is quite a common question. In life, we’re never going to have all the answers, but with therapy, you can begin to find ways to heal.
At a high level, the core of any type of abuse is the need for the abuser to gain power and control over another person either physically, mentally, emotionally, or financially.
The Power and Control diagram from the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides a series of tactics abusive partners use to keep survivors in any type of relationship which can range from subtle consistent behaviors to more intense violence. It’s important to note that abusive behavior can happen to people of any gender, sexuality, or age and in any type of relationship, couples, parent/child, adult/child, boss/employee, etc
If you’ve experienced any of the power and control signs now or in the past, it’s important to find the right care to help you navigate through it. If you’re experiencing a type of situation that consists of a high level of violence, please contact the Hotline via phone, text, or chat here. However, if this is not an emergency, but you’ve noticed that you’ve not been feeling okay lately about things that may have happened to you recently, in the past, or you’re currently experiencing some of the signs, reach out to us here at Serenium to set up an appointment with one of our therapists.
Physical and sexual abuse unfortunately are quite common but again, not normal or okay. This can include hitting, shaking, hair pulling, rape, withholding something if someone does not have sex, and any form of unwanted touching. You always have the right to say no. If something doesn’t feel right to you, listen to it. It’s also important to understand that even if someone is a spouse or a family member, that does not give them the right to touch you in an inappropriate way.
You may not realize that what you have or are experiencing was abuse, as not all abuse is physical. Emotional and verbal abuse are ways in which someone purposely harms the mental well-being of another person in a non-physical way and can include things like humiliation, harassment, rejection, isolation from other people in your life, control of where you go and what you do, withholding affection, name calling, manipulating, and gaslighting (making you feel like your reality isn’t true).
Financial abuse is also something that happens. This is the misuse or stealing of money or assets for personal gain and can be seen in ways where someone controls your money, refuses to contribute to agreed upon shared expenses, or someone is stealing money from you.
It’s important to remember that your interactions with others, no matter who they are, your parent, significant other, child, friend, boss, co-worker or person in the community, should always be one where they treat you and you treat them with kindness and respect. When you set a boundary of what you don’t want or doesn’t make you feel comfortable or when you say no, that person needs to honor that boundary. When you bring up how you’re feeling and concerns, it should be met with curiosity, compassion, and conversation to find common ground to where both people feel respected and treated with kindness.
If you’ve been through anything listed above, many times an abuser will make you feel as though it was your fault or you were in the wrong to make them act that way or potentially that you owed that person for something. That type of mindset has the potential to create problems for you with future relationships and in some cases can cause a mental health diagnosis of things like anxiety, depression, or PTSD. It’s important to understand that abuse is never your fault and is never okay.
However, this is why therapy is a helpful next step. If you’re feeling a little off, or like something’s not right, or certain things that happened to you keep coming back into your mind, it’s okay and normal to speak with a therapist. It doesn’t need to feel scary. It simply means you’re a human being who has gone through a traumatic experience who needs help understanding it, navigating through it, and gaining tools to better improve your life going forward.
Just like you workout at the gym to keep your body healthy, therapy is fitness for your brain and emotions.
At Serenium we envision a world where there is mental and emotional wellness for all and we’re on a deeper mission to provide people the mental and emotional support needed to cultivate their well-being through all of life’s events.
Serenium is a brand focused on therapy and wellness where serenity and calmness meets balance and equilibrium. A place where Mind, Body, Soul, and Emotion flow as one, into a lasting effect to feel whole and complete.
See the vast list of insurance we accept, check out our caring staff of therapists, join our monthly newsletter, give us a call or fill out the form below to set up your first session.
Our team will speak with you to find the best therapist for what you need and based on your availability. We offer in person sessions in New Jersey in Brick, Eatontown, Manalapan, and Cranford, as well as virtual sessions.
If after a few sessions, you’re not feeling like your therapist is the right fit, we are happy to find someone who is from our staff of over 150+ therapists.
We look forward to helping you navigate through any type of abuse you have or are experiencing and help you feel a sense of calm and hope knowing that no matter what, you’ll be okay, and that you have the capacity to live a life of joy.
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