For people seeking support:
If you sometimes feel afraid of , or controlled by your partner or another family member, you are not alone. The following information could be helpful.
Survivor from [location]
“God loves you and wants you to be safe"
Messages from Survivors
Survivor from [location]
"[Message from survivor.]"
Survivor from [location]
“[Message from survivor.]”
Making a safety plan
If you are still at risk from an unsafe person in your life, it is important to have a safety plan.
You might have a safety plan that helps you to minimize risk so you can carry on living with that person, or you might have a safety plan to help you manage risk until you are able to leave.
Safety plans are different for each person. Some useful questions to help you create a safety plan are:
o What do I need to keep with me at all times? (keys, credit card, phone)
o Where would I go in an emergency?
o Where do I need to keep important documents like passports?
You can find more information about creating a safety plan here
Healing from trauma
Most people think about trauma as a one-off event like an accident which leaves you feeling traumatized. When you have been trapped in an unsafe or difficult situation for a long time, the trauma that you experience can be more complex.
Many domestic abuse survivors don’t realise that they are impacted by trauma.
Trauma can make it difficult to:
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Remember things
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Concentrate
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Sleep
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Regulate your emotions
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Function in other relationships
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Trust other people
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Feel present in the here and now
Trauma can also cause nightmares, intrusive memories or flashbacks, dissociation and other things which make everyday life difficult.
Trauma therapies like EMDR or specialized CBT, or trauma –informed counselling or psychotherapy can help you find ways to move forwards with your life
Spiritual support for survivors
Sometimes it is helpful for survivors of domestic abuse to be able to talk about their experiences with someone who understands the ways in which their faith has impacted their experiences of abuse.
This might include:
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Exploring ways in which your faith is a source of strength and help in difficult times
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Understanding and healing from spiritual abuse
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Exploring spiritual ideas like forgiveness or suffering or the path God chooses for you
Not all faith leaders understand abuse, and sometimes some can give guidance which is unhelpful for survivors. You do not have to follow the guidance of faith leaders which might lead to further abuse.
If a faith leader pressures you to return to an unsafe situation or to forgive someone who is harming you, then you should seek advice somewhere else.
Safe in Faith is developing directories of faith informed counsellors and psychotherapists and trauma informed clergy who can support you.
Useful Links
The following resources might have useful information for you
Our Upcoming Support Projects
1
Spiritual Support
A directory of trauma- informed clergy (male and female)
To be launched November 2022
2
Emotional and psychological support
A directory faith informed, trauma informed counsellors and psychotherapists
To be launched November 2022
3
Helping other survivors
Safe in Faith is recruiting people with lived experience of domestic abuse to create a peer support programme. If you would like to support other people who are going through similar challenges please contact us to talk about opportunities to develop peer support
