Domestic violence may take form in a number of ways:
- Physical abuse. Hitting, shoving, kicking, choking, biting, or hair-pulling. This could also include forced ingestion of drugs or alcohol.
- Sexual violence. Forced or coerced sex acts, rape, or sexually demeaning treatment.
- Emotional abuse. Put-downs, name-calling, blaming, or criticism. This includes other efforts to diminish a person’s self-worth.
- Psychological abuse. Threats of violence toward a partner, family member, pets, or friends. This may include keeping a partner from socializing or going to work or school. Threatening suicide or self-harm to control is another form of this abuse.
- Financial abuse. Controlling a partner’s finances. This includes restricting access to financial resources.
Healing from trauma—no matter if the abuse lasted a few months or a few decades—is not an overnight process. In fact, “getting over it” may never be a part of a survivor’s recovery. Abuse can have a lifelong impact, but the severity of its effects can be lessened by getting help.