Who Are You Standing Next To?

"In my opinion, this is the most fucked up part of our recovery. We come to believe we wore something we shouldn't have, trusted too easily, or stood up for ourselves too fiercely. We literally blame ourselves for the trauma someone else caused by their intentional violation. It's absurd when you think about it. While I appreciate others assuming I have the…

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Supporting a Survivor

I have recently thought about how different my outcome may have been had my family turned away from me. I remember feeling so isolated and alienated during my marriage. Not only did I live 2.5 hours away from my family during my darkest moments, I often felt emotionally distant as well. I felt like a burden. I would bring them into my…

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A Letter to My Abuser

"You found subtle ways to destroy me, yet keep me on my hands and knees begging for your love. You cannot play the victim when you were the perpetrator in every sense of the word." Dear Travis, I used to cry in pain and agony, praying one day you would apologize for what you put me through. I used to think if…

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The Injunction Hearing

"I reminded him that he was under oath and asked him similar questions over again. Did you ever strangle me? He said no. Did you ever kick me? He said no. Did you ever punch me? He said no." A lot of things were going through my mind. Would he show up? Would he deny everything? Would he attempt to discredit me?…

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Taking a Stand

"I am finally in a place where I am stable. I am healing. I would like the time and the space to do so without any interference from him. I ask that the court legally grant me the freedom I have been fighting for, for so long.” The last time I had spoken with Travis, I told him that if he reached…

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Hearing From My Abuser

"You are telling one side of a very powerful and painful story for both of us. There are two sides to every story." It was a typical evening at home. I was checking my personal and business email while watching TV when there it was - in black in white - taking up space in MY email. It was a message from…

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The Truth

I used to walk the streets at ease,Going where I wanted as I pleased.My plans were endless, without distress,I walked around just like the rest.I went to the movies with my friends,Never expecting my peace to end.You stole my security and my innocence,All because of your impotence.Never again will I be the same,Yet, for so many reasons, I am blamed.What did I…

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My Abuser’s Name is Travis G. Chartrand

If you go back and read my previous posts you will notice I have never provided my ex-husband's name. At first, I chose to do this for a number of reasons. I was just starting my blog and putting my story out there. I felt and still feel at times, exposed and uncomfortable. Telling your story isn't an easy thing to do,…

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Early Morning Epiphanies

"I can be empathetic of his trauma while holding him accountable for the decisions he made. After all, he could have made different ones." The empathy I have for others is a blessing and a curse, or so I used to think. My empathy has always been what I have considered to be one of my greatest qualities. It allows me to…

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Forgive Yourself for What You Needed to do to Survive

"I yelled. I screamed. I said awful things. I broke things. I slapped him across the face on two different occasions. I pushed him. I slammed doors. I teetered on the edge of despair and outrage every single day." I have thought long and hard about this particular post. It requires a level of vulnerability and honesty that is downright uncomfortable. In…

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