Captivity

Within the last ten years, the news covered several stories about young girls kidnapped and held in horrific physical captivity who eventually escaped. We heard about Elizabeth Smart, Jaycee Dugard, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus and their kidnappings and the ensuing ordeals of being imprisoned, chained, starved, raped, beaten, and isolated from the … Continue reading Captivity →

Mind Control

Some of us remember watching in disbelief when the young kidnapped heiress, Patty Hearst, later joined her kidnappers in threatening hostages during a bank robbery. A bank robbery in Switzerland introduced Stockholm’s Syndrome into everyday conversation. We named it mind control or brain washing and assumed we’re immune because we are opinionated. But, that’s not … Continue reading Mind Control →

Second Chances

If I had a nickel for all of the second chances I gave my abuser, I’d be filthy rich. We second chancers are familiar with how easily the second chance becomes the third, and the fourth, and the fifth. The abuser promises that everything’s going to be different if we just invest in one more … Continue reading Second Chances →

When the Abuser is a Woman

Abuse is a human issue – a struggle for power and control that pays little mind to gender, race, culture, or age. I believe that female abusers are severely underreported because male targets are particularly reluctant to admit to being abused. Male targets of abuse might be stereotyped as weak and hen-pecked, but my experience … Continue reading When the Abuser is a Woman →