Survivor therapy with battered women

Abstract

Some battered women need psycotherapy in addition to suppor live friends and family in order to heal from the psychological effects of the abuse. In many cases these women have developed Battered Women Syndrome, a subcatergory of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They have intrusive memories of the abuse that they cannot control wether they occur during the night as nightmares or during the day as recurrent intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or reexperiencing the emotions surrounding the abusive incidents as if they were reoccuring. Psycophysiological reactions upon exposure to something that reminds them of the prior abuse are also common. High levels of anxiety and physiological arousal together with depression and other avoidance symptoms complete the symptom groups. Treatment deals with 7 steps including first helping the woman name the abuse, validate her and find some safety. Then, it is necessary to deal directly with the PTSD symptoms and attempt to reduce anxiety and depression and motivate the woman to learn new ways of coping with the anxiety and other trauma symptoms that do not involve denial, repression or dissociation. After the current domestic violence has been dealt with, it is appropriate for the therapist to deal with psychological issues from previous strauma or other emotional situations. Finally, the woman is helped to move from being a victim to becoming a survivor by integrating the trauma experience in her life and getting on with other things. This paper describes the typical course of therapy that is used with this theoretical model.