Abuse Hides in the Dark. Turn on Your Light.

Recovery from Domestic Abuse


  • Boundaries for Abusive Relationship Examples

    Boundaries for Abusive Relationship Examples

    “I Cannot Control You” is the missing key for people setting boundaries in abusive relationships. I cannot control you, but I can control me. So if you are acting like a jerk, I get to decide if I’m going to stay around you while you act that way…or not. Boundaries for abusive relationships help you…

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  • Mentoring for Abuse Survivors

    Mentoring for Abuse Survivors

    Why Choose Mentoring if You’re an Abuse Survivor? After experiencing relationship abuse, regaining your sense of self can be a slow process. You often reach one level of healing only to discover there is more work to do. Many people experience disappointment and frustration during this process. You may wonder, “When will I be whole

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  • What’s It Like to Live Life Without Abuse?

    Transcript Hi! This is Kellie Jo Holly. I write the Verbal Abuse In Relationships blog at healthyplace.com. I’ve been out of my abusive relationship for about two years. It hasn’t been a cakewalk, I won’t lie. The beginning was pretty difficult. But here I am, I’m sitting in my own peaceful kitchen surrounded by four

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  • About Kellie Jo Holly

    Kellie Jo Holly is recognized as an artist, writer, and advocate for survivors of domestic violence. She is known for her contributions to raising awareness about domestic abuse, particularly through her work in creating the “Verbal Abuse Journals” website. Kellie Jo Holly established the Verbal Abuse Journals website which served as a platform to share

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  • Inspiration to Leave Your Abusive Relationship: Liberty or Death?

    My Thanksgiving weekend would not be complete without remembering our great country and its roots in the ultimate desire for freedom. Of course, I am grateful that almost 240 years ago, brave men and women fought for America’s freedom from the abuse and oppression of the British crown; I am also grateful that I fought

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  • Overcome Anxiety and Fear: Exorcise The Demon Meditation

    Overcome Anxiety and Fear: Exorcise The Demon Meditation

    For example, when I admitted to myself that the demon in my marriage was ABUSE, the abuse held less power over me. The demon flared up in a fiery attempt to terrify me, yet, after its temper tantrum, I stood strong and continued to call it by name. Will thinks I demonized him, but I…

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  • Shutting Up for Many Reasons: Some Valid, Some Not

    Shutting Up for Many Reasons: Some Valid, Some Not

    Last year, I tapered off from this blog because I was afraid of what would come of it in court. Nothing came of it in court. This blog was either irrelevant or the battle didn’t get nasty enough for his attorney to use it. Or maybe there was nothing to be said about it. Will’s

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  • I Appreciate You

    I Appreciate You

    Lately I’ve been thinking about you, the readers of this blog. You readers are my core; without you, I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to continue the leaving process after it begun. Without you, I think I may have resigned myself to more years of abuse – maybe I would have stayed until I…

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  • Pride Revisited

    Pride Revisited

    Last year, I wrote a story called Pride and Greed about how those two sins work together to create an abusive relationship. But now that I think about it, the story is not quite right. I mean, the story helped me to understand how Will and I “happened”, but it’s off somehow. The story is…

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  • Promise Me A Rose Garden

    Promise Me A Rose Garden

    A few months after I’d left Will, I had worked through the grief stage and moved into such a euphoric state that I thought it would never end. I thought to myself, “So this is what I’ve been missing all these years!” and with a smile and artsy flourish of my wrist, I chucked my

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