October 2009 - Deborah King

Domestic Violence Awareness on Twitter

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of domestic violence shelters, outreach programs and victim advocates on Twitter. Why Twitter? Twitter is changing how we interact with each other and the rate at which information spreads. If you have access to a computer or own a cell phone, Twitter can instantly connect you with other advocates, spread awareness, find victims help and provide opportunities to network with survivors.

A domestic violence victim myself, I buried my emotions for many years. Replaced the anger and fear with drug and alcohol addiction, promiscuity, bipolar behaviors and an eating disorder. Cancer saved my life. After the cancer diagnosis in my mid-twenties, my path to recovery gave me the chance to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. Confronting the truth about my past and the sexual abuse I’d endured from a young age, I began to heal. Hopefully, this list will connect you with those who can help you heal or spread awareness about the domestic violence cycle.

Oprah addresses incest again

It takes courage to speak out about incest, but talking about it is a major component of healing from the trauma of abuse. It’s bottling up the secret that keeps a victim feeling “dirty,” and filled with guilt and shame. Yesterday, Oprah had a follow-up show to her interview with Mackenzie Phillips that featured more brave souls who shared their experiences of incest—women who had been afraid to speak out until Mackenzie opened the door for them.

One of the guests was Kathryn Harrison, who had written a book about her 4-year incestuous “affair” with her father, called The Kiss. When it was first written, over a decade ago, no one believed her. As more people reveal their experiences, it will become safer for victims to open up about the traumas that shaped their lives.

Watching Oprah’s show, I was once again triggered to remember some of my past with my father. You can read about it at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-king/oprah-incest-revisited_b_323565.html

Domestic Violence: Breaking Free

I just finished writing a piece on Domestic Violence; you can read more about domestic violence abuse in the resources section. I get really triggered just writing about this topic. It seems like everywhere I turn, I find more cases of Domestic Violence, not less. Recently, we’ve been focused on MacKenzie Phillips and Roman Polanski – talk about violence. Last week, I worked with hundreds of individual women at ISpa, a high end conference for the spa industry, where one would NOT expect to find victims of violence. The first day, I worked with a lovely woman in an executive position who had been badly beaten by her boyfriend – he had broken her nose. So don’t assume that you’re safe because your partner is college educated and has a job. Domestic Violence does not discriminate; it affects us all.

Please share your stories here. We can only be safe when we refuse to be silenced.

Search..

Deborah King