In the theoretical part, the author addresses the issue of violence against women in intimate partner relationships. Through the lens of the historical entrenchment of gender-based violence, she explores the extent of hierarchical and structural inequality in power dynamics between women and men. She then describes the emotional dynamics within the vicious cycle of violence and the traumatic bond that forms between the victim and the perpetrator, shedding light on the reasons why victims often remain in abusive relationships despite being aware of and recognizing the violence. She continues by examining the connection between relational trauma in childhood and the intergenerational transmission of violence into adult intimate relationships. A special chapter is dedicated to the process of emotional recovery, which begins when a woman gathers the strength and courage to leave the abusive relationship. The author outlines the long-term consequences of violence on women’s physical and mental health and highlights the stages of recovery. She identifies sources of empowerment that support the restoration of health and personal agency. Furthermore, she explores the significance of the forgiveness process.
In the empirical part, the author investigates the experience of the recovery process in women who have suffered violence in intimate partner relationships. To conduct this research, she uses a phenomenological method aimed at examining how women with experiences of partner violence perceive the process of recovery after leaving the abusive relationship. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six participants. The research findings indicate that recovery from the experience of violence in intimate partner relationships is a long-term process that involves dealing with numerous psychological, physical, and social consequences of the traumatic experience. During recovery, the participants developed new ways to soothe intense feelings of guilt, shame, fear, disgust, anger, and deep sadness that emerged throughout the healing process. A key protective factor in this process was adequate social support and the development of appropriate self-care strategies. The findings suggest that recovery is possible. Participants reported post-traumatic growth.
|
