In today's episode, Loraine speaks to Carrie Bower on the topics of trauma, domestic abuse, and gender violence, particularly in regard to women in mid and later life stages. Carrie, who works in the aging sector and as a freelance trainer for Victim Focus, shares her passion for raising awareness about the pathologization of trauma in women affected by domestic abuse.
Their discussion delves into the complexities of recognizing and addressing emotional and psychological abuse, the challenges faced by victims in seeking legal support, and the societal beliefs that perpetuate victim blaming.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
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The importance of raising visibility for women in mid and later life affected by trauma and domestic abuse was highlighted.
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Training and education are crucial in understanding and addressing trauma, particularly in cases of domestic abuse.
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Economic abuse, financial abuse, emotional abuse, and psychological abuse are often hidden forms of abuse that need more awareness and support.
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The challenges faced by women in midlife and later life in escaping abusive relationships, especially when financial dependence is a barrier, were discussed.
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The need for societal awareness, professional training, and support systems to effectively address and prevent domestic abuse was emphasized.
BEST MOMENTS
"So many women in mid and later life who've been affected by any form of trauma, but domestic abuse specifically, will often receive a diagnosis of some sort of mental health condition."
"People learn to exert power and control in a variety of ways and it can be really insidious and drip by drip before you know it."
"Red flags are very easy to spot in hindsight or when you're in it, you know? It's mixed with love, isn't it?, and all that and an erosion of your confidence because they've done a great job at completely breaking you down."
"It's really insidious, I think. So there's the money, the humiliation, and there's a lot of different things that they can do." - Carrie Bower
"It's the training and the raising awareness and people and professionals as well to actually understand what the crime is and what the laws and what it's meant to be because otherwise you can't really help a person can you really."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
https://carrievftraining.co.uk/
https://victimfocus-resources.com/
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lets-get-visible
HOST BIO
Loraine is a blogger, digital creator, and author.
A former Property Management business owner spent a decade in HMO and family rentals before moving to Spain in 2016 with dreams of becoming fully retired and living in Spain with her partner, but that dream shattered in September 2020.
Loraine explains how she has now experienced the three D's in relationship endings. Divorce, death of a partner and now discard, the abrupt termination of a relationship.
Currently working on rebuilding her life whilst living with three overlapping litigations post-separation including the threat of precarious eviction by a former partner.
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