Abuse survivor to lead rescue -- chicagotribune.com

I really like this story--this woman understands abuse and how it undermines even the most professional woman with resources--why don't they leave? she answers the questions....


Abuse survivor to lead rescue -- chicagotribune.com: "The worst part, she said, wasn't physical abuse but verbal tirades that chipped away at her self-esteem, along with a growing sense of isolation, which included his forbidding her from seeing her family. 'One Christmas my mother called, asking, if she couldn't be with her grandchildren, could I at least come over and pick up some gifts? I can't believe I allowed that to happen,' she said, her voice choked with emotion. So why wouldn't this professional woman with economic resources just pack up and leave? It's difficult for outsiders to understand, West said, ticking off a long list of reasons, from shame to an upbringing that included a reverence for loyalty (her parents have been married for more than 50 years) to the belief that maybe, just maybe, what the man had been telling her all these years was true: It was her fault. 'As scientists, we're trained to look at all sides...that you always have to open the door to other points of view,' she said. 'So, I kept thinking...if I didn't do whatever angered him, things would get better.'"