RADV Article: The Rearview Mirror Is Smaller Than the Windshield
Sometimes you become so focused on how difficult today feels that you forget just how much you have already survived. Take a moment and look at how far you have come. You have lived through things no one should ever have been forced to experience. You survived the fear, the manipulation, the nights when you […]
RADV Article: When Someone Won’t Leave You Alone—Keeping Yourself Safe From Stalking
Stalking is not affection. It is not persistence, and it is not someone simply having trouble letting go. It is a pattern of unwanted attention, monitoring, contact, intimidation, or threatening behavior that causes fear or makes you feel unsafe. It may come from a former partner, someone you dated, an acquaintance, a family member, or […]
Before There Was RADV
Chapter 7: I Thought I Had Escaped Going to Texas changed the direction of my life. But it didn’t erase my past. I had a place to stay. I had a job. I had left meth behind and never went back. From the outside, it probably looked like I was getting my life together. In […]
RADV Presents: The Ripple Effect
Changing Tomorrow by Investing in Today Series #13: Anger Is an Emotion, Not an Excuse Everybody gets angry. Children get angry. Parents get angry. Couples get angry. Even the most patient person eventually has a moment when something gets under their skin. Anger isn’t the problem. What we choose to do with it is. That’s […]
RADV Article: If You’re Reading This and Thinking, “That’s Me”
Maybe you have learned how to read the room before you even walk into it. You can tell by the way the door closes, the sound of a voice, or the look in someone’s eyes whether it will be a peaceful night—or another night spent trying not to make things worse. Maybe you carefully choose […]
RADV Article: A Smile Belongs on Your Face
There may have been a time when smiling came naturally to you. Before you learned to watch every word.Before you wondered what kind of mood someone would be in.Before the criticism, fear, and constant tension slowly stole the joy from your days. Abuse has a way of doing that. It can make laughter feel dangerous. […]
RADV Article: When Rejection Hits a Man Hard
Rejection can cut deeper than many men will ever admit. A relationship ends. A spouse pulls away. Someone says, “I don’t love you anymore.” A job is lost. A friendship disappears. A child stops calling. A man reaches out for help and feels ignored. On the outside, he may look like he is handling it. […]
RADV Article: Paying It Forward—Becoming the Bridge for Someone Else
There are moments in life when we survive only because someone chose not to look the other way. Maybe they listened when no one else believed us. Maybe they offered a safe place, shared a phone number, stood beside us in court, or reminded us that we were worth saving. They may not have been […]
RADV Article: When Survival Follows You Home—Understanding CPTSD
The abuse may be over. The door may be locked.The court case may be finished.The survivor may finally be somewhere safe. But inside, their mind and body may still be fighting to survive. This is one of the hardest parts of domestic violence for others to understand. Leaving the abusive relationship does not automatically erase […]
FROM THE ARCHIVES — AUGUST 17, 2017
This graphic may come from RADV’s early years, but its message remains just as important today: “We need your voice to help spread awareness about domestic violence.” Looking back reminds us how far RADV has come—but it also reminds us why we started. Every person who speaks up, shares a resource, believes a survivor, or […]