Physical Abuse

Personal Experience

A Heart Divided "Where had sixteen Christmases gone? Sixteen Thanksgivings? Sixteen summers? Whatever trauma had caused my childhood to be erased were too deep to recover."

Breaking Through "I stood in front of a mirror and practiced not showing emotion. I thought of jokes, sayings, or events that would ordinarily make me laugh or cry. Don’t show your emotions on your face, I commanded myself. I kept a cold, calculated stare regardless of my feelings."

Child Beater "I hated myself. Always had. The product of an insecure, miserable childhood, I was plagued by an inferiority complex, depression, loneliness, guilt, uncertainty, a sense of failure, and distrust of other people. I had lived with these problems for years. Small wonder that I quickly ran out of patience when I had to cope with three active, young children.

Honor My Mother? ! "I'm just a little girl -- maybe eight or nine. She's hitting me. Over and over. Hitting and hitting."

Learning to Feel Again "The ability to not feel emotion helped me manage. Isn't that what adults are supposed to do?"

My Daughter Was a Victim of Domestic Violence "For days after the funeral, I clutched my last Mother's Day card from Margo and wept. I thanked God that in the last few weeks of her life, Margo had committed her heart and hurts to God. But while I knew I would see her in eternity, I was still in the world -- and aching with my loss."

Rescue of the Throwaway Child "Hearing rattlesnakes but unable to see them, I cowered against the door while darkness crept into my bones and time stood still. When my father eventually opened the door, I tumbled out, crying hysterically. 'Shut up,' he said, 'or I'll put you back in there again.'"

Breaking the Cycle of Child Abuse What happened to Brandon can happen to any child, if his or her parents don't know how to control their anger.

The Ugly Truth About Child Abuse When an adult abuses a child or displays strange personality quirks, much lies behind the behavior. Based on her counseling experience, Muriel Larson looks at our culture's negative influence and where an abuser can find help.