“But it didn’t ruin me”: A Feminist Phenomenological Analysis of Trauma and Healing After Intimate Partner Violence
摘要
The current research and theoretical models of trauma and healing after intimate partner violence (IPV) often do not incorporate the perspectives of the diverse people most likely to experience IPV. Therefore, understanding the lived experience of trauma and healing after IPV with a diverse sample from a critical feminist lens is necessary for a more inclusive conceptualization of trauma and healing. In this study, interviews were conducted with 16 survivors of IPV (9 racial/ethnic minority participants, 9 sexual identity minority participants, 2 gender minority participants) using a feminist phenomenological analysis. Several themes were identified that detailed the physical, psychological and emotional wounds that occurred because of IPV, the physiological, emotional, and behavioral reactions to those wounds, and how survivors conceptualize their own healing process. The findings highlight that the wounds from IPV are not limited to the violent relationship, the ways that marginalization impacts both trauma and healing, and the relational nature of both trauma and healing for survivors of IPV. Implications from this study highlight the need to consider impacts from trauma beyond PTSD criteria and the power of relational healing from IPV.