Stories from the Sanctuary
These are real stories, shared by women who are surviving, leaving, or healing from abuse. Read gently, take breaks when you need to, and remember you are not alone.
Trigger warning: mentions of domestic abuse, coercive control, spiritual and emotional harm. Names and details are changed to protect privacy.
I planned my escape in silence
I’m still in the relationship, but the person I’m with doesn’t feel safe anymore. It’s not the obvious kind of abuse that people talk about. There are no bruises anyone can see. It’s the constant checking of my phone, the comments about what I wear, the guilt trips when I want to see my family, […]
Submitted by “Still Standing” · UK · Coercive control, financial abuse,