ith this notion. Whether or not physical scars are visible, the memories are still present. Women try to suppress as much abuse as possible however the abuse dominates their life. No matter how old or how suppressed the abuse is, the memories are easily remembered. No form of abuse supercedes another form nor is one type easier for a battered women to heal. Generally, a battered woman experiences all forms of abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional) in one form or another that may take years of counseling to overcome.Why Battered Women Stay in Abusive RelationshipsAs mentioned previously women stay in abusive relationship for numerous reasons. Rural Woman Battering and the Justice System (Websdale, 1998) offers fear, isolation, economics, and negligent criminal justice system as reasons why rural women have a much harder time escaping, these negative relationships. While this is true another factor should be considered. The cycle of violence demonstrates the complex dynamics of an abusive relationship. There are three phases in the cycle of violence: tension building phase, followed by the acute battering incident, and finally the honeymoon phase. During the tension building phase minor battering may occur along with verbal abuse. This phase also known as “walking on egg shells. Women anticipate that violence is going to happen and they try placating the batterer or women may escalate the situation to get the battering over. Eventually the tension phase evolves into the acute battering or violent phase. At this phase, the abuse happens. The victim has minimal control over the violent situation. Last in the cycle comes the honeymoon phase. At this stage is when the batterer is remorseful and promises that battering will never happen again. The honeymoon phase is similar to the courtship period in that the batterer is very loving, nurturing, and attentive to the victims needs. Victims are often persuaded during this...
