3rd Edition
It's My Life Now Starting Over After an Abusive Relationship
Now in its third edition, It’s My Life Now is a guide for survivors who have left an abusive relationship. It addresses—in clear, non-threatening language—various issues associated with abuse and violence, including post-relationship emotions, psychological impact, dealing with children, personal safety, legal problems, and financial security. Each chapter dismantles common myths about being in and leaving an abusive relationship and contains activities for self-exploration that survivors can complete as they navigate a new life free from abuse. Recommended by the National Coalition of Domestic Violence, this book is designed to benefit any survivor, no matter how much time has passed.
PART I: LOOKING BACK 1. Were You in an Abusive Relationship? 2. Are You Out of Danger Now? 3. Self-Esteem 4. The Hidden Horror: Sexual Abuse 5. How Could You Have Loved an Abuser? 6. Abuse of Men by Women, and Abuse in Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Relationships PART II: NOW 7. Losing Your Partner, Your Dream, Your Life 8. When Feelings Overwhelm You 9. Signs of Unfinished Healing 10. What About the Children? 11. The Reactions of Others PART III: LOOKING FORWARD 12. Practical Considerations 13. Beginning to Heal 14. Who Are You Now? 15. The Temptation to Go Back 16. Is Your Abuser Still in Your Life? 17. Loving Again
Biography
Meg Kennedy Dugan, MA, is the executive director of Voices Against Violence, a crisis center in Plymouth, New Hampshire. She serves on the local SART (Sexual Assault Resource Team) and is on the executive committee of the New Hampshire Violence Against Women Campus Consortium. For the past 17 years, she has worked with survivors of domestic and sexual violence and stalking.
Roger R. Hock, PhD, is professor of psychology and human sexuality at Mendocino College in Northern California. He is the author of Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research, 7th Edition (2012, Pearson) and Human Sexuality, 5th Edition (2016, Pearson). He received his PhD from the University of California at San Diego.
"It’s My Life Now is a comprehensive roadmap toward rebuilding one’s internal sense of safety, esteem, and control at the conclusion of an abusive relationship. It’s My Life Now recognizes the innate challenges at the end of one's relationship and provides concrete strategies and tools to progress through this transition."
Lia Woods Holbrook, program director, Project Sanctuary
"Dugan and Hock continue to impact the lives of survivors in their newest edition of It's My Life Now. Each chapter provides valuable information that can empower people as they rebuild their lives in the aftermath of abuse. A resource for survivors and mental health professionals alike, this is my go-to book when working with this population."
Kevin A. Fall, PhD, LPC-S, professor and program coordinator, Professional Counseling Program, Texas State University
