COERCED TO COURAGEOUS

I was so busy keeping him happy I didn’t notice how long it had been since I’d
seen my friends. I seemed to apologise for everything. I was constantly tense,
holding my breath, trying to predict his mood. Slowly my world became smaller,
darker and lonelier.’

Coercive Control is an insidious fog. The rst ‘red ags’ are so small you don’t notice them: a simple remark about how to do something ‘the right way’ or a suggestion about how you should dress. He cares about where you are and who you are with. Eventually, he is making all the decisions and controlling the nances so you ‘don’t have to worry’ and because he knows what’s best. The subtle chains of coercion and abuse have robbed you of your confidence, your family and friends, your nances, and even the ability to think you can make decisions on your own. You are trapped.

We all want the perfect relationship, but for the courageous authors in Coerced to Courageous, their soulmate was more like checkmate.

These brave, resilient, brilliant women have penned not only their ght to bring themselves
and their children happiness and peace, but also shared what they have learnt along the way, especially the tools that helped them rebuild their lives after abuse. They want to encourage and empower you to break the chains of coercive control and create the life you deserve.