Claire Louise Chamberlain

When I was with my abusive husband, there was an occasion where I had a wound on my foot with 15 stitches. While I was playing with my son, the wound burst open, and I was in excruciating pain. My husband was in another room doing an online course. I put a movie on for my son and texted my husband to say I needed help. When he came into the lounge and saw my son was watching a movie, he was enraged – I had broken one of his rules – he said our son could only watch TV every 3 days and it had been 2. “What are you doing putting a movie on for him?!” he yelled. “You are causing him brain damage! Can’t you see you are causing him brain damage?!” (said in front of our 6-year-old). 😠 He started yanking cables out of the TV. “I’ll never let either of you watch TV again if you can’t follow the rules!” Meanwhile, I was in tears of pain – my whole leg was turning purple as infection was spreading up my leg. I later drove myself to the hospital, too afraid to ask for his help to drive me there. It’s hard for people to understand that my husband was abusive when he never hit me. Non-physical abuse is still abuse and the psychological impact is just as bad. #coercivecontrol #emotionalabuse #domesticabuse