What Makes a Skilled Abuser? Inside Don Hennessy’s Framework
Researcher Don Hennessy spent four decades working with both abusers and survivors — and what he found challenges everything we think we know. Not all abusive men operate the same way, and the difference between a skilled abuser and an unskilled one may be the most important thing that women and professionals aren’t being taught.
“Trauma Bond”: Myths and Realities
You’ve heard the term. But what nobody tells you: the way most people use ‘trauma bond’ blames the wrong person. In this article, we break down the science, the research, and the missing piece that changes everything.
Pepper Spray Laws: What You Need to Know Before You Carry (2026)
Pepper spray laws vary widely across the U.S., affecting what size canisters are legal, where they can be purchased, and whether they can be carried while traveling or flying. What’s legal at home may be restricted the moment you cross a state line or board a plane. Here’s what to know before you carry.
Why Does She Stay? Regrooming in the Bedroom
Everyone asks why she stays. But it’s the wrong question. Before the first act of violence, a skilled abuser customizes a performance built to be irresistible to her. She didn’t fall in love with him. She fell in love with the lie. Understanding how that lie is maintained changes everything about how we see her choice to stay.
6-Step Mirror Work for Survivors: Reclaim Your Mind from Abuse
You’re replaying conversations, second-guessing everything, hearing criticism in a voice that sounds like yours but isn’t. This isn’t overthinking. It may be evidence that your inner world has been colonized. Here are 6 steps to disrupt the occupation and reclaim your mind – even if you’re not ready to name what’s happening yet.
Does Evil Exist in the Context of Abuse? Research Says Yes
Can you commit evil without being evil? Hannah Arendt grappled with this when she witnessed Adolf Eichmann’s trial and coined the phrase ‘the banality of evil.’ But domestic abuse perpetrators aren’t thoughtless bureaucrats. Don Hennessy’s research shows they’re strategic, calculating, and fully aware. The question isn’t whether evil exists in abuse. It’s whether we have the courage to call it by its real name.
3 Ways to Tell If Your Mind Has Been Hijacked by Criticism
Use this quick triage tool to identify whether your inner voice is authentic guidance or installed criticism. A hijacked voice attacks your identity, while an authentic voice addresses behavior. The forensic question—’Who benefits when you criticize yourself?’—reveals whose agenda your inner critic serves.
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month: Technology and What Parents Need to Know
New research from Arizona State University reveals that extreme jealousy over a romantic partner “liking” someone’s Instagram post can be a symptom of digital dating abuse already present in teen relationships. But these aren’t random acts of jealousy—they’re part of systematic patterns that Irish researcher Don Hennessy identified after interviewing 1,000 domestic violence perpetrators. Combined with Dr. Ann Burgess’s pioneering work on trauma’s psychological aftermath, parents gain insight into how abuse operates in the digital age.
When You’re Sexually Assaulted by Someone You Know
Sexual assault often involves that the victim has met. So, survivors may be confused and not even recognize right away that they’d been assaulted or raped, especially if they’re younger. Here are some things to know.