top of page
What is an abusive cycle?
Abusive cycles keep you trapped, going around and around in the same circle, by weaponizing power and control. The following image, the "power and control wheel" was developed by Ellen Pence, Michael Paymar, and Coral McDonald of the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP) in Duluth, Minnesota, in the early 1980s, to illustrate the tactics of abuse through power and control.
What does the cycle of abuse look like?
Part of why it is so difficult to break free of an abusive cycle is the hope that things will get better keeps you holding on. The cycle has distinct phases, and the "honeymoon" phase always promises that better days are on the horizon if you can stick it out. The difficult truth to accept is that the cycle only repeats and, actually in most cases, gets worse. The "cycle of abuse" image below was developed by psychologist Lenore Walker in 1979 to illustrate this pattern of phases.
Local Resources of Western North Carolina
If you or a loved one is experiencing this cycle, please know that you do not have to navigate it alone. The following resources are available to assist with developing a safety plan, finding emergency shelter, and accessing services available in the community:
North Carolina Domestic Violence Help, Programs and Statistics
Helpmate
Buncombe County Family Justice Center
Safelight
For additional education and resources, visit the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
bottom of page