Partnered with a Survivor: David Mandel and Ruth Reymundo Mandel

Season 5 Episode 5: A Trauma History Is Not an Excuse for Acting Abusively

Ruth Reymundo Mandel & David Mandel Season 5 Episode 5

In this episode, David and Ruth have an intimate discussion about how we can be emotionally and behaviorally responsible even when we have been trained into fear and reactivity through violence and abuse. 

David and Ruth discuss:

  • How we need to drop binary definitions in order to prevent abusers from using their history of trauma as an excuse for current behaviors of coercive control and violence. 
  • The importance of unlearning reactive behaviors that we came by “honestly” through trauma.
  • The importance of considering context, patterns of behavior, and impacts on functioning as part of the conversations about survivors’ reactivity and use of violence.
  • The value of self-reflection on the impact of our behaviors when we are triggered back into a state of fear or defensiveness.

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