“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”

Words hurt badly. Words can be violent. They can entice violence—violent actions, violent thoughts, violent assumptions. Verbal abuse can be a severe form of domestic violence. Words can be violating.

When someone has had violent words hurled at them whether in person or online it’s an instant trauma—whether we know it or not. Although the psychic or physiological impact may not present itself immediately, without a doubt some part of our core instantly absorbs that shock. Sadly, we live in a society where the shock value has seriously eroded - it’s wearing off at speeds faster than light. When too many of us get to, or have been in, a place where we ask ourselves not “if” we will be verbally assaulted today but “when” this highlights the pervasiveness of the issue.

This post was originally published on the Interval House blog.

As soon as a woman calls Interval House asking for a space, safety planning begins. Being on the other end of the phone, it’s always heartbreaking to hear the stories. But the best way to help a woman who is fleeing a violent home is to equip her with the tools she needs to get herself and her kids to safety.