Domestic violence survivor shares ideas to stop the cycle of abuse

As your station for health, we want to make sure everyone feels safe at home. Reports of family assaults went up 158 percent in Harris County when Houstonians began to self-quarantine in March.

That's happening in many communities across the country, which is why expert Mannette Morgan shared her incredible story of survival with us. Not only does she open up about the tough times in her life when she had to deal with abuse, but also shares important steps to stop the cycle of abuse.

Mannette grew up in Texas, but finally moved away to get a new start in life.

"Unfortunately, I grew up as a child with an alcoholic father, who was emotionally abusive, which, in turn, he learned from his own parents. He grew up in an abusive home. Then from there, I was sexually abused (for years), unfortunately by an older cousin. I'm not going to lie, this was a really challenging time in my life,” Mannette says. “From there, after experiencing abuse my whole life, I went on to marry an abusive man, my high school sweetheart. We got married very young as teenagers and had two young children, but I was lucky. I'm the lucky one, because I got out at 24, so I'm very, very fortunate in that aspect of it. From there, I spent six or seven years, fixing my life. Learning therapy, self-help, and I'm here today to say that it is possible. You can put your life back together.”

Her encouragement to anyone dealing with abuse, is to get out right now, even during the pandemic. She suggests you start with three steps:

1.  Put a plan together: Reach out to one of the domestic hotlines like rainn.org, consider getting a lawyer, find a place to live, etc.

2.  Step out the door and leave

3.  Stop the cycle

"I always say get your ducks in a row. I understand that getting out is not easy for people that have never been in that situation, they don't think they can just leave. It's much harder than you think, it's hard to let go of that unhealthy relationship, but you deserve more than that. You can do this. I did it, you can do it," encourages Mannette.

She says she truly believes that getting the right resources can make a big difference in successfully getting out of an abusive relationship

"Group therapy, a domestic abuse hotline, or find something like my book to help you heal and put your life back in order," says Mannette.

"Once you've done that, then you will regain your self-worth and you will find your voice," states Mannette. 

She sure did and was able to write down her thoughts to help others through her book, "Finding Your Voice". Writing it was therapeutic for her.

"It really was, it was really helpful because it helps close up any leftover little pieces I had that I just hadn't really handled. I was so fortunate in that aspect, but I offer so much in there for others. It's part memoire self-help, so it's not your typical self-help book. I really hold your hand and try to guide you through the things that worked for me, and I left out the stuff that didn't work," smiles Mannette.

Her goal was to at help other mothers and children lead safer, more fulfilling lives.

She says you can find her book "Finding Your Voice" on Amazon and most book retailers and big box stores.

She wants her to join her movement!  Just go here: https://mannettemorgan.com/