Healing After Abuse: Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence Through Clinical Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy

Domestic violence leaves more than physical scars—it can severely damage a person’s emotional regulation, sense of safety, self-worth, and ability to trust. As clinicians, we see firsthand how survivors often carry invisible wounds long after the abuse has ended. While crisis support and safety planning are essential, the healing journey truly begins with trauma-informed psychological care.

Clinical psychotherapy, particularly when rooted in trauma-specific approaches, and clinical hypnotherapy offer powerful tools to support individuals recovering from the complex aftermath of domestic violence.

The Psychological Impact of Domestic Violence

Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) frequently present with:

• Post-traumatic stress symptoms (flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance)

• Anxiety and panic disorders

• Depression and suicidality

• Attachment injuries and difficulty trusting others

• Emotional dysregulation

• Identity confusion and low self-worth

• Somatic symptoms such as chronic pain, fatigue, or gastrointestinal distress

Research from the World Health Organization and ANROWS consistently shows that exposure to coercive control and ongoing abuse significantly increases the risk of long-term psychological harm, especially in women.

Clinical Psychotherapy: Building Safety and Emotional Repair

Psychotherapeutic treatment must always begin with creating a sense of safety—both physically and relationally. Survivors have often been gaslit, blamed, or punished for expressing their truth. A trusting, consistent therapeutic relationship becomes the container where real healing begins.

Trauma-informed approaches that are particularly effective include:

1. Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

IFS helps survivors:

• Connect with and unblend from internal parts shaped by trauma (e.g. the “inner critic,” “protector,” or “wounded child”)

• Heal exiled parts that carry shame, fear, and helplessness

• Reclaim a sense of inner leadership and agency

IFS has been found effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD and complex trauma, especially when shame and emotional fragmentation are present.

2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Schema Therapy

• CBT can help survivors reframe distorted thoughts ("It was my fault," "I'm unlovable") and build healthier cognitive frameworks.

• Schema therapy is particularly helpful for deeply rooted beliefs around abandonment, mistrust, and emotional deprivation that stem from repeated abuse or childhood trauma.

3. Somatic and Polyvagal-Informed Therapies

Chronic trauma disconnects individuals from their body’s natural cues. These methods support survivors in regulating their nervous systems and feeling safe in their own bodies again.

Hypnotherapy: Accessing the Subconscious for Deep Healing

Hypnotherapy can be a gentle yet powerful complement to psychotherapy when used ethically and with informed consent. It helps survivors process trauma at a deeper level—particularly when verbal expression feels overwhelming or blocked.

Benefits of Clinical Hypnotherapy for Survivors

• Access to subconscious beliefs: Survivors may carry deep internalised messages (e.g. “I don’t deserve safety”) that hypnosis can help surface and reframe.

• Rebuilding internal safety: Hypnotic suggestions can help establish calming inner imagery, safe places, and coping anchors that reduce anxiety and hyperarousal.

• Resolving traumatic imprints: Techniques such as regression and ego-state work allow for safe reprocessing of memories, transforming helplessness into empowerment.

• Pain and insomnia management: Hypnotherapy has been shown to help with psychosomatic symptoms that often accompany trauma.

A 2018 study published in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation found that hypnotherapy, when integrated into trauma treatment, significantly reduced dissociation and improved emotional regulation in clients with complex trauma histories.

The Need for Integrated, Long-Term Care

Healing from domestic violence is not linear—and it’s never one-size-fits-all. Survivors need time, agency, and access to therapists trained in trauma-informed and client-led care.

In my own work as a clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, I witness how transformative this combination of approaches can be. Survivors begin to reclaim not just their voice, but their internal power, their bodies, and their right to live without fear.

A Call to Support Holistic Recovery

If you're a survivor:
You are not broken. You are not to blame. You deserve to heal. Seek a therapist who understands the complexity of trauma and will walk beside you, not ahead of you.

If you are a professional:
Commit to continuous training in trauma, coercive control, and hypnotherapy integration. The more equipped we are, the more lives we can help rebuild.

If you’re a policymaker or funder:
We need broader access to trauma-specific therapies, longer-term Medicare rebates, and recognition of coercive control as both a criminal offence and a psychological injury.

There is life after abuse. And with the right therapeutic support, it can be a life rooted not in survival, but in freedom, clarity, and self-worth.