By Linda C J Turner | Trauma Therapist | Advocate
They say time heals all wounds.
But when you’ve survived chronic abuse, it’s not just your heart that suffers.
It’s your cells. Your brain. Your lifespan.
🧬 The Science is Clear: Abuse Leaves a Cellular Mark
According to Shalev et al. (2013), prolonged trauma — including coercive control, domestic violence, and childhood abuse — shortens your telomeres.
Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of your DNA strands — kind of like the plastic tips on shoelaces. When they shorten too much, the cells begin to age, malfunction, or die.
📉 Result?
Survivors of abuse experience accelerated biological aging.
We’re not talking about emotional scars alone.
We’re talking about 7–15 years of life potentially stolen from the body.
💔 Women in Abusive Relationships Lose More Than Freedom
Coker et al. (2002) found that women exposed to long-term intimate partner violence are significantly more likely to suffer:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Chronic fatigue and inflammation
These aren’t just abstract medical conditions — they’re consequences of living in survival mode for too long.
They’re the biological cost of walking on eggshells, night after night, year after year.
🔻 Estimated reduction in life expectancy?
10–12 years.
That’s an entire decade stolen from someone who deserved safety.
⚠️ PTSD Isn’t Just Emotional — It’s Deadly
Boscarino (2006) showed that PTSD sufferers — especially those dealing with prolonged, interpersonal trauma — face:
- Higher suicide rates
- Increased heart disease
- A 30% higher risk of early death
Many of these statistics come from veterans. But the battlefield is also inside homes. Behind closed doors. In places where survivors were supposed to be safe, but weren’t.
❗ And Yet, the Abuser Walks Away
He’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.
Maybe he already has a life insurance policy lined up.
Maybe he’s just waiting to reclaim the house — the one that became a prison for you.
This is the twisted mindset of someone with no empathy. No conscience. No integrity.
But you are not crazy for thinking this way.
You are trauma-informed.
You’ve learned, through pain and survival, what evil can look like up close.
✨ But Here’s the Hope
Your story doesn’t end with what he did.
Because healing is resistance.
Every breath you take in freedom is a step toward reclaiming the years, peace, and dignity you were denied.
🧠 Trauma rewires the brain.
🌱 But healing rewires it back.
💛 And while you can’t undo what’s been done — you can slow, stop, and sometimes even reverse the damage.
With therapy. With safety. With boundaries. With community.
🕊️ You Are Not Broken — You Are Battled-Hardened and Brave
Survivors deserve more than survival — they deserve a future. A peaceful nervous system. A full life.
📩 If you’re reading this and it resonates, reach out. I offer trauma-informed therapy, emotional resilience coaching, and nervous system recovery support.
Because you’re not just saving your sanity — you’re saving your lifespan.
