The Stories of

Domestic Abuse Survivors

that overcame Trauma
Based on true story from the Domestic Abuse Victims
 The Stories of
Domestic Abuse Survivors
that overcame Trauma
Based on true story from the Domestic Abuse Victims
Table
of
Contents
 CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2
02 Introduction Introduction 16
04 Jollibee
Physical
Memory 18
06 20
Garden the
Calm Before the
Garden Hose Storm Hose

08 Distance
Spiritual
connection 22
10 Distractions Things to do 24
12 Deja Vu Guards up 26
14 Reaching Out Raging bull 28
This is the
moment 30
31 Gallery Artist Profile 35
 TRIGGER WARNING
As a reminder, this book contains sensitive
illustrations, contents, and materials, specifically on
domestic abuse and violence, that could be
emotionally, or mentally difficult for some readers.

Thus, as we, the authors of this book, value your

welfare and safety in any aspects, we will understand
you for not reading this book further if you will find
this disturbing and unsettling.

Your stories matter too.

 CHAPTER 1

It’s me Jam. I’m 17 and I want to be a

professional cyclist.

This is my story.

It was a fine day for me and my father.

We were eating but at the same time we were doing

my homework.

“Finish your assignment!” My father said impatiently.

“But I can’t. I don’t know how to.” I

replied slowly.

While I was trying to figure out how to do my

homework, he stood up and took a spoon and burned
my skin using the hot soup that we were eating. It
hurts so much but I can’t do anything about it.

I just continued to do my homework while crying.

2
I won’t forget the time that he fetched me from school
and went to our favorite fast food chain Jollibee.

“Here you go son.” He said as soon as he got our order.

“Thanks dad.” I replied.

Before anything else, let me just add that my dad is a

car guy, he’s that kind of dude who is obsessed with
cars and takes really good care of them.

As I was eating my burger, I accidentally spilled my

food all over the back seat of his car.

Now as a car guy, he’s upset. He hit me on my

shoulders
and he said “Malilintikan ka sakin pag-uwi.”

From that moment on, my heart starts beating fast.

4
Years have passed and my parents decided to go their
separate ways. They fought numerous times for
reasons I can’t even
remember. I stayed with my mom, thinking everything
will be okay.

I was wrong.

When me and my mom were outside watering the

plants, I used the garden hose and tried to reach the
farthest plant.

“Use the dipper since it’s more efficient and more

accurate!” From here, I can feel that she’s annoyed.

“But isn’t it a waste if we didn’t use the

garden hose for watering the plants?”

My mom got angry, she started to shout and humiliate

me in front of our neighbors.

“GO TO YOUR ROOM!” She followed me.

“Why are you even crying? Boys don’t cry.”

“But mom I-“

“You know what? I think I’m just wasting my money
just to get you to a nice school.”

As I listened to those words, my heart shattered when

she said these words.

“Kung ganyan ka lang din pala lalaki, sana hindi nalang

kita ipinanganak.”

It was the most painful thing that I have ever heard.

6
As the saying goes “All things must come to an end.”

There is a turning point where I realized that enough is

enough.

I always distance myself from my mother because

everytime I’m with her, It’s the same thing all over
again.

8
Luckily I encountered sports. Basketball was one of the
things I did in order to overcome this feeling.

Cycling became a hobby and also one of the things

that kept me busy and occupied during those
moments.

As I do these things, It helped me overcome this

trauma that I was feeling.

10
When it comes to healing, relapse is always there.
It’s always around the corner waiting to be discovered.

Even though I am on the side of getting better, I still

have flashbacks when certain triggers arise.

When people around me are shouting, it triggers me

because it reminds me of my parents arguing.

It messes me up but I keep composure and I focus on

the things that I’m doing and sometimes I distance
myself when things like that happen around me.

12
For anyone who’s reading this, you can get through
this.

Find hobbies that can occupy your mind and time.

Do things that you love and love the things that you do.

Your journey will not be easy, let’s face it.

It’s hard but it’s not impossible.

14
 CHAPTER 2
Call me Vince, 25 years old.

Growing up watching cartoons,

people hitting each other may seem very normal to me.

Until I grew up.

I’ve seen my brother getting beaten up by my parents.

Back then, for me it’s just discipline. But each and
every hit felt different. It seems like there is an emotion
behind it, there’s more.

When my parents are mad at my

brother, they slap and push him. It’s how you discipline
your child, I guess.

It’s giving me mixed vibes because I felt like it was okay

because it’s how they discipline us and at the same
time it sets a bad example because I feel like everytime
I mess up, the same thing will happen to me.

16
Something is stuck in my mind, it is the story of when
my brother is angry and he took it out on me.

It was a long time ago and I still remember the thing

that he did.

I didn’t really know the cause of this anger but one

thing for sure, he is so angry.

As I got in his line of sight, I didn’t do anything that

made him so angry but he still gets all fired up. He took
a ballpen and stabbed me on the foot.

Fast forward, I still have that scar until now.

As I look at it, I remember.

18
It is too much to handle for a kid like me, it
clouded my train of thoughts. I don’t exactly
remember everything that happened to me but the
feeling remains.

Everytime I feel something, there is a corresponding

memory in the back of my mind.

It’s blurry but I know it’s there.

“Hey, let’s stop this right now.” I said as calmly as pos-

sible.

My brother agreed, for now.

20
“Don’t be so dramatic, just pray. It’s just words. Words
doesn’t hurt”

For me it’s not just the words, but the violence I see
and I experience at home what really gets me weak.

The trauma at home, the things I experience at school

and the violence I see at home, it seems pretty normal
to me.

I realized that I am also part of the problem, when it

comes to my family, they don’t believe in therapies.

They believe heavily on the spiritual side of life, they

believe that I just lack communication from above.

But despite everything I’ve been through, I learned to

live with it.

22
The things I did in order to overcome these things you
need to:

First, change your sceneries

Second, find new things to do
Third, find new hobbies
And lastly, surround yourself with the right people

24
Not gonna lie, I still
experience flashbacks. I still have relapses when it
comes to my traumas.

Let me tell you a short story about my

experience.

This flashback happened in a local mall here in our

place.

When I was going inside, there’s this guard at the

entrance. The one who checks your bag and briefly
checks you and your body if you have something on
you.

I always feel like he’s gonna do something to me even

though he wouldn’t.

So everytime I’m going inside an establishment with

guards at the entrance, I always tense up and my
hands start to shake.

26
Another story to share is when I had an
accident outside our subdivision.

I was hit by a motorcycle. It’s his fault though, he’s in

the wrong in this one.

It’s not that fast but fast enough to make me fall down.

He was so furious, he rushed towards me and kept on

shouting.

It was an uncomfortable situation for me.

That’s the reason why I’m having second thoughts

when it comes to enrolling
myself to a driving school because of the fear of hitting
someone or getting hit by someone.

28
Listen, if you are experiencing the same
scenarios just like mine, remember this.

You matter. It’s not something you should get used to

as much as possible. Try to seek help or find a way to
address your troubles.

Don’t bury it, sooner or later you just might be like

them. Instead of fixing the problem, YOU might be the
problem.

Nothing is ever small as it can have a big impact in

your future. If it is a big deal for you, then it is a big
deal. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Reach out to someone. Although it’s okay to try to fix it

on your own, remember not all things can be done by
one person.

If you can’t find someone, be that someone until the

cycle stops and the trauma subsides.

30
gallery

Disclaimer: The set of photos presented is for representation purposes only wherein
the models agreed to participate and stand in for the character of the story.

31
Disclaimer: The set of photos presented is for representation purposes only wherein
the models agreed to participate and stand in for the character of the story.

32
33
34
ARTIST
PROFILE
Bachelor of Multimedia Arts Students from
NU-Laguna

JOSEPH SEBASTIAN T. GEGUERA

Layout Designer

MICHELLE LOUISSE THERESE C. MERCADO

Illustrator

ROBERT JOSEF P. RAMOS

Photo Editor
 Message from all of us

This Coffee Table Book has been created with the

Domestic Abuse Victims’ stories to aware people that
abuse is not just something we shouldn’t be taking
as a joke. There are many people out there who are
abused that do not get any help from other people.
Some make their own way to overcome their own
trauma, their dark pasts. Some lives in their own
nightmare even in the broad daylight.
If you have experienced or witnessed domestic violence,
kindly reach out to these hotlines:

Gender Watch Against Violence and Exploitation (GWAVE)

(035) 422 84 05 | +63 915 259 3029 | +63 999 576 6679

National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline

0966-351-4518

We value your safety, let’s pursue creating safe homes and

spaces.