A V E R Y S H O R T T A K E O N
S O M E
S O B E R I N G F A C T S
THE GROWING AWARENESS OF domestic and family violence, coercive control, and gender-based violence—especially violence against women and children by partners, is both horrifying YET necessary.
It is a painful truth that for far too long has been ignored, minimised, or hidden behind closed doors.
Overall violence:38% (7.5 million) of people aged 18 and over have experienced violence from a male perpetrator.
Physical violence:39% (3.7 million) of people have experienced physical violence by a male.
Family and Domestic Violence (FDV)
Victim experiences:Since the age of 15, 27.4% of Australian females and 11.9% of males experienced family and domestic violence.
Perpetrator demographics:In 2023–24, family and domestic violence offenders increased by 3%, with the most common age groups being 30–34 years and 35–39 years.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Incidents:Since the age of 15, 23.3% of women and 7.3% of men experienced intimate partner abuse.
Male perpetration:A 2025 study found that one in three Australian men reported using intimate partner violence.
Data sources:These statistics come from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), with data often reflecting the 2021–22 or 2023–24 financial years.
T H E
G R I M
R E A L I T Y
WE LIVE IN A WORLD which is grounded in gender inequality and social norms and structures that enable abuse(particularly men’s), cruelty and violence.
The Truth?
UNFORTUNATELY NOT ALL PEOPLE mean well.
As a reformed empathetic idealist turned realist, this stills saddens me but we must deal with this issue head on, accept that dangerous people live among us and operate from a different internal compass: DOMINANCE, CONTROL & POWER.
ALONGSIDE OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS, we too as humans have intraspecies predators; people who prey on people and have innate tendencies to exploit and control others.
They live amongst us as partners, parents, sibling, extended family, CEO’s, leaders, colleagues, neighbours etc.
T H E W H Y
B E H I N D
P S Y C H O L O G I C A L
S E L F D E F E N C E
I HAVE SUPPORTED MANY PEOPLE who have survived violence, psychological control and manipulation that has occurred in their closest relationships.
I’VE HAD A LIFELONG interest in human behaviour, psychology and the study of people I use the general term of ‘dangerous personalities’, OR unreasonable people to refer to abusive among us.
I combine a life’s worth of reflection and research and my own lived experience combined with my clinical knowledge to now specialise in this area, as I believe education is desperately needed in this area.
THIS IS THE WHY behind Psychological Self Defence; a therapeutic and educational space for those who have been harmed.
EDUCATION CAN GO A long way towards protecting ourselves and recovery from the dangerous person’s abuse.
IF YOU ARE A VICTIM / SURVIVOR OF ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND WANT TO KNOW MORE, PLEASE REACH OUT.
YOU WILL BE BELIEVED & UNDERSTOOD