Pattern Analysis
For Family Law
By Rachel Debner
, Fact Pattern
I got married at the age of 18 and believed our lives would be perfect. When my
ex-partner got his way, he was wonderful. When he didn’t, he would blame me
whether it was my fault or not. If I got upset or challenged him, he would say I was
weak and didn’t know what I was doing. I started to find food I thought I had
bought disappearing and he would say I was stupid. I would arrive at a pre-booked
appointment at the hairdressers and find it was cancelled. I missed school
evenings because the dates I was told were incorrect. I thought I was losing my
memory or my sanity. He used to try to exclude me when we attended gatherings,
whispering to tell me to leave because I wasn’t welcome. If I got upset, he would
make it look like I had mental health issues and I was being oversensitive. He
eventually stopped me from seeing my friends and family, telling me that I only
needed him in my life and they all thought I was stupid. I eventually became too
afraid to do anything or make any decisions because I knew they’d be wrong and I
would be threatened. We have two dogs and I am worried he is going to do
something to them as he continues to say that they favor me over him.