Unfortunately, it 's almost like that is all they know and are accustomed to. According to Eisentat & Bancroft (1999), family violence crosses the boundaries of sex, age, social class, education, and race. Statistics show that approximately 1 out of every 3 (35.6%) women worldwide will be affected by family violence within her lifetime (Black, et al 2011). Additionally, every year, there are approximately 5 million incidents of abuse against women, and at some point in their lives, 1 out of every 4 women in the U.S. will report physical or sexual abuse by an intimate partner, spouse or date (Rizo, Macy, Ermentrout & Johns, 2011). In reality, many families in which IPV is present may also have to deal and struggle with other problems such as substance abuse and exposure to other forms of violence (Fantuzzo, Boruch & Berianna, 1997). Children and intimate partner violence …show more content…
The left hemisphere helps with verbal communication and organizes problem-solving tasks. Failure of left-hemisphere functioning may occur during states of extreme arousal such as a traumatic experiences, and is believed to be responsible for experiences of derealization and depersonalization (Black et al, 2012). Derealization and depersonalization is method in which the brain protects the victim from reliving the experience and/or situation. It allows an individual to avoid the reality of what he/she is not ready to confront. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that PTSD causes changes in the brain, affecting areas such as the amygdala and hippocampus (Cohen, Mannarion & Deblinger,