True Stories of Real People

Out of the Maelstrom, recreates the human faces of dysfunction, and the painful consequences it brings into the lives of millions of people worldwide.

The Whalers of the 1800's sailed wooden ships into turbulent seas, often encountering dangerous maelstroms. The days of Whalers are long past but the dangerous storms of life strike with perilous consequences.The most dangerous and feared of all the storms were the maelstroms. If a ship was sucked into the outer edges of a swirling water-tornado called a maelstrom, its doom was sealed. The power of the swirling waters would pull the ship and crew under, never to be heard from again. But, if they survived, it was a triumph over the powers of nature, that was celebrated as a superhuman feat.

True Stories of Survival

I spent ten years working for a domestic violence agency as a Counselor and a Public Trainer, and it was during those years, I encountered 'whalers' of a different kind, whose storms of life were tantamount to becoming the maelstroms that pulled them under, or became the overwhelming obstacles that they survived and conquered.

The clients who used the services of a small-town domestic violence agency central to these stories often sought refuge from the storms of their lives within the Domestic Violence Shelter. Those who came through the shelter doors were broken and damaged, and some were less broken but more dangerous than you would expect. The local drug culture produced a toxic assortment of issues and problems, from drug endangered children whose abused mothers suffered chronic addictions, to the legal and social barriers they encountered. There were 'saints' and 'sinners,' those who follow the law, and those who conveniently skirted it. The common misperception that abuse victims are weak is a myth; driven to survive by any means, victims display surprising strength and resilience under pressure, usually because pressure is all they have ever known. Though not weak, trauma-bonded victims typically repeatedly return to abusive partners up to a dozen times before they break the 'habit' of loving the wrong person. The wrong person is sometimes as lethal as they come, therefore, homicides and suicides become newsworthy stories too often.

There is no 'one' story of abuse victims because they are everyone, from the rich and educated to the poor with limited education and resources. There are as many types of people who accessed the domestic violence services, as there are people; therefore, the stories are extraordinary and diverse.

Out of the Maelstrom recreates an atmosphere of camaraderie and teamwork that makes the Domestic Violence Agency effective. Along with respect and collaboration, humor is a necessary salve for the soul skillfully incorporated into the narrative.

Disclaimer: Some stories may be triggering to some with unaddressed trauma issues

Analytic, Insightful narration of true stories about people who have encountered abuse and trauma, as told by Sara Niles. Over a decade in the life of former victim of domestic violence, Sara Niles, who after escaping from a lethal abuser, became a Domestic Violence professional.

A Mass of swirling confusion,

Mind boggling, deception, and illusion,

Alienation, Isolation, all the tools

Of Emasculation, and Neutralization,

Invalidation, Inner Corruption,

Drowning in Victimization,

Brainwashed, Eradicated.

The Only Self Left,

Comes Up, Out of the Maelstrom

Sara Niles

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