Dangerous Relationships
How to Stop Domestic Violence before It Stops You (Insight Books)

Know the warning signs of domestic violence to prevent abuse. More than four million Americans fall victim to domestic violence each year. Even the famous, including Tina Turner, Greg Luganis and Brett Buttler, are not immune. Millions of words have been written addressing the violence already taking place in homes across the country, but very little attention has been given to how to prevent domestic violence from happening in the first play. That's why I wrote Dangerous Relationships: How to Stop Domestic Violence Before It Stops You.

Domestic violence does not occur in a void. There are common characteristics that run through most domestic violence relationships. Readers can use this information to stay clear of relationships that exhibit the signs that may be preludes to violence. Dangerous Relationships is written from the perspective of the battered individual.

It uses four distinct relationships to show how the aggressive parnters behave in certain characteristically predictable ways, which almost always leads to violence. The predictability of an abuser's behavior is what makes domestic violence, to a large degree, preventable. These relationships appear, at first, quite different from each other: Mary and John (heterosexual lovers), Bob and Karen (husband and wife), Peter and Tony (homosexual lovers), and Teri and Ann (platonic roommates).

As these real-life scenarios develop in the book, readers will realize that these relationships have much in common--all have the same underlying dynamics that foster domestic violence--whirlwind beginnings, possessiveness, a Dr. Jekyll/Mr.Hyde personality, victim blaming, verbal abuse, insensitivity, and finally, violence.

I write both from personal and professional experience. I have been a victim of domestic abuse, and as a psychologist and trial consultant, I have worked with hundreds of individuals caught in the pain of domestic violence. It doesn't have to be this way! Dangerous Relationships will help you see the way through the pain to a healthy love--the kind that doesn't include visits to the emergency room.

Read the insightful First Chapter of "Dangerous Relationships"

LIBRARY BOOKNOTES MAY 6, 1998

Domestic violence threatens to reach epidemic proportions in the United States. Recognizing the danger signs before irreparable harm occurs is the technique stressed in this insightful guide to identifying, avoiding or escaping these dangerous situations.

Notes from the Back Cover

"A powerful and important book! People in love tend to overlook, rationalize and justify unhealthy behaviors and patterns. This book will help shake them out of that fantasy by giving both men and women the awareness they need to spot a potentially disastrous relationship. DANGEROUS RELATIONSHIPS could be a lifesaver."
- Susan Forward, Ph.D

"An important book for every woman who has had an abusive relationship,or who is newly into a relationship in which there are warning signs surrounding control and power. Dr. Nelson has made it quite clear that the pattern can be discovered early in a relationship, and that a woman can get out before she gets hurt."
- Sherry Simmons, Executive Director, The Support Network for Battered Women

"I would highly recommend this book to anyone who may be in a violent relationship, or to a relative or close personal friend who has concerns about the safety of someone they love."
- Diane P. McGauley,Chair, Texas Council on Family Violence.

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