The impacts of systems abuse
The impact of being traumatised by systems and bureaucracies could be described well by some of the literature around what was previously called institutionalisation (where people with mental illnesses or disabilities were placed into asylums and institutions, and essentially imprisoned there with very little-to-no actual care or support and forgotten about or mistreated further). The parallels of these impacts can be drawn to those experiencing neglect or abuse from the services or systems they reach out to when trying to leave or address domestic and family abuses.
While systems abuse is now most typically known in relation to domestic and family abuse matters, the psychological impact of this may also be relevant for others who have been through other sectors, like child services or mental health systems. The impact of years of being involved with, or attempting to seek support from, these services can include deep mistrust of services, particularly those who are traditionally designated 'helping' professionals (police, health providers, doctors, lawyers, judges, etc). People may feel chronically disempowered, disillusioned and disheartened by the process of seeking help and support for themselves. Some may feel intimidated, isolated or neglected - which parallels their past experiences of abuse. Some may feel overwhelmed with anger and injustice, and unable to effectively advocate for themselves. They may be financially disadvantaged and unable to continue without increased funds, which may be inaccessible to them, and perhaps largely due to the abuse experienced previously. The length of time taken in proceedings, like court, can also perpetuate the trauma and impact on people's sense of hope/hopelessness.
There is no doubt there are significant systemic failures surrounding women who seek help, or need to seek help.
These realities can be doubly hard to come to terms with, particularly as they come at a time when people have finally been able to reach out, take action, and when ‘help is supposed to be on the way’.
However it is crucial at these times to gather a solid support team wherever possible. This could include even one or two close, trusted, safe family members or friends, and a specialist professional. It is with this team that people can draw on the collective strength and take turns holding the torch of hope. It is only natural and to be expected that people might feel too worn down and experience phases of hopelessness during the help-seeking/changes-making stages. That’s when having a close support crew can mean the difference between making it through or not, or between getting a desired outcome or not.
The good news is, it can get better. This can mean different things for different people: people can get stronger, more resilient, more knowledgeable, learn about themselves and their coping strategies. Some people can find acceptance in what is and go through various adjustment cycles. Some people get better through offering advocacy, activism and helping others. "It gets better" doesn't always mean the pain and suffering is vanished, or even that the wrongs are righted. It can often mean we learn to live with it in different or improved ways.
Experiencing systems abuse is real. Those often going through it are told they are paranoid or making things up, or encouraged to minimise what they’re going through, for example ‘It’s not really that bad, is it?’ Some people may find themselves going to extreme lengths of gathering evidence which may become obsessive. This crazy-making behaviour mirrors some of the disbelief and second guessing seen in some abusive dynamics, like coercive control.
The more we all, including professionals (particularly those in critical, helping or media roles) call this systemic abuse behaviour out, the more we will identify and reduce it. Based on accounts from the people I support, its prevalence is shocking. Professionals are sometimes even in fear of the perpetrator and their intimidating behaviour themselves, rendering the system they’re in relatively useless if even they are not standing firm and standing up for the victim/survivor and justice.
If you are concerned you are experiencing or have been a part of systems abuse in some way, see if you can express it. Speak about it, write it down, see what it looks and sounds like outside of you and your mind. This is one tangible way of clarifying and giving voice to what is happening, and another way of reality checking with others. You could say ‘Hey does this sound about right to you, or is there something a bit off with it’, and see what another trusted or objective person thinks.
For those interested in more of the current conversation, there are a number of fascinating and critical pieces around. For example, this article touches on systems abuse (towards the end) amongst a broader context of social entrapment, and where women have had to use violence as a means of response/retaliation to abuse and/or coercive control and how important it is for the justice system to correctly identify the primary abuser/perpetrator. There are current debates around criminalising coercive control across Australia and the world, placing the current common model of incident event crimes in the real life context of what has led to that; identifying coercive control behaviours. The latest SBS episode from See What You Made Me Do discusses the complexities of systems and possible ways forward, after a brilliant 3 part docuseries. And for a digestible podcast with Dr Karen Williams, check this out.
