When we hear "intimate partner violence," many of us picture "other people" or "other lives." But the truth is, it can happen to anyone.  And despite all the awareness, there's still a heavy stigma attached to being a survivor. As a survivor myself, I know the weight of that silence. The shame, the fear of judgment, the question of "why didn't you just leave?"—it's all part of the stigma that keeps too many trapped. Why Stigma Hurts More Than We Realize The silence around int