What began as a mother’s desperate fight to shield her child from domestic abuse, backed by court findings of neglect and repeated head and facial injuries, spiraled into a harrowing nightmare. The very institutions designed to protect children instead turned a blind eye, becoming complicit in the ongoing abuse.

Christine’s case was thoroughly investigated by ProPublica in 'Both Parents Agree: The Child is Being Harmed. Which One Will the Court Believe?’ which exposed the harrowing reality within Colorado’s 7th Judicial District. It stands as a damning indictment of a family court system that not only failed to protect Christine’s child but perpetuated the very danger she sought to escape. These failures led to the forced separation of a child from his protective mother, despite overwhelming findings of safety concerns with the father.

Your physical wellness is extremely important when you’re up against a narcissist in a child custody battle. 

A high conflict custody battle can be overwhelming in every single way - and often, our physical health takes a massive hit.

Prioritizing your physical wellness is an absolute must

I cannot recall all the words that were being said to me as I was instructed to return to the stand. I also cannot remember what it felt like as I felt the cuffs being locked around my wrist. I do remember the kindness and tenderness I felt from the bailiff as he looked into my eyes and the compassionate, gentle tone that he used with me as everything was happening so fast. It truly felt like I had been sucked into another dimension, where standard world values like justice and law did not exist. All I could think about in that moment was my sons and my family having to endure the unimaginable consequences of what was happening. This single day has left me questioning everything I ever believed before about fairness, justice, law and our rights as an American citizen.

We have an urgent call to action - for everyone worldwide.

In South Dakota, SB 111 passed Senate Judiciary today. It will be on the Senate floor tomorrow for a vote. This bill will open the floodgates for even more collusion and corruption within the alienation industry.

Many survivors of narcissistic abuse experience triggering emotions of Valentine’s Day as a result of the narcissist’s abusive behaviors.

Reclaiming this holiday as a day of self-care and self-compassion can be an empowering way to work toward healing.

This dangerous bill in Alabama creates a presumption that joint custody is in the best interest of the child. While joint custody can be beneficial in some cases, this presumption could endanger domestic abuse survivors and their children if courts do not properly account for the dynamics of abuse.

One of the most alarming aspects of HB229 is its implicit endorsement of "parental alienation," a widely discredited concept that is often weaponized against protective parents—particularly mothers—in custody disputes. The bill includes vague language about "parental alienation" and encourages courts to penalize parents who are seen as undermining a child's relationship with the other parent, even when the protective parent is acting in the child’s best interest by shielding them from abuse.

The Truth About False Allegations of Abuse in Family Court

For decades, a persistent myth has circulated in family courts: that women frequently fabricate allegations of domestic violence, child abuse, or sexual assault to gain an advantage in custody disputes. This narrative, often fueled by misinformation, has dangerous consequences, particularly for protective parents who are trying to shield their children from harm. The reality, backed by research, tells a different story.

In Part 2, our anonymous guest blogger—a therapist with over 20 years of experience working inside this troubling industry—reveals how reunification therapists systematically identify and financially profile their targets, ensuring they extract the maximum profit from custody disputes. Through coercion, court-ordered interventions, and the weaponization of pseudoscience, these practitioners transform family court into a lucrative enterprise at the expense of children's well-being. Featuring testimony from a retired family court judge and firsthand insights from a licensed professional, this installment exposes the devastating financial and psychological toll reunification therapy inflicts on families trapped in its grip.

A quick and effective “shut-up” method used by abusers is to smear the survivor by saying that they are speaking up because they “just want attention”.

What Kind of Attention Do Survivors of Abuse Want?

Usually, survivors just want to be left alone in peace.

But when survivors DO want attention, what kind of attention do they want?

Often, it’s media attention to draw eyes to their case in an effort to protect themselves and their children. When the public’s eyes are on your case, you have a greater sense of security and protection.

The United States has long prided itself on being the “land of the free,” a nation built on the ideals of liberty, justice, and equality for all. From its founding, America has positioned itself as a beacon of hope, where individuals have the right to pursue happiness, make their own choices, and live free from oppression. But when we look closer, especially at the treatment of women and children, we have to ask: Is this freedom truly for everyone, or only for those in power?

Across the country, many Americans, regardless of political affiliation, are growing fearful about government overreach and the erosion of personal freedoms. As a Victim and Child Safety Advocate, I work with women and children who face systemic challenges daily. The rights they have, the rights they are perceived to have, and the rights they are quietly losing paint a troubling picture.

There are multiple bills in the Indiana House and Senate that would be devastating for survivors and children, the most vulnerable members of our society.

You’ve spent a significant amount of time trying to explain why a certain behavior is hurtful or abusive. Maybe you’ve engaged in therapy, purchased books, even drawn diagrams in order to break it down so that the narcissist doesn’t have any reason to not understand.

As a licensed mental health care provider with over 20 years of experience and a reunification therapist myself, I feel an ethical obligation to warn the public, legal professionals, and judges about the pervasive fraud within reunification therapy, also called reintegration or reconciliation therapy. While it is often marketed as a legitimate solution for parent-child conflicts, usually following an abusers’ false allegations using the unscientific concept “alienation”, the reality is that reunification therapy is riddled with deceptive and fraudulent practices, financial exploitation, and a lack of accountability that causes significant harm to families. This unregulated and unethical practice thrives in a legal and therapeutic gray zone, allowing practitioners to manipulate families and courts for financial gain.

It’s almost impossible not to doubt yourself and the history of your relationship when the narcissist appears to be a “perfect” partner to their new love interest. Let me be the first to remind you that people probably had that same impression about your relationship with the narcissist.

Family court ordered reunification camps have a direct tie to the tactics developed by Synanon, a notorious 1950s cult. Founded in 1958 by Charles Dederich as a drug rehabilitation program, Synanon quickly evolved into a closed, cult-like community notorious for its authoritarian structure and abusive methods. Several former Synanon members have been involved in different facets of the reunification camp industry - from the origins to the research that perpetuates these abusive, experimental programs.

Helpful tips for protective parents seeking relief for children suffering from nightmares, bedwetting, insomnia, and other sleep-related issues.

Too often, protective parents are at a total loss when the family court system, CPS, law enforcement, therapists, and others can’t seem to help them protect their children from narcissistic abuse in the other parent’s home.

At One Mom’s Battle (OMB), we stand committed to advocating for the safety and well-being of those affected by domestic violence. In light of the uptick of discussions regarding the term “parental alienation” and the UN report titled, Custody, Violence against Women and Violence against Children, we feel it is imperative to clarify our position on this terminology, which we believe is harmful and misleading.

We urge all members of our community to refrain from using the term “alienation” or it's rebranded terminologies (alienation, parental alienation syndrome, resist-refuse dynamic or parentification). These words have become divisive forces within the domestic violence community, and such division is counterproductive to our shared mission.

Many protective parents can’t quite access relief or joy when greater safety is achieved in their child custody battle. This may help you understand why. 

So many protective parents express frustration with themselves for feeling emotionally blocked or unable to express gratitude or joy when things go right in their custody battle.

For many survivors on the battlefield, the holidays won’t be brimming with abundance, joy, gifts and wrapping paper. In fact, for many protective parents, simply being present with the children takes massive amounts of energy. Many of us are operating in survival mode.

I Have No Time For Myself as a Single Parent - How Can I Practice Self-Care During the Busiest Time of the Year?

When you’re the primary parent, juggling work, parenting, court preparation, and trauma, it can feel impossible to add self-care to the already-long to-do list.

Sometimes our self-care routines have to be bare bones and efficient in order to meet our needs, with our limited time.