[quote]Stage 1 - Tension building
Tension starts to build, minor incidents begin, breakdown of communication, victim feels the need to placate the abuser, tension becomes unbearable

Stage 2 - Incident - any type of abuse occurs: physical, sexual, and/or emotional

Stage 3 - Honeymoon stage
Abuser apologizes for abuse, promises it will never happen again, blames victim for provoking abuse, denies abuse took place or that it wasn't as bad as the victim claims, gift-giving by the abuser.

Stage 4 - Calm
Incident is "forgotten", no abuse is taking place, promises made during honeymoon phase are being met.

Then it's back to stage 1 - tension building.

The cycle can happen hundreds of times in an abusive relationship. Each stage lasts a different amount of time in a relationship with the total cycle taking from a few hours to a year or more to complete.

(WP51:Cycvio) gdb 8/90

Keep speaking out - don't be afraid to leave or seek help. [/quote]