The guarantee of safety in a battering relationship can never be based upon a promise from the perpetrator, no matter how heartfelt. Rather, it must be based upon the self-protective capability of the victim. Until the victim has developed a detailed and realistic contingency plan and has demonstrated her ability to carry it out, she remains in danger of repeated abuse.

Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror (ed. Basic Books, 2015) - ISBN: 9780465098736