FORRESTFIELD personal trainer and domestic violence survivor Catherine Eastman shared her story about escaping an abusive relationship and moving on from the trauma during Midland’s 2024 March That Matters.

Ms Eastman, who is a dental hygienist and personal trainer in Forrestfield, said her story began in childhood with the behaviours she saw at home.

“It starts with my parents: my dad is one of those Caucasian men that travelled to a poor Asian country to find a wife, so growing up I saw a lot of disrespect in the home but didn’t realise that that was what it was,” she said.

“I thought my parents loved each other just like I guess all young children do.

“When you’re growing up in an environment where there is abuse, you do normalise it.

“You don’t understand what healthy is and you just think that’s the way of the world.

“My childhood really shaped me for being just re-victimised over and over again throughout my life and then eight years ago was the final abusive relationship that I was in, and it was bad.”

Ms Eastman said her last relationship almost cost her life but was also a reminder of the resilience and capacity for change that exists in the human spirit.

“It was the worst relationship of my life, and it almost killed me multiple times,” she said.

“He was a terrifying man who I’ll call Brad.

“I’m just telling you this so people can appreciate how terrifying it was to be with someone like that and I found myself in a situation where I didn’t know how to escape.

“There was one incident where he attempted to drown me in the Swan River but luckily the police attended and pulled us out of the water.

“It was eight years ago but I have slowly been trying to put myself back together and I’ve always loved the ocean but that experience terrified me.

“I was an alcoholic, I couldn’t work, I could barely leave the house and it was just terrible but I thought, ‘No, you know what? How about I’ll just try for the first time in my life — how about I really try to get over my mental health issues and stop repeating my patterns?’  

“My whole life it’s the same kind of man but just different faces and I would always find myself in yet again another situation where another man had hurt me and I couldn’t figure it out.

“So, I joined a gym, and I started to get fit.

“I read as much as I could about trauma and psychology, I read about narcissism and psychopathy, and I started to understand myself and I started to understand these men.

“Then I got clean, and I got into meditation, yoga, and hiking and it took me years of work and trying different things to be who I am now and to be able to say I’m not affected by PTSD or depression anymore.

“I just want everyone to know that if you knew me back then and you know me now I’m such a different person it would blow your mind

“It blows my own mind, and I can’t believe what a human being is capable of when they put their mind to it.

“I didn’t know I had this strength and so I just want to leave people with this message of hope that your life can change at any moment it doesn’t mean that it won’t be hard work, but anything is possible you just have to try to believe in yourself and just take those baby steps.”

If you are experiencing family or domestic violence, help can be found by calling 1800RESPECT.