Here are some of the short- and long-term effects of violence that many women have identified. If you are a survivor of violence or are currently living with violence, you may experience some or all of these effects:

Inability to concentrate: difficulty listening, distraction, preoccupation.
Sense of detachment: spacing out, feeling numb, not being aware of what is going on around you.
Difficulty in beginning new things or taking risks: Women who have experienced violence may well lack experience as risk-takers or learners. For good reason, you may fear being punished, humiliated or rejected for making mistakes.
Tiredness: Violence may prevent you from sleeping if you are attacked within your home, if you have nightmares or if you are trying to stay awake to protect yourself. Some abusers interrupt women's sleep as part of their pattern of control. Even if a woman gets enough sleep, fatigue may set in sooner for those who have experienced violence. Women with good learning experiences find that learning new things is invigorating and energizing; survivors may find learning draining and tiring even if they are doing well.
Panic attacks and flashbacks: As a survivor, you may experience panic attacks which are characterized by faintness, dizziness, shaking or feeling out of control. You may also experience flashbacks to the violence itself or the feelings that the violence caused. Both these reactions can occur at any time and therefore can be extremely disruptive to your learning.
Negative self-image: Part of the way that some abusers control their victims is by telling them that they are worthless or stupid. Often women come to believe this about themselves. Girls who witness their mothers being abused are getting a message about their own value as a woman. To learn, you need a belief in your own potential and ability. This is undermined by violence.
Concern for safety: You may be concerned about safety in your learning place, while you are traveling back and forth, or while you are at home. This may distract or prevent you from learning.
Inability to trust: You may find that you have difficulty trusting people who remind you of your abuser(s). Because of this, you may find it hard to learn with or from these people.
Health problems: Survivors of abuse are more likely to suffer depression or other common mental health problems than people who have not been abused. Physical, sexual and psychological abuse can all affect your physical health as well.

If you do not experience all of these effects it does not mean your experience was not violent or hurtful or that it is not affecting your life. Sometimes women bury themselves in work as a form of escape; learning can feel like one of the only positive parts of their lives. Any of the listed effects, however, could make it hard for you to learn.

Often women experience several of these effects at once. Many times learners who are struggling with the effects of abuse are labeled "slow" or "lazy." This can cause you to stop believing in your own ability to learn. It is important for everybody to recognize violence as a potential source of learning difficulties so that when a woman or girl is experiencing violence she can get help, instead of getting blamed.