What is PULSE, anyway?

Passageways through Understanding Loss, Safety, and Empowerment.

Say what?

I know, I know.  It's doesn't exactly roll off the tongue!  I didn't come up with the name.  But in the nine months I've been working here, not only has the name grown on me, I've come to embrace it's significance and meaning.  Allow me to expound.

Our primary focus here at PULSE is to be a safe place for women whose lives have been torn apart by their partners' infidelity or sexual addiction.  (Partner meaning husband/boyfriend/significant other).  When a woman first discovers her partner has betrayed her, it's like a 7.0 earthquake has ravaged her entire life.                                                
Devastation.  Confusion.  Helplessness.  Doubt.  Anger.  Fear.  Pain.  And questions.  SO many questions. "How could this have happened to me, to us?  What do I do now?  Should I stay in this relationship?  What is real?  What is truth?  What is this thing called sex addiction?  Is there ANY hope?"  Looking at this picture of this woman surrounded by the rubble of a physical earthquake is just how it feels - looking at the rubble of their lives is often overwhelming.  Where do they even begin to pick up the pieces?

That's where the word picture of "Passages through..." comes in.  There is no easy answer; no quick fix.  This is a long and difficult journey, and it requires a lot of hard work.  But we can help these women find the answers to their questions. - Passages through Understanding.  We can help these women find validation and process their losses - Passages through Loss and safety.  We can help these women regain their sense of strength and self, and help them find their voice again - Passages through Empowerment.

And when it's all said and done, whether they stay in the relationship or not, our goal is to be there - guiding and accompanying these women through the dark, lonely passages they must take to find freedom and healing.  And so, I proudly proclaim, "We are PULSE Austin."


For more on PULSE Austin, visit our website