I agree theoretical, what stood out to me is her needing to downplay his behavior that was clearly dangerous and talk about how good he CAN be and that it's probably her own fault that caused him to react the way he did. The other concern I had was how he was using drugs and alcohol. Often a person does that to avoid feeling their own insecurities and pain. This is something HE needs to address and as long as she continues to allow him to engage in practicing drug use, she will face these episodes where he can suddenly lash out at her. It's extremely concerning at this point because he did hit her and choked her and threatened her life.

When someone is in LOVE they can be blinded by that and FAIL to see that reality that they NEED to see so they don't end up getting badly hurt. It actually CAN BE a bit like surgery when it comes to gradually helping someone see a reality they simply don't want to see. A person can end up running away or they can literally blow up at you in anger because of how badly they need to protect their illusion.