Domestic violence encompasses a range of abusive behaviors that occur within relationships, affecting individuals across diverse backgrounds and communities. Domestic violence—both within romantic relationships and within families—is a prevalent issue in the United States, impacting approximately ten million individuals on an annual basis. Statistics reveal that up to one in four women and one in...
Safety Plan for Domestic Violence: How to Leave Your Abuser
Why is it So Hard to Leave an Abusive Relationship?
Every year more than 10 million Americans experience violence within their romantic relationships [1]. Domestic violence impacts heterosexual couples as well as the LGBTQ community and both men and women. When someone is repeatedly hurt by a romantic partner, it seems like the victim would decide to end the abusive relationship. However, it’s difficult to...
What is a DV Survivor?
Domestic violence (DV) is a scary and very real part of some relationships. It can also be referred to as intimate partner violence, or IPV. Alarming statistics show that over 10 million people in the USA experience domestic violence per year [1]. This comes out to 24 people per minute experiencing these dangerous situations....
Does Verbal or Emotional Abuse Lead to Physical Abuse?
While not a guaranteed occurrence, emotional and psychological abuse can and frequently do, turn physical. A primary common factor with abusive partners is a tendency to seek control. Some abusive partners turn to physical approaches if emotionally abusive tactics don’t “work” for them. Physical abuse could include: Unwanted contact (hitting, burning, sex, getting in your...
Trauma Bond vs. Love: Everything You Need to Know
Relationships are all around us, whether our friends we connect with to vent, our family we see on holidays, someone we’re dating, or the people we work with. While relationships can take on many forms, there are relationships that can be more difficult, such as abusive relationships or emotional attachments we’ve created through trauma...
Healing From Infidelity Trauma: Is it Actually Possible?
Recovering from any form of betrayal is incredibly challenging. The emotional distress that arises after the discovery of infidelity in a relationship is enough to damage your self-worth and make you question your relationship or even your sanity. Can Betrayal Cause Trauma? When a person is betrayed by a romantic partner, family member, or...
What is Blame Shifting?
Blame shifting can take many forms, and an abuser may accuse their partners of being too sensitive, too needy, too controlling, or too crazy . They may twist the facts or make up stories to make themselves look innocent or victimized, downplaying the severity or frequency of their abuse.
Fawn Trauma Response: What is It–and How Can You Move Past It?
Navigating the aftermath of complex trauma—particularly childhood trauma or within an abusive relationship—can cause someone to develop several unique coping strategies in an effort to deal with their challenging circumstances. In particular, the fawn trauma response stands out as a distinctive survival mechanism that’s rooted in the dynamics of a caregiver’s influence and the body’s...
Trauma Bond Withdrawal Symptoms
If you have experienced an abusive relationship and felt an attachment toward your abuser, you may have endured a trauma bond. While this is not your fault, and it may feel like you’ve broken the bond and are moving forward, you could be feeling withdrawal symptoms from the relationship. After a bond so rooted in...
Hypervigilance from Emotional Abuse: What You Need To Know
There are many pervasive and pernicious harms suffered by those affected by emotional abuse, which is a form of relational abuse that includes all of the non-physical behaviors intended to minimize your sense of self and autonomy. Hypervigilance, or a state of increased alertness accompanied by behavior that aims to prevent potential danger, is an...
ARTICLES & INSIGHTS ON
EMOTIONAL ABUSE
26Feb 2026Zack Ehrmann MAEd, LMHC, LPC
Safety Plan for Domestic Violence: How to Leave Your Abuser
Domestic violence encompasses a range of abusive behaviors that occur within relationships, affecting individuals across diverse backgrounds and communities. Domestic violence—both within romantic relationships and within families—is a prevalent issue in the United States, impacting approximately ten million individuals on an annual basis. Statistics reveal that up to one in four women and one in […]
23Feb 2026Elizabeth McDade
Why is it So Hard to Leave an Abusive Relationship?
Every year more than 10 million Americans experience violence within their romantic relationships [1]. Domestic violence impacts heterosexual couples as well as the LGBTQ community and both men and women. When someone is repeatedly hurt by a romantic partner, it seems like the victim would decide to end the abusive relationship. However, it’s difficult to […]
17Feb 2026Alyssa Biestek
What is a DV Survivor?
Domestic violence (DV) is a scary and very real part of some relationships. It can also be referred to as intimate partner violence, or IPV. Alarming statistics show that over 10 million people in the USA experience domestic violence per year [1]. This comes out to 24 people per minute experiencing these dangerous situations. […]
16Feb 2026Rychel Johnson, LCPC
Does Verbal or Emotional Abuse Lead to Physical Abuse?
While not a guaranteed occurrence, emotional and psychological abuse can and frequently do, turn physical. A primary common factor with abusive partners is a tendency to seek control. Some abusive partners turn to physical approaches if emotionally abusive tactics don’t “work” for them. Physical abuse could include: Unwanted contact (hitting, burning, sex, getting in your […]
12Feb 2026Alyssa Biestek
Trauma Bond vs. Love: Everything You Need to Know
Relationships are all around us, whether our friends we connect with to vent, our family we see on holidays, someone we’re dating, or the people we work with. While relationships can take on many forms, there are relationships that can be more difficult, such as abusive relationships or emotional attachments we’ve created through trauma […]
06Feb 2026Rychel Johnson, LCPC
Healing From Infidelity Trauma: Is it Actually Possible?
Recovering from any form of betrayal is incredibly challenging. The emotional distress that arises after the discovery of infidelity in a relationship is enough to damage your self-worth and make you question your relationship or even your sanity. Can Betrayal Cause Trauma? When a person is betrayed by a romantic partner, family member, or […]
29Jan 2026Zack Ehrmann MAEd, LMHC, LPC
What is Blame Shifting?
Blame shifting can take many forms, and an abuser may accuse their partners of being too sensitive, too needy, too controlling, or too crazy . They may twist the facts or make up stories to make themselves look innocent or victimized, downplaying the severity or frequency of their abuse.
16Jan 2026Zack Ehrmann MAEd, LMHC, LPC
Fawn Trauma Response: What is It–and How Can You Move Past It?
Navigating the aftermath of complex trauma—particularly childhood trauma or within an abusive relationship—can cause someone to develop several unique coping strategies in an effort to deal with their challenging circumstances. In particular, the fawn trauma response stands out as a distinctive survival mechanism that’s rooted in the dynamics of a caregiver’s influence and the body’s […]
26Nov 2025Rychel Johnson, LCPC
Trauma Bond Withdrawal Symptoms
If you have experienced an abusive relationship and felt an attachment toward your abuser, you may have endured a trauma bond. While this is not your fault, and it may feel like you’ve broken the bond and are moving forward, you could be feeling withdrawal symptoms from the relationship. After a bond so rooted in […]
24Nov 2025Zack Ehrmann MAEd, LMHC, LPC
Hypervigilance from Emotional Abuse: What You Need To Know
There are many pervasive and pernicious harms suffered by those affected by emotional abuse, which is a form of relational abuse that includes all of the non-physical behaviors intended to minimize your sense of self and autonomy. Hypervigilance, or a state of increased alertness accompanied by behavior that aims to prevent potential danger, is an […]
21Oct 2025Rychel Johnson, LCPC
Yes, Name-Calling in a Relationship IS a Form of Verbal Abuse
Have you ever heard someone, perhaps an intimate partner or parent, call you a name that didn’t sit well? Maybe your gut was giving you a signal, but your mind was trying to convince you the person was “just being funny”? Name-calling in a relationship is abusive behavior, and you may want to default to […]
18Oct 2025Rychel Johnson, LCPC
Psychological Abuse Vs. Emotional Abuse
Both emotional and psychological abuse can affect your mental health as well as your physical health. Common emotions you may experience are confusion, nervousness, anxiety, feeling powerless, shame, and more. Here's what you need to know.
03Oct 2025Lark
Mental & Emotional Abuse in the Workplace: What it is (And How You Can Survive It)
Emotional abuse in the workplace is an often overlooked issue, especially in today’s fast-paced and competitive professional landscape. Many forms of mistreatment are considered “par for the course,” but may actually be abusive behaviors. As people spend a large portion of their time at work, emotional and psychological abuse in the workplace can have devastating […]
29Sep 2025Elizabeth McDade
A Holistic Approach to Healing from Emotional Abuse
Emotional or psychological abuse is any behavior that uses insults, threats, or other psychological behaviors to control someone. Emotional abuse can occur in romantic, parental, and professional relationships. Examples include isolating the individual, discounting their reality, expressing jealousy and more. Although being in an emotionally abusive relationship may not leave visible injuries, the effects […]
24Sep 2025Lark
Can an Abusive Relationship Be Fixed?
Navigating an abusive relationship can be an overwhelmingly painful journey that leaves you mending your wounds for months or even years. And even when you’ve come to terms with the fact that the relationship isn’t just unhealthy –it’s abusive– you may question whether or not the relationship can be saved. This is especially common in […]
22Sep 2025Zack Ehrmann MAEd, LMHC, LPC
Covert Emotional Abuse: What You Need to Know
While many forms of emotional abuse are obvious in their presentation—such as making verbal threats —other forms of emotional abuse can be far more difficult to identify. Covert abuse involves all the forms of abusive behavior that can be difficult to recognize, either because the actions are difficult to distinguish or because the abuse is […]
20Sep 2025Zack Ehrmann MAEd, LMHC, LPC
PTSD From Emotional Abuse
While any kind of abuse within a relationship is corrosive and damaging, emotional abuse can be a particularly unique and difficult experience with severe, long-lasting consequences.
19Sep 2025Elizabeth McDade
Enmeshment Trauma: When Love Becomes Suffocating
According to family systems theory, relationships between parents and children are naturally interconnected and influence one another. In order to support the well-being and healthy development of young children, the family system needs healthy psychological boundaries between family members. These boundaries help family members distinguish themselves from each other. Healthy boundaries also evolve as children […]
12Sep 2025Rachael Goldstein
Can You Prove Emotional Abuse in Court?
Emotional abuse, sometimes referred to as psychological abuse or verbal abuse, is an elusive yet profoundly damaging form of mistreatment often experienced in intimate relationships. The impact of an emotionally abusive relationship with an abuser – often labeled a narcissist – is equally as profound as experiencing physical abuse [1]. Domestic abuse survivors seeking an […]
05Sep 2025Elizabeth McDade
Emotional Abuse Checklist: Common Behaviors of Emotional Abusers
Emotional abuse is an often-hidden, insidious form of abuse which can cause lasting damage to the victim. Unlike physical forms of abuse, emotional abuse can operate in a covert fashion, targeting the core of the victim’s sense of self and emotional well-being with manipulation, deception, and threats.
30Aug 2025Rychel Johnson, LCPC
Is Constantly Apologizing a Trauma Response from Emotional Abuse?
In an emotionally abusive relationship, over-apologizing is recognized as a response created over time to reduce or prevent the abusive partner from causing further harm. Outside of the context of the relationship, the emotional abuse victim will often continue to be overly apologetic even in situations that do not warrant apologies, which significantly impacts a […]
05Aug 2025Rychel Johnson, LCPC
Is Lying Emotional Abuse?
Lying may seem harmless sometimes, but it can be considered abusive behavior. After repeated exposure to lying, particularly from a partner or loved one, you may feel like you’re losing your mind. There are different types of lies, varying in seriousness and potential harm to others. However, when used repeatedly, all kinds of lies cause potential damage and break down the trust in a relationship.
TRENDING NOW
12Feb 2026Alyssa Biestek
Trauma Bond vs. Love: Everything You Need to Know
Relationships are all around us, whether our friends we connect with to vent, our family we see on holidays, someone we’re dating, or the people we work with. While relationships can take on many forms, there are relationships that can be more difficult, such as abusive relationships or emotional attachments we’ve created through trauma […]
24Nov 2025Zack Ehrmann MAEd, LMHC, LPC
Hypervigilance from Emotional Abuse: What You Need To Know
There are many pervasive and pernicious harms suffered by those affected by emotional abuse, which is a form of relational abuse that includes all of the non-physical behaviors intended to minimize your sense of self and autonomy. Hypervigilance, or a state of increased alertness accompanied by behavior that aims to prevent potential danger, is an […]
19Sep 2025Elizabeth McDade
Enmeshment Trauma: When Love Becomes Suffocating
According to family systems theory, relationships between parents and children are naturally interconnected and influence one another. In order to support the well-being and healthy development of young children, the family system needs healthy psychological boundaries between family members. These boundaries help family members distinguish themselves from each other. Healthy boundaries also evolve as children […]
30Aug 2025Rychel Johnson, LCPC
Is Constantly Apologizing a Trauma Response from Emotional Abuse?
In an emotionally abusive relationship, over-apologizing is recognized as a response created over time to reduce or prevent the abusive partner from causing further harm. Outside of the context of the relationship, the emotional abuse victim will often continue to be overly apologetic even in situations that do not warrant apologies, which significantly impacts a […]
09Aug 2025Alyssa Biestek
My Husband Hit Me. What Do I Do?
Being hurt physically by a partner or spouse is frightening, confusing, and hurtful. Unfortunately, abusive marriages and relationships are more common than they should be. The National Domestic Violence Hotline website shares that around 24 individuals per minute are victims of some sort of physical violence or physical abuse by someone they are in a […]
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