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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 […]
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.
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Can Suffering Narcissistic Abuse Cause (PTSD)?
Relationships marked by manipulative behaviors can be incredibly challenging, leaving you vulnerable to lasting psychological consequences. Within the context of narcissistic abuse, where emotional manipulation and mistreatment are prevalent, the toll on mental and emotional well-being can be profound and far-reaching. Survivors often find themselves grappling with the aftermath of enduring such relationships, facing challenges […]
Rape vs. Sexual Assault: What Survivors Need to Know
Being a survivor of sexual violence can be an incredibly difficult road. It’s paramount you have clear and accurate information on the distinctions between rape and sexual assault as defined by law. This understanding helps you navigate any legal processes you may choose to seek against the offender. Remember – no matter how these experiences […]
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 […]
How Narcissist Trauma Bonds Keep You Captive
While many women and men in these relationships feel something may be off, they also feel crazy, that they are part of the problem, and unable to leave. The trauma bond explains why leaving often feels impossible.
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 […]
Spiritual Abuse and PTSD: What You Should Know
Engaging with your spirituality can be deeply meaningful, providing solace, guidance, and a clearer sense of purpose in your life. However, abusive spiritual relationships can quickly erode your faith and your ability to trust, leaving painful emotional scars that may manifest as symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health disorder characterized by intrusive […]
Covert Sexual Abuse: What You Need to Know
A teacher makes a comment about their student looking “really good in that outfit.” A mother cries to her teenager, saying she “hasn’t had sex with your father in years and I’m lonely.” An aunt shares intimate details of her sex life with her young niece on multiple occasions. Aside from the vile nature of […]
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 […]
Overcoming the Trauma of Sibling Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is an unfortunately common form of trauma We often think of sexual abuse as an adult perpetrator abusing a minor, or an adult perpetrator abusing another adult, but sibling sexual abuse is another form of abuse and trauma that people are not aware of.
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 […]
How Do You Deal With Sexual Trauma and Not Wanting to Be Touched?
Understanding how trauma manifests in the body increases self-awareness especially when identifying triggers. When you understand how your trauma manifests and what your triggers are then you can begin to practice coping skills.
Is Molestation Considered Sexual Abuse?
Molestation is a term commonly associated with unwanted and inappropriate physical contact, often of a sexual nature.[1] This behavior can range from inappropriate touching to more serious acts like rape or sexual battery, and it is generally perceived as a violation of personal boundaries. The term itself, however, can vary in its interpretations, although many […]
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 […]
Sexual Abuse in Marriage: Yes, it DOES Exist
Sexual abuse in marriage is controversial, as people believe such an occurrence would not happen. Additionally, sexual violence and physical aggression in marriages have fallen into a legal gray area until recent years. Sadly, “in sickness and in health” does not exempt someone from experiencing an abusive relationship, even at the hands of someone they had previously trusted.
How Stigma Impacts Survivors of Sexual Trauma
Survivors of sexual trauma are often forced to grapple with the profound impact of stigma and shame on their journey towards healing. The societal stigma surrounding sexual assault can lead to a culture of silence, discouraging survivors from disclosing their experiences due to fears around judgment or disbelief. Such experiences contribute to victim-blaming, where survivors […]
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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
