The Mend Project’s blog offers articles, personal stories, and more to help victims and responders of narcissism and emotional abuse.
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There’s been significant debate and public discussion about the term, mutual abuse, which has been used to conclude that some situations of domestic violence, psychological or physical, are actually mutual abuse with both people in the couple equally responsible for being both aggressors and victims. In this article, we’re going to debunk the myth about…
It’s no easy task to understand overt versus covert behaviors and how they play out destructively within relationships. Yet, understanding is the key to overcoming. Covert behaviors are incredibly confusing and especially difficult to discern. The person within the relationship on the receiving end of covert behaviors often has no idea what is going on…
To some, it may seem implausible that an “institution” or “organization” can abuse people, but it can. Let’s see what abuse looks like in institutional settings, its effects on victims and their loved ones, and how to recognize, prevent, and heal from it. WHAT IS INSTITUTIONAL ABUSE AND WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF IT?…
Discerning the experiences and stories of two people can be tricky and confusing. This is especially true when a long history of abuse is involved and the victim’s internal defense mechanisms are triggered by recurring abusive attacks. Both people act in ways that could be considered violent and abusive to an outsider. This may make…
“Covert” means “hidden” or “secret”. Covert abuse involves tactics of coercive control that are hard to spot, difficult to define, and nearly impossible to confront. This subtle form of emotional abuse usually continues unabated for years or decades before the victim recognizes their own trauma. Covert abuse happens in all types of relationships: friendships, families,…
I learned from a young age that mistakes, even simple mistakes on a homework assignment, equaled pain. I feared my father’s hands until I filled my own with love.
In a recent blog, we discussed the surprisingly high incidence of intimate partner violence on college campuses. It was amazing to learn how little we hear about IPV on college campuses in light of how often it actually happens. Equally alarming is how large is the number of victims who do not report the abuse…
By now most of us are familiar with the term “gaslighting” but how many of us really know what it means? We guess that relatively few of us do. This is why people misuse the term gaslighting so often: they don’t technically understand how to properly define it and recognize when it’s taking place. So…
Many of us have sent our kiddos off to college, excited about the fun, deep and life-changing experience college can provide. We spend years equipping them for their future. When the time draws near for them to leave, we may even prepare them (especially if we have girls) for the potential dangers they might face…
Lyn’s story demonstrates beautifully the path from victim to survivor to heroine. Please know that it is not always easy to hear about the abuse someone endured for years. We hope that in the reading you will learn and understand more about abuse and double abuse, and that compassion will arise within you. If you…