If you have experienced any form of emotional abuse – from family, friends, or romantic partnerships – you may wonder if you’ll ever find complete healing from the painful outcomes of that abuse. Perhaps you have resigned yourself to never feeling “normal” again. We believe you can find healing and even feel normal again. This…
Spiritual abuse, or religious abuse, is one of the most damaging forms of psychological coercion which can take years before a person fully heals from the trauma it causes them. Spiritual abuse happens in all religious or spiritual beliefs and systems. It is used within intimate relationships, parent-child relationships, and institutional or organizational structures (churches,…
The trauma bond created in some abusive relationships can make it difficult, and seemingly impossible to stay or leave the harmful relationship. Trauma bonds to abusive relationships as adults often are a perpetuation of trauma bonds first formed in early childhood. In romantic partnerships or other intimate relationships with interpersonal violence, trauma bonding takes place…
If you are in an abusive relationship, it may become so volatile that you can no longer avoid the reality that you need to leave or you may not live. Even then, leaving an abusive relationship isn’t easy and can be more dangerous than staying, if you’re not prepared and careful. In this article, we…
If you have ever witnessed a friend or family member in an abusive relationship, you likely feared for their safety, even their life and you would do anything to protect them. Yet, it seems that no matter what you say or do, many women remain in abusive relationships. Seeing them “choose” to stay with their…
Many of us feel uncomfortable interviewing therapists before choosing them. It’s hard enough right now to find a therapist with the capacity to see new patients. So, when we finally find one “in-network”, we dive in head first. That’s not the wisest thing to do. Have you ever wondered, “Can couples therapy make things worse?”…
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…