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Each month, MEND Founder, Annette Oltmans, provides a deeper look at specific subtopics within the larger subjects of emotional abuse, trauma, Double Abuse, healing, etc.
How We Overcame Abuse, a Sacred Space
Podcast of Annette & Bucky Oltmans
Annette’s Journey Through Double Abuse,
Change My Relationship Podcast
Covert Emotional Abuse, Moms and Martinis Podcast
Double Abuse & Mending the Church
Split Frame of Reference Podcast
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…
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.…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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.
Gaslighting. Most of us have heard the term before. Many use it regularly. Some of us have been its victims. But what is gaslighting? How does it play out in…
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…
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…
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…
It can be hard sometimes to feel as if you will ever be “back to normal”. The idea of celebrating life or experiencing joy might be far-removed from where you…
Today, we share with you a story from someone who refers to herself as “Dissociative Scapegoat”. She is a woman of great strength and deep determination and love. She shares…
In today’s blog, we are talking about Institutional Abuse. Again… Truly, it’s becoming so challenging to hear about this issue over and over again and to see it played out…
“‘There will be joy in the morning,’ she said as she prayed for me one day. “Joy in the morning.” After the pain, hurt and grieving I’d been feeling for…
Picking up where we left off in our blog from last week (which you can find in the resources section below), we all know that despite the best of intentions…
Please note we are not a Crisis Management Non-Profit.
If you are in a crisis situation, please contact the Domestic Violence hotline:
1−800−799−7233 or visit www.thehotline.org.