Healing from Emotionally Abusive Relationships
Emotional abuse may not leave physical wounds, but it can leave emotional wounds that require healing and care. People who have experienced emotional abuse may be impacted by trauma that makes forming relationships or trusting others difficult. Letting family, friends, loved ones, or future partners in can be scary when you’re still living with those wounds. Healing from emotional abuse can take time, but it’s possible to heal and be ready to accept love from yourself and others, put your trust into others, and develop gentle and healthy relationships.
What is emotional abuse?
Relationship abuse is defined as a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. In the occurrence of emotional abuse, the perpetrator will insult, humiliate, and create fear and self-doubt in an individual in order to control them. The experience of emotional abuse may result in the individual’s reality being distorted and they may question their own judgment and what they know to be true about themselves and the world around them. People experiencing emotional abuse often internalize the abuse as their own internal flaws or failings.
How does emotional abuse affect an individual?
Abusers often engage in manipulation that can cause their partner to turn their pain and blame inwards, rather than examining the abuser’s behavior. The tactics of emotional abuse may lead the person experiencing the abuse to question their own judgment, self-worth, values, and understanding of themselves. While healing from an emotionally abusive relationship, the individual who experienced the abuse may hold beliefs about themselves that were developed while in the abusive relationship. For example, a person who was consistently called “crazy” and “stupid” may begin to hold the belief that these things about themselves are true. This person may spend time ruminating on these beliefs and considering how they can adapt their behavior. They may also struggle with problems of self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
How to heal from emotionally abusive relationships
Leaving an emotionally abusive relationship is challenging, but it is possible. One of the major factors in healing from an emotionally abusive relationship is accepting reality and pushing through the distorted thoughts that had developed throughout the relationship. Another challenging reality to accept is that your partner will not change and these circumstances will continue to impact you until you walk away. It can be difficult to leave when your self-worth has been damaged by the relationship and you may not believe that you deserve any better. However, researching abuse, speaking to a licensed therapist, reconnecting with loved ones
and talking to other survivors can help you gain an understanding that experiencing abuse was never your fault. Practicing self-compassion and rebuilding your self worth may be a long road, but it is possible.
Some affirmations to consider:
I accept myself as I am.
I deserve the same love I give to others.
I am worthy of compassion.
I allow myself to make mistakes.
I am doing the best I can.
I am always enough.
I accept my faults and quirks.
I am choosing to love myself unconditionally.
To learn more about emotional abuse, visit these helpful sites:
If you are struggling in your relationship or want support with a potentially abusive relationship, contact us today to schedule a free consultation. We also provide support for women struggling with anxiety, trauma, motherhood and attachment issues.
Disclaimer for Blog: The content of this blog is meant solely for educational and informational purposes only, and does not constitute mental health or medical advice. It also specifies that the use of the blog content does not establish any therapist-client relationships.
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