Since neither of my parents shared much about their pasts, I try and piece together their family stories from other family members and my own experiences.
According to my mother, I have struggled with addiction throughout my life, in fact she claims I was an alcoholic by age 1.
Now that we’ve thoroughly investigated the nature of abuse and the tactics that an abuser uses to control their targets, we should shift our focus to the effects that abuse has on a person. The younger a person is when exposed to abuse, the more likely they are to develop long-lasting emotional problems because of…...
A toxic person can never provide any of the loving support we deserve and expect in a close relationship. To them, another person is simply an extension of themselves. This means that targets have different aspects of the toxic person’s identity projected upon them. Whether they are shaped to embody everything the toxic parent dislikes…...
In this next section, we’ll look at different methods abusers use to accomplish this. These strategies all play on the emotional and mental processes of the target. They’re all about entangling you, and keeping you trapped in the relationship. Let’s start at the very beginning when we’re pulled into the proverbial Venus Flytrap. Love-Bombing As…...
Abusers use various methods of control and manipulation. Understanding these tactics of abuse may help you understand what’s happened and how you can heal.
You aren’t just being healed but you’re also the healer. You have to learn how to take yourself by the hand and figure out what you need.
Meeting that family was like walking into a house of mirrors. My perception of myself, my partner, the world… it all got distorted.
There is a very big lie that abusers tell their targets. It is the biggest lie of all. This lie tells the target: this is all your fault!
Sometimes we get so used to the abuse, that it becomes our normal. We don’t even realize what’s going on. Could balance and harmony be your new normal?