#emotional-abuse

#emotional-abuse

As the headlights swept across the driveway, I saw her standing there - stiff and stern, her body rigid with rage. One hand clutched our dog's leash, the other gripped a glass of water and was trembling slightly - not from fear, but from fury held barely in check. Her jaw was so tight, it looked like it might snap. Brightly lit by the car lights, she hurled the water in my face before I could even say hello.

I had my first boyfriend at 16 and stayed in relationships nonstop until six years ago. I was heavy into dating apps, often seeing more than one person at once. In college, I had a serious boyfriend I thought I'd marry. Then, at 24, I met my husband on Match.com. We moved fast: he relocated from Connecticut to Long Island, where I still live, and we married two years later. Shortly after, we had our two sons.

The 2025 Netflix documentary, UnKnown Number: The High School Catfish, depicts the true story of a mother in Michigan who shockingly barrages her teenage daughter with vicious text messages for nearly two years. The texts, sometimes up to 50 per day, included death threats, sexually explicit messages, and even a directive to the daughter to kill herself. Why would a mother do such a thing?

Steve messed up all the time, his wife said, because he's "sloppy," and, truth be told, "stupid." A few years into their marriage, words like "always" and "never" entered the mix. He "always fucked up." He could "never be trusted" - even to fill out a simple form, and certainly not to spend money without her approval. Steve was told he misjudged people and that he needed his wife to tell him what to say so that everyone wouldn't hate him.

I am a man who was widowed 11 months ago. I met a woman on a dating site, and we clicked immediately. We have been enjoying each other's company for several months. We have a long-distance relationship. She lives three hours away. Although she indicated on the dating site her status as separated for two years, she still lives in the marital house with her husband.

It wasn't helpful. It didn't make me feel any better about my situation, nor did it make me feel stronger. All it did was make me feel guilty. Guilty that I had given my daughter this man as a father, guilty that I had fallen for his tricks when clearly everybody else knew he was bad news, guilty that I was bad at picking partners.

She met him at work, and he has been known to jump from woman to woman there. I've heard that her fiancé will date women in his office and then all of a sudden start ignoring them-speaking to everyone around them but giving them the silent treatment. One woman already quit her job over how he treated her. Another chewed him out but says she won't give him the "satisfaction"

Signs she's avoiding or preparing to avoid me - I open the door off my dining room, call down, Mom, and she doesn't answer, even though I heard her moving around moments ago. She texts two-letter replies, such as OK and no. She locks the door off the dining room. She takes out her trash before sunrise. She stops feeding the squirrels and birds. She keeps her lights off. She keeps her phone off. She stacks cardboard boxes in the laundry room or garage or on the deck.

I am apparently too ambitious and goal-driven. Every time I got a promotion, started working on a project or a goal, or achieved something I'm happy about, ex-partners have gotten insecure and then started to humble and belittle me. I used to model, and everything was cool when they thought I'd just be pretty. But when they realize my mind is the most attractive thing about me, they're over it.

Have you ever gone completely quiet in the middle of an argument-your mind blank, your mouth frozen? Or felt so overwhelmed after a fight that you left-not just the room, but the relationship itself? I've been there. And for a long time, I didn't know why. I thought I was the problem, or maybe I was just cold. Unavailable. But I've come to understand something important:

"Nichole" was 10 when I started seeing her at her school. The school counselor reported that Nicole was talking about wanting to "cut myself in half," prompting concern. During our first session, she reported that she lives with her mom during the week and visits her dad every other weekend. This is common for many kids whom I see, as we live in a time of many diverse examples of family and parenting. In therapy, she began to talk about feeling scared to mention her dad around her mom. When asked why, she shrugged and said, "Because it'll make her mad."

The U.S. Center for SafeSport's 2024 Athlete Culture & Climate Survey shows that 78% of athletes experienced behaviors related to emotional harm and neglect during their sports involvement.

Domestic abuse, especially in a relationship context where one partner exhibits jealousy and controlling behavior, can lead to a profound loss of identity for the victim.

Thought control encompasses multiple strategies to influence cognitions, emotions, and behaviors, including psychotherapy, mindfulness, persuasion, peer pressure, and more coercive methods like torture.

You are not an asshole for leaving this situationship, considering the emotional toll it was taking on your mental health and self-esteem.

Sex is notoriously difficult to write. Some authors avoid it entirely; even those who have been called great can come a cropper.

The behavior of the older brother could escalate to bullying or abuse, but the fact is it already has risen to that level. Immediate steps are crucial.

This behavior signifies avoidance and unwillingness to resolve conflicts. A mature partner would address issues directly, while immaturity leads to childish running away.

Persistent, demeaning criticism targets insecurities, distorts reality, and can be a subtle form of emotional abuse that is often difficult to recognize.

In some relationships, the 'strongman' controls decisions, leading the 'underdog' to feel small and lose their voice, ultimately damaging their confidence.