Emotional & Psychological Abuse
Emotional and psychological abuse can be difficult to recognize, but it’s impacts are deep and long-lasting.
Emotional and psychological abuse can affect your self-esteem, your trust within relationships, and your overall well-being. If you’ve been through emotional or psychological abuse, whether from a partner, family member, friend, or coworker, it’s important to know that healing is possible. You don’t have to face it alone. Therapy can provide the support you need to heal, rebuild your sense of self, and create healthier, more fulfilling relationships.
What is Emotional & Psychological Abuse?
Emotional and psychological abuse happens when someone tries to control or manipulate you through their words and actions. It can take many forms, such as constant criticism, belittling, gaslighting, threats, or withholding affection to control behavior.
Gaslighting: Making you doubt your reality or question your own thoughts and feelings.
Constant Criticism: Putting you down or making you feel like nothing you do is good enough.
Controlling Behavior: Trying to control who you see, what you do, or how you feel.
Blame and Shame: Shifting blame onto you for things that aren’t your fault, making you feel guilty or responsible for their actions.
Silent Treatment: Withholding affection or communication to punish or control you.
Intimidation or Threats: Using threats to control your behavior or instill fear.
Undermining Your Confidence: Making you feel worthless or unimportant, causing you to question your abilities.
Here are some common symptoms you may experience after leaving an emotionally or psychologically abusive relationship:
Low Self-Esteem: Constant self-doubt, feeling unworthy, or believing you're not enough.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks: Heightened anxiety, often triggered by reminders of the abuse or in situations where you feel unsafe.
Depression: A sense of hopelessness, sadness, or a lack of energy and motivation.
Hypervigilance: Constantly feeling on edge or like you're walking on eggshells, especially in social situations or relationships.
Trust Issues: Difficulty trusting others, even those who are safe, due to betrayal or manipulation in the past.
Emotional Numbness: Feeling disconnected from your emotions or unable to express how you feel.
People-Pleasing: A tendency to put others' needs first, even at the cost of your own well-being, as a result of the manipulation you experienced.
Confusion and Self-Doubt: Frequently second-guessing yourself or questioning your own judgment, especially if you were gaslit during the abusive relationship.
Difficulty Setting Boundaries: Struggling to say no or enforce personal boundaries because you may have been taught that your needs don't matter.
Healing from emotional and psychological abuse takes time, but therapy can help guide you through the process. In our work together, we’ll focus on:
Understanding the Impact: We'll explore how the abuse has affected your self-worth and your emotional well-being, helping you make sense of your experiences.
Rebuilding Your Confidence: Together, we’ll work on rebuilding your self-esteem and reconnecting with your true, authentic self.
Challenging Harmful Beliefs: You’ll learn to identify and challenge the negative beliefs you’ve internalized because of the abuse, like feeling "not good enough" or that you’re to blame.
Setting Healthy Boundaries: We’ll work on learning how to set and enforce boundaries with others, protecting your emotional space and well-being.
Creating Empowerment: Therapy will help you reconnect with your inner strength and help you make decisions that are aligned with your needs and values.
Healing the Trauma: Using trauma-informed techniques, we’ll work to heal the emotional and psychological wounds left by the abuse, so you can move forward empowered.
How therapy can help you heal:
You Don’t Have To Face This Alone
Therapy provides a space where you can begin to heal, gain insight to what you experienced, regain your strength, and create a future where you feel safe, valued, and empowered.