The invisible wounds caused by emotional abuse

Image: cueljs

Having grown up in an abusive environment, I understand firsthand the challenge of recognizing both subtle and overt abuse, which eroded my confidence, self-worth, and independence. Without a healthy relationship to compare to, abuse is all we know and it can feel normal, leading us to accept it readily, even into adulthood.

Emotional abuse is all about control. It’s about keeping us bound in the relationship, maintaining power and status, and keeping emotions at bay through manipulation, put downs, gaslighting, blaming, shaming, guilting, ridiculing, accusing, neglecting as much as excessive hovering.

This form of abuse doesn’t leave physical evidence or outward marks, yet it has profound, damaging long-term effects, and often leads to mental illness if left unaddressed. It can inflict invisible wounds that don’t heal as readily as physical injuries, disabling and debilitating us in ways that are hard to overcome.

Emotional abuse lacks clear visible signs, and often operates unconsciously or in hidden ways,  making it challenging for both abuser and abused to recognize it as such.

While physical and sexual abuse are widely acknowledged as extremely harmful, emotional abuse is more difficult to identify due to its covert nature.

It may be tied to a single incident but rather evolves within a relationship into a subtle, repetitive process that gradually damages it, making it hard to pinpoint when the abuse occurs.

Emotional abuse lacks clear visible signs, and often operates unconsciously or in hidden ways, making it challenging for both abuser and abused to recognize it as such.

As it worsens over time, it can become a downward spiral, creating more and more negativity the longer the abuse continues.

As it worsens over time, it can become a downward spiral, creating more and more negativity the longer the abuse continues.

To break the cycle, we ourselves have to become the metering device of the way we are treated. Becoming our own witness and trusting our own reality and intuition is what is empowering us. In this way we learn to rely on our own experience and to read the signals of our body and mind, that are informing us when our integrity has been breached.

Let’s talk about emotional abuse, and raise awareness to help ourselves and others.

Back to POINTERS and REMINDERS

control Emotional Abuse