Emotional Abuse Therapy

Emotional abuse can be difficult to identify especially if the individual being emotionally abusive denies the abuse is occurring. Emotional abuse is not confined to romantic relationship and can also occur in relationships with family, friends, and co-workers. A variety of behaviours fall under the category of emotional abuse including but not limited to:

– insults
– name calling
– belittling someone’s accomplishments.
– Picking fights on purpose.
– making mean jokes about an individual.
– subtly or overtly causing someone to feel worthless.
– humiliation
– demanding to know and/or control where an individual is going and what they are doing.
– trying to control someone’s appearance.
– treating the individual as if they are not capable of making their own decisions.
– withholding love or affection
– isolating their partner from friends and family.
– invalidating or denying someone’s feelings.
– refusing to take accountability when they have caused someone pain and blaming the victim
instead.
– denying the facts or reality of a situation.
– threatening to hurt themselves or their partner.

Although not discussed as often as physical abuse emotional abuse can have many detrimental impacts and is just as damaging. Experiencing emotional abuse can:

 lower an individual’s self-esteem.
 cause individuals to develop a negative view of themselves and others, for example an individual
may internalize the emotional abuse and begin to see themself as worthless.
 make it difficult for that person to trust other people.
 trigger a depressive episode.
 Result in the individual having suicidal thoughts.
 Result in the individual staying in an unhealthy relationship as they may begin to believe that
they do not deserve better due to the emotional abuse.
 Cause individuals to doubt themselves and stop trusting their own judgement.
 Cause individuals to change their behaviour in an attempt to prevent the emotional abuse from
occurring.
 Cause individuals to experience feelings of powerless and hopelessness.

If you are experiencing emotional abuse a therapist can help you increase your self-esteem, challenge any thoughts or beliefs you may have internalized as a result of the abuse, and formulate a plan to help you leave the relationship.