05/18/2025
SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT: EMOTIONAL ABUSE
The psychological impact of emotional abuse is long-lasting. Bruises may heal quickly, but being consistently controlled, humiliated, ridiculed, name-called, or invalidated/punished for expressing emotion? It is an inner bruise that takes years to heal.
This constant chipping away of a person's sanity, freedom, and personal autonomy is incredibly damning. But it is often unseen by others. Victims are usually scared to tell anyone, mostly due to their own denying or minimizing of the abuse themselves, and fear of others not understanding their situation.
The grand majority of reported victims are women and children, though men experience this abuse as well. Men are less likely to report their abuse experience to others, but they do experience it in domestic and institutional settings.
Emotional Abuse happens in Three Phases, which is meant to cause confusion and cognitive dissonance in the victim. Phase 1-tension building. Phase 2-Violence. Phase 3-Honeymoon. Familiarize yourself with these phases more to understand when they occur.
Victims of this type of abuse have a very difficult time leaving their situation (finances, child well-being, limited support). If you know someone experiencing this, please don't give up on them- they are losing their sense of self, and need your support more than ever.
