Here’s a strong excerpt that fits the article well: What happens when a place that should remain neutral becomes part of a high-conflict family dynamic? Looking back at events I documented while my daughter was in elementary school, I explore blurred boundaries, school involvement, manipulation, triangulation, and what I understand differently now about protecting children from adult conflict.
When School Stops Being a Safe, Neutral Space
What happens when a place that should remain neutral becomes part of a high-conflict family dynamic? In this episode, I look back at my daughter’s school experience, blurred boundaries, triangulation, school accountability, and what I understand differently now about protecting children from adult conflict.
Gaslighting: When You Start Questioning Your Own Reality
Is This Abusive? Explores emotional abuse, verbal abuse, gaslighting, coercive control, relationship warning signs, and recovery. Through personal experience, reflection, and practical insight, the podcast helps listeners recognize unhealthy patterns, trust their own perceptions, and better understand what may be happening in difficult relationships.
Gaslighting: When You Start Questioning Your Own Reality
Gaslighting can slowly make you question your memory, instincts, and even your own sense of reality. In this personal reflection, I look at how repeated denial, blame, and distorted versions of events affected my ability to trust myself, and how documenting what happened became part of finding my way back to my own voice.
When Abuse Had No Name: What Three Generations of Women Were Taught to Endure
This episode explores how abuse was understood, or left unnamed, across three generations of women. From a grandmother with few options, to a generation taught that abuse meant bruises, to the growing language we now have for verbal abuse, coercive control, and emotional harm, this conversation looks at what women were taught to endure and why naming these patterns matters.
Subtle Warning Signs of an Abusive Relationship
This episode explores the subtle warning signs that can make an unhealthy or abusive relationship difficult to recognize. From walking on eggshells and questioning your own perspective to control, isolation, blame, and intimidation, the focus is on patterns that may seem small individually but become more concerning when they happen repeatedly over time.
Subtle Warning Signs a Relationship May Be Abusive
Abuse does not always begin with something obvious. Subtle patterns of control, criticism, intimidation, isolation, and manipulation can build slowly over time. This article looks at warning signs that may be easy to dismiss individually, but deserve attention when several begin appearing together.
When You Don’t Have the Emotional Bandwidth for Every Conflict
There are times in life when even small misunderstandings can feel much bigger than they normally would. It may not be because the issue itself is enormous, but because your emotional reserves are already being used somewhere else. Right now, much of my energy is going toward my mother and everything that comes with loving... Continue Reading →
When Abuse Had No Name: What Three Generations of Women Were Taught to Endure
When I look back through the women in my family, one thing becomes very clear to me: abuse did not suddenly appear in my generation. What changed was our ability to recognize it, name it, talk about it, and eventually do something about it. My grandmother lived in a time when a woman could have... Continue Reading →
Looking Back at the Words That Helped Me Heal
If you read my previous post, you know that my mother was recently diagnosed with cancer. I traveled to be with her, and while helping her sort through her home and prepare for what comes next, I found myself returning to this old blog. Maybe there is something about sorting through a lifetime of belongings... Continue Reading →
The Grass Is Not Always Greener
It really makes me sad that her father does the things he does. It is so unhealthy and confusing. Especially all the blaming he does and how he doesn't ever take ownership for his part in fights. He has never taken ownership of anything over the past 25 years I have known him.
Charming Becomes Dark – From One Of Our Readers
This is a story from one of our readers: "We love charming men. When I first met RS, I thought I had found one of the most charming men I had ever met. He’s handsome and his initial personality melted me. He wanted to spend every single day with me, was very affectionate, brought me... Continue Reading →
Silent Treatment Abuse
So, I met with my daughter on Friday for my birthday. Our conversation was good and she did discuss her plans on moving out next year, but did not discuss the reasons why. Since I do have a bit of information, I was able to ask her questions about her plans. I asked if she... Continue Reading →
The Adult Child and a Difficult Ex – Parenting
Last week, I stopped by to visit a friend who used to live down the street from my old house. She said that my daughter has been hanging out with her daughter. My friend was conflicted about discussing this information with me, but she felt as a mother, I should know. Apparently, something happened between... Continue Reading →
Post-Separation Abuse by Proxy
So, it has been nearly two years since my daughter left our house to go live with her father. Looking back, I have definitely made progress. There have been a few changes. One, my daughter is no longer so angry as she was when she initially left. Also, the fact that time has a way... Continue Reading →
Parental Alienation – Parental Alienation Stories
In this post, I am going to discuss what Parental Alienation is and how it affected my family. In my personal experience, there have been three separate situations where it exists and in all three stories men did it. Parental alienation is the process, and the result, of psychological manipulation of a child into showing unwarranted... Continue Reading →
Abuse – Power and Control – The Handmaid’s Tale
Recently I have been binge watching The Handmaid's Tale. I must say this is probably not the best show to binge watch because it is tale of a very dark totalitarian society. Nearly every episode is dark, disturbing, and rather abusive. However, there are may parallels between the abuse of power displayed and what life... Continue Reading →
Abuse Stories: A Dehumanizing Experience
Here is a story about verbal abuse from one of our readers: Domestic Violence is a slow dehumanizing experience. I couldn't even see it was happening. I wondered what was wrong with me. I thought it was abuse. I tried to get him to believe it was abuse. However, I should have just trusted my... Continue Reading →
Reasons For No Contact With Abusers
There are several reasons why you should consider going No Contact with Abusers, Narcissists, and Emotional Manipulators. There may be reasons why you cannot block the person, but you can take steps to ensure you are not surprised by their emails. Emotional Health You deserve to protect your emotional health from abuser, narcissist, and/or emotional... Continue Reading →
Songs About Abusive Relationships
Over the years, I have always been able to identify with lyrics of songs. There are so many songs written about being hurt by abusive people, narcissists, and emotional manipulators. A few songs like Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri, Because Of You by Kelly Clarkson, Fighter by Christina Aguilera, and now this song Praying by... Continue Reading →
Surviving Emotional and Verbal Abuse
Lately, I have been listening to the P!nk Radio station and the song Titanium comes on every so often. Every time I have heard this song it touches me deep inside. Today, after hearing this song once again, I realize my thoughts need to change to one of strength again. The reason my ex-husband does not... Continue Reading →