Emotional Abuse Recovery: Healing from the Past Grieving the good moments does not mean you asked for the bad ones. Dear Survivor, One survivor said it best: “If he had been awful all the time, I would have left sooner.” She remembered the way he made her laugh, the quiet nights when he held her, […]
Understanding Mental Health Awareness Today Not everything that feels safe is actually good for you. Dear Survivor, A client once told me she was unsure if her new relationship was healthy or just less harmful. Her partner did not yell or insult her, but there was a lingering sense of unease. She felt confused by
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Sometimes freedom carries unexpected grief and it can feel confusing. Dear Survivor, A survivor once told me that the more she healed, the worse she felt. She was no longer walking on eggshells, yet she carried a quiet ache. She felt guilty for laughing. Guilty for moving on. Guilty for feeling okay when others she
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Sometimes silence feels more threatening than chaos. Dear Survivor, One woman I worked with described how anxious she felt in her first healthy relationship. There were no raised voices, no sudden mood swings, no punishments for speaking her mind. On the outside, everything looked calm. But inside, she was panicked. Her body could not relax,
Love is not always enough, but understanding can be everything. Dear Survivor, A client once shared how isolating it felt after she left her abusive partner. People praised her for being brave, but when she struggled to sleep, missed her ex, or doubted her decision, they grew impatient. They told her to just move on,
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It didn’t feel brave, it felt terrifying. Dear Survivor, One client once described a moment that changed her life. She had spent years silencing herself to keep the peace, believing that pleasing others was the safest way to survive. Every time she wanted to say “No,” she swallowed it, afraid of what might come next.
Love should never feel like walking on eggshells. It should not come with conditions and strings attached. Dear Survivor, At first, it may have looked like devotion, romance, infatuation, and even felt like love. The constant check-ins, the jealousies framed as care, the subtle sabotage, the need to be with you all the time. It
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Self-doubt does not always come from within, sometimes it is taught. Dear Survivor, One of the most painful truths survivors share with me is this: “I don’t know how to trust myself anymore.” That feeling does not come out of nowhere. It is built, crafted, piece by piece, through patterns of gaslighting and manipulation. When
Not every “I’m sorry” is meant to heal. Many are another way to control. Dear Survivor, Some survivors tell me they feel crazy for doubting apologies. They hear “I’m sorry,” and part of them wants to believe it, hold it, make it mean something. But then nothing changes, old patterns resume days or weeks later.
Feeling like you’re “too much” is often the scar left by someone who made you feel like not enough or too needy. Your needs are valid, too. Dear Survivor, I can’t tell you how many survivors I’ve met who shrink themselves before they even speak. They hesitate to share their feelings, fearing they’ll overwhelm or