The Unseen Wounds of Verbal Abuse

“It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.”  ~ Aisha Mirza When the topic of abuse comes up, we typically think of hitting, punching, pushing, hurting, harming, black eyes and bruised bodies–the physical. Yet, there are other forms of abuse […]

consent

Consent: What does it really mean?

“NO. Is a complete sentence.” ~ Anne Lamott I recently had a male client tell me that something had happened to him on a date and he had a hard time putting it into words. He was embarrassed to talk about it and said he felt yucky even just thinking about it. As he slowly […]

Sticks and Stones Do Hurt…and So Can Words

While 3 million domestic violence cases are reported each year, most emotional abuse goes unnoticed and unreported. Among women who have experienced domestic violence, half say that emotional abuse is what causes the greatest harm.

When Someone Else Alters Your Reality: Gaslighting

Gaslighting:  The attempt of one person to overwrite another person’s reality. In 1938, Patrick Hamilton wrote a mystery thriller play called Gas Light, where a husband manipulates his adoring, trusting wife into believing she can no longer trust her own perceptions of reality. He does this by dimming the gas-powered lights in their home, and […]