Love And Abuse

Gaslighting and crazymaking are one in the same - they are both terms to describe a person that wants you to feel crazy. They do that by causing you to distrust your own decisions and make you think that you are wrong about almost everything. They know how to turn you from a happy, assured individual with your own thoughts and ideas into a dependent, unsure and fragile person that can't take any steps without checking in with them first. Emotional abuse is insidious in nature, but crazymaking is the ultimate perception destroyer. If you can't trust your own perceptions, you don't even know what reality is. After some time with the crazymaker, you'll come to trust the very person causing you to distrust yourself. Love and Abuse is the official podcast of The M.E.A.N. Workbook on manipulation and emotional abuse at loveandabuse.com #loveandabuse

Have you ever sat there feeling confused, frustrated or running out of patience listening to someone talk and talk? There is actually a method manipulators use to confuse you into compliance so that they can get their way with you. It is something you may not know is happening, but once you understand it, you can predict it and even get out of it before it's too late. Love and Abuse is the official podcast of The M.E.A.N. Workbook on manipulation and emotional abuse at loveandabuse.com

It takes two humble people to work at the relationship, not one that's always blaming the other. When one person is always blaming and pointing the finger at the other, and the other person tries to do the right thing, there may be a deeper issue that is unfolding that needs to be addressed sooner than later.

If you've ever wondered why someone could be so cruel, it's time to accept that selfish people just don't care about you. Selfish people will slowly disintegrate your self-worth, self-esteem, self-trust, self-love and self-compassion, which is everything that makes up your power. They want what they want and don't care if you care. https://loveandabuse.com

When you can't see the symptoms or manipulation or emotional abuse, do either actually exist? Is there a way to tell when you're being emotionally mistreated? Yes. This episode talks about what to look for when you don't see the signs.

Do you spend all your energy defending yourself with certain people? Can you never get ahead with them because they continue to paint you into a corner where you feel you have no choice but to correct them about what you've done or who you are? It may be time to stop defending yourself and start realizing exactly what the game is so you don't fall for it anymore.

What happens when you look at your relationships and think that perhaps you are the one causing the problems and that your partner or family are right about you? Are you the manipulative one? Do you need help? I think that's a great question to explore, and one to clear up too since I get this question about twice a month.

You can be "groomed" into becoming the victim of emotional abuse or manipulation. Just like a child predator will groom his or her victim for abuse, the "emotional predator" will set you up for their control so that you become whatever they want you to become. It's a dirty game. In this episode, I compare emotional grooming to child grooming to reveal the scary similarities.

When someone cares about you, they don't say things like "you're too sensitive" or "you're so emotional", they actually become more sensitive to your sensitivities. Don't fall for the "you're too sensitive" game, it is played by those who want to get away with their own bad behavior.

Have you noticed the red flags but decided not to say anything? What do you do when you catch someone red handed and the red flag of deception or manipulation rears its ugly head? Do you honor your boundaries and speak up or instead choose to dismiss it thinking you must be wrong. It's important to keep your red flag radar turned on so that you don't get sucked into an a bad situation.  

Emotional abuse, manipulative communication, and lies and deception are so prevalent in the world today that it's almost impossible to go through life without meeting at least 10 people that are capable of making you into their victim. You do not have to fall prey to someone else's bad behavior and should not be subject to toxic communication without first arming yourself with knowledge. Love and Abuse is about helping you identify the poisonous behavior of people that don't have your best interest in mind. Learn to spot bad behavior so that you can make healthy decisions about the relationships in your life. Love and Abuse is the official podcast of The M.E.A.N. Workbook: An Assessment and Healing Guide to Difficult Relationships.