Whether your partner uses physical abuse or psychological abuse, his mission is the same. He is out to gain power and control over you. As our society becomes more educated and intolerant of physical abuse, controlling partners can use psychological abuse and claim, “I’ve never hit her.” And “I’m not abusive.” Dominating you is a controlling partner’s driving interest, and he can accomplish that without physical violence. Since psychological abuse is not illegal, women can only rely on themselves for protection.
How do women like you find out they need help? Some begin by focusing on the feeling of being controlled. Take a moment: Do you feel controlled by your partner? Do you feel worse about yourself now, than before your relationship started. When you tune into “being controlled” and bring what you feel to consciousness, you may start to become aware of the impact of your partner’s behavior as well as how long he’s been influencing and limiting how you think and act.
Since 1993, Carol has helped hundreds of women heal from the devastating effects of domestic violence and psychological abuse in her popular “Groups for Women with Controlling Partners.” She discovered that psychological abuse alone—without physical violence—often renders women unable to take steps to protect them selves. She noticed that psychologically abused women in particular had difficulty knowing what they were experiencing, and how they were seriously impacted—showing a decline in their mental and physical health. Once their symptoms were identified, and seen as a result of the psychological abuse, women felt validated and began to take their abuse seriously. In time, women recover from the harmful effects of abuse and get back to a stronger self.
