abusive relationship

Half of the murders of American women are related to domestic violence.

How The Legal System Is Complicit In The Murder Of Domestic Violence Victims​

Victim blaming in cases of domestic violence is still rampant. The legal system is complicit in the murder of domestic violence victims.

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Photo by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash

How My Abusive Relationship Helped Me Become A Great Therapist

Helping others is the best way for me to overcome my own demons. Read...
Artwork: Tess Emily Rodriguez

Ask Erin: How Do I Move Forward After An Abusive Marriage?

The people I date tend to be very nice people who I enjoy spending time with but are never people I would be serious about building a life with.  Read...
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

The Fear Of Dying Alone Kept Me In An Unhappy Marriage

“I don’t want to die alone,” I mutter to myself as I sweep the kitchen floor in my new home. These words represent my greatest fear.

It’s a Saturday morning, and I am alone. A loud silence rings in my home. It's a silence formed by my son, who is not here. There isn’t an iPad blaring with cartoons on Netflix or Hulu. The only noise is a broom raking across a linoleum floor. The sink is filled with pots and pans, remnants of a recent dinner. Alongside the casserole dishes and saucepans is a solitary plate. 

In my new home, I am alone half the time. 

The other half of my time is spent with my child. He isn’t responsible for my happiness. I want to watch him grow up, find independence, and learn to fly. I never want my fears to hold him back. 

He watched as his father and I finalized our divorce in December. He'd started splitting his time between two houses in July, when I moved in with my mother.

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Artwork: Tess Emily Rodriguez

Ask Erin: Am I In An Emotionally Abusive Marriage?

I have no family or friends that I can go to... I don't drive, and financially I rely on him for everything. Am I in an emotionally abusive marriage?

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Verbal abuse is different. The damage is internal, there are no physical bruises or scars.

Verbal Abuse: What It Is And How To Respond

If it’s verbal abuse, it’s time to take action and start protecting yourself.

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The love you have for your husband is not enough in the face of abuse. And make no mistake, you are in an abusive relationship. (Artwork: Tess Emily Rodriguez)

Ask Erin: I Can’t Cope With My Emotionally Abusive Husband 

From a 25 point list, "These are the signs you're in an emotionally abusive relationship," he even agreed he was doing like 22 of them.

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It took me a while to realize this because being in an abusive relationship was nothing like I had assumed abuse to feel like, but it was exactly what abuse looks like.

On Realizing You’re In An Abusive Relationship

It took me a while to realize I was in an abusive relationship. It was nothing like I'd assumed abuse to feel like, but was exactly what abuse looks like.

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