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4 Steps To Follow After Experiencing Emotional Abuse

Disclaimer: Elise Ho, aka “Dr. Ho” is a Holistic Health & Life Coach. Dr. Ho is NOT a medical doctor, licensed therapist, lawyer, or a bevy of other things. Products or services that Dr. Ho believes in are the only ones that she recommends. Dr. Ho may receive compensation, product, or an affiliate commission on anything you see on this site. This is a personal Website solely reflecting Dr. Ho’s personal opinions. Statements on this site do not represent the views or policies of any organization with which I may be affiliated.

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Are you Experiencing Emotional Abuse?

Do you think you may be?

When speaking about abuse, it’s a lot less common for the topic to be about emotions. Abuse can come in all different forms, and it’s based on how we treat one another. Just because it isn’t physical, doesn’t mean it’s something you should take any less seriously.

Emotional abuse has serious repercussions for the victim, and it can be very difficult to get past. Men, women, and children all over the world experience emotional abuse on a daily basis, and the person enacting it might not even be aware of it. It’s a tricky subject, and that can make it even more difficult to overcome.

 

Understanding that abuse happened

 

One of the first steps to overcoming things like emotional abuse is fully realizing what happened and that it was wrong. A lot of emotional abuse victims might not be completely confident that they’re a victim of it, and rather than maybe they deserved it, or what happened was acceptable. As there’s no physical activity involved, it’s not so easy to define it.

 

It’s important to note that everyone is different, and our experiences might not be the same as other people’s in the same scenario. Just because one person doesn’t mind being treated a certain way doesn’t mean that you should feel the same way.

 

For example, some people like to be left alone, or isolated – whether it’s a child or a partner in a relationship, that’s a preference. However, to some people, if there’s no choice in the matter; that can be seen as emotional neglect. Emotional neglect is relatively common, especially for children in dysfunctional families. 

 

So before you can start to heal, you need to accept that what you’ve been through is or isn’t emotional abuse. Identifying the cause of your stress or trauma helps to define how you should go about handling it.

 

Getting the law involved

 

In some cases, it’s possible that the law should be involved in handling it. A prime example of where you might see this is in a nursing home. Families often have a difficult time trusting nursing homes with their vulnerable loved ones, and in some cases, residents may experience different types of emotional abuse. Whether it’s verbal abuse, neglect, or otherwise, it’s important that this isn’t able to continue – which is where nursing home abuse lawyers are important.

 

You can make sure that not only the offender is brought to justice, but that it doesn’t happen to your loved ones, or anyone else staying at the nursing home again. If you or a loved one is going to recover from abuse, you need to make sure they’re no longer at risk of being a victim.

 

Expression

 

As with most traumatic experiences, it’s important that you’re able to find a way to get it out of your system and properly process it. There are so many ways for you to do this, and it’s important that you find the way that’s most comfortable for you.

 

Therapy can be very helpful when processing your feelings, and although it might be difficult to speak about things that happened to you while you were vulnerable – it’s an important part of healing. Not to mention that your sessions will be confidential and that your therapist is there to help you find new coping mechanisms that will help you process any future issues that you might have.

 

On top of talking, it can be processed through different artistic or physical activities. It’s said that it helps to write about it, create artwork, sing about it, anything that you find enjoyable and that lets you properly feel what you’re supposed to feel. You could even include your feelings in the tone of a story if you’re not comfortable writing directly about what you’ve experienced.

 

Support groups

 

Some find it helpful to be among those who have been through similar experiences, and it can be empowering to know that you’re not alone. Support groups are there for people who have been a victim of a similar form of abuse to talk about how they feel and what happened to them – and they may for a safe place to talk about themselves.

 

Of course, you’re not required to talk about more than you’re comfortable with, and it’s okay if you’re only attending to listen to others. No matter your choice of expression, it’s important that you make the effort to process things properly if you’re going to overcome your trauma. Living with it can make life more stressful, and it may shape you as you move forward in life.

 

Please use the comment section below to share your tips, questions, and/or thoughts about this post.

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Naturally Yours,
Elise Ho
Ph.D., D.N. Psych.
Behavioral & Mental Health Specialist

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About The Author

Dr. Elise Ho

Dr. Elise Ho

Dr. Elise Ho is a Holistic Health & Life Coach with a special interest in emotional health, life alignment, and energy flow.

Elise will partner with you to align your mindset, your energy, your home and your career so that you can live your life's desire with freedom and love.

Elise offers 30 years of experience and multiple certifications and degrees including a Ph.D. in Natural Health and a doctoral degree in Naturopathic Psychology.