A toxic relationship poisons the mind and creates emotional damage. When we ingest a toxic substance physically we purge ourselves with medication; when we become toxic from someone else’s negative thoughts and behaviours and get more pain than pleasure from…
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First, let me say that I am a survivor of an extremely abusive first marriage. The abuse in that marriage covered the gamut including emotional, psychological, physical, and financial. That relationship nearly killed me and certainly left me broken in…
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The possibility of losing a spouse in active duty is the nightmare of every military husband or wife. However difficult the conversations might be, it is important to discuss all the details together as a couple before leaving for your…
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There are many forms of abuse. All of which can damage a person’s self esteem. No abuse is good but when you are used to it, you don’t know any better. You don’t realize that anything is wrong. All you…
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Yes, the person most likely suffering of heartache from having lost a loved one, is probably the person who will most likely be particular in closing the financial aspects of their loved one’s estate. At the same time, this can…
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A victim of abuse will likely spend the remainder of their lives questioning the abuse, and their association with the abuser once they reach the position of becoming a “survivor”.   Victims “internalize” much of their experiences, and therefore it is of the…
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Picture this the introduction of fear, the stripping of hope and the consistency of pain. You have just taken a glimpse at Domestic Violence. A glimpse is just as it suggests a small part of a greater whole. This picture…
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Death is something that comes to all in this life and it’s not easy to deal with when it is a family member or a dear friend. As we walk in our daily lives, it’s hard to realize that we…
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Battered women belong to every segment of society.  They are rich and poor, educated and uneducated, beautiful and plain, but regardless of where they fall on the socioeconomic scale, they all have something in common – abusive partners.  Sometimes it…
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The most important form of support a friend who is grieving can have is for you to give of yourself, to simply be there for them. All grief is an intensely personal pain, and no amount of “I know how…
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AM I BEING ABUSED? Traditionally, we’ve always known – and when I say “we”, I mean we, as a society – we’ve always known that when one physically hits another, it’s an assault.  It’s abuse upon another.  So, it makes…
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Sometimes a memory, long since forgotten, will suddenly present itself, and when it happens you have to decide what to do with that memory. I suppose you can try to bury it deep inside, try to send it back to…
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Abuse can have a funny affect on your self esteem. I, and most of my closest friends, were made fun of in school. Tormented in some cases, as I was through elementary and middle school. It stopped when I got…
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The burden is very great.  The pain is exceptional because you really feel that you are bearing it all alone.  Yes, you have other relatives, but being an only child intensifies the pain.  All your life you have not looked…
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Most of us have had a toxic relationship. Weather it be just a bad experience or abusive in one way or another, these relationships can change your life dramatically. To begin your healing, you need to get out of the…
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Honestly, you have to know the type of person your friend is before helping them cope with their loss. I look back on the days between delivering my first son, who was stillborn at full term, and the funeral, and…
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How ‘do’ you deal with the death of a loved one? How do we ever move on? How do you ever take true solace in the comforting words that tell you that your loved one is in a better place, feeling…
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When considering abuse of any kind, the community awareness needs to be in place. Many times when there is abuse happening there are many secrets that are kept behind closed doors. The problem usually is the children who are a…
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At the age of 49, I think about my childhood quite often. It makes me wonder why I always thought my childhood was like everyone else’s when in reality my childhood bore more signs of dysfunctional than it did functional….
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“Dazed and Confused” How did I get here, I am drowning. Over a year ago, I started to date my doctor. I was not even attracted to this man. I thought he was gay, I real nerd. But I went…
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