If you grew up in a dysfunctional home, learning to express your emotions may be challenging. If you encountered emotional neglect and abuse, you had to suppress your feelings to survive. Our emotions tell us what we need. If, as children, we discovered no one cared about our needs, emotions could feel dangerous. Instead of …
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If you grew up in a dysfunctional family, you may have been treated with contempt. When your parents looked at you with disdain rather than love, that was contempt. In his research, Dr. John Gottman calls this combination of emotions (anger and disgust) one of the biggest relationship killers. Outward displays like eye rolling and …
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When a relationship ends, people often seek closure. When you leave someone due to their toxicity, freedom is often not enough. In fact, you cannot feel free without answers to lingering questions. Closure refers to a feeling of resolution and understanding following the end of a relationship. But when does the need for closure hold …
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Much of the self-help advice out there seems to advocate suppressed anger. They bypass this important emotion and go straight to forgiveness instead. People who have been gaslit and abused are expected to calmly set boundaries. The advice says to act in a monk-like manner and remember not to blame your abusers. Common knowledge says …
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Do you have a toxic person in your life who lacks empathy and compassion? They refuse to understand you or take responsibility for their part in any problem. These people manipulate rather than communicate honestly. They gaslight you as a way to control you and the narrative. It’s always about them and what they want. …