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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Support thread for those in Emotionally Abusive relationships number *8*

999 replies

foolonthehill · 12/04/2012 09:54

Am I being abused?

Verbal Abuse A wonderfully non-hysterical summary. If you're unsure, read the whole page and see if you're on it.
Emotional abuse from the same site as above
Emotional abuse a more heartfelt description
Signs of Abuse & Control Useful check list
why financial abuse is domestic violenceAre you a free ride for a cocklodger, or supposed to act grateful for every penny you get for running the home?
Women's Aid: "What is Domestic Violence?" This is also, broadly, the Police definition.
20 signs you're with a controlling and/or abusive partner Exactly what it says on the tin

Books :

"Why Does He Do That?" by Lundy Bancroft - The eye-opener. Read this if you read nothing else.
"The Verbally Abusive Relationship" by Patricia Evans ? He wants power OVER you and gets angry when you prove not to be the dream woman who lives only in his head.
"The Verbally Abusive Man, Can He Change?" by Patricia Evans - Answer: Perhaps - ONLY IF he recognises HIS issues, and if you can be arsed to work through it. She gives explicit guidelines.
"Men who hate women and the women who love them" by Susan Forward. The author is a psychotherapist who realised her own marriage was abusive, so she's invested in helping you understand yourself just as much as helping you understand your abusive partner.
"The Emotionally Abusive Relationship: How to Stop Being Abused and How to Stop Abusing" by Beverley Engels - The principle is sound, if your partner isn't basically an arse, or disordered.
"Codependent No More : How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself" by Melody Beattie - If you a rescuer, you're a co-dependent. It's a form of addiction! This book will help you.
But whatever you do, don't blame yourself for being Co-dependent!

Websites :

So, you're in love with a narcissist - Snarky, witty, angry, but also highly intelligent: very good for catharsis
Dr Irene's verbal abuse site - motherly advice to readers' write-ins from a caring psychotherapist; can be a pain to navigate but very validating stuff
Out of the fog - and now for the science bit! Clinical, dispassionate, and very informative website on the various forms of personality disorders and how they impact on family and intimate relationships.
Get your angries out ? You may not realise it yet, but you ARE angry. Find out in what unhealthy ways your anger is expressing itself. It has probably led you to staying in an unhealthy relationship.
Melanie Tonia Evans is a woman who turned her recovery from abuse into a business. A little bit "woo" and product placement-tastic, but does contain a lot of useful articles.
Love fraud - another site by one woman burned by an abusive marriage
You are not crazy - one woman's experience. She actually has recordings of her and her abusive partner having an argument, so you can hear what verbal abuse sounds like. A pain to navigate, but well worth it.
Baggage reclaim - Part advice column, part blog on the many forms of shitty relationships.
heart to heart a wealth of information and personal experiences drawn together in one place

If you find that he really wants to change

I stay or should I go bonus materials this is a site containing the material for men who want to change?please don?t give him the link?print out the content for him to work through.

The Bill of Rights
bill of rights here is what you should expect as a starting point for your treatment in a relationship, as you will of course be treating others!!

OP posts:
foolonthehill · 25/05/2012 22:41

Oh fingers you have been so brave. Your DCs will see this in time and will refocus their views on what their home was/is.

Big ((((hugs)))) Brew and some of lemon's home-made cake.

the future will take care of itself, just you take care of you for now...when are your flights booked?? can you bring them forward? Are there people elsewhere in RL who will give you a real hug when you get here?

OP posts:
tryingtoescape · 25/05/2012 22:44

fingers hugs, you are such an amazing person, that comes through on here so strongly. Please don't feel despair; you are brave and special and I admire you so much for the step you've taken.

thebighouse · 25/05/2012 23:45

Thinking of you fingers. You are brave.

Don't sink under this. There are happy times to come: the best ever.

LemonDrizzled · 25/05/2012 23:55

I was rushing out when you posted and have just got in after a magical night out with my lovely new man kayaking on the river at sunset with salmon and strawberries and kisses.

Not boasting there - just making the point that 18 months ago I was distraught, lost and desperate too in the same position as you are now. But time passes, emotions subside, children adjust happily and everything slowly gets better. You will thrive, blossom even once you get away properly.

And DON'T cook for the fucker, let him hire a caterer! Or at least spit in his food

TheHappyHissy · 26/05/2012 07:55

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/1481075-Healing-from-an-emotionally-abusive-relationship

Can some of us pop over?

TodaysAGoodDay · 26/05/2012 10:20

I've popped over hissy and invited her to join us here. Poor girl, she does need some support. How's everyone else doing? I haven't seen sunrise about for a while...

arthriticfingers · 26/05/2012 16:32

Thanks for support everyone Thanks
I am not strong at all. I think I have lost the plot completely. :(
I have let my children down horribly.
All FW can talk about is money. Long story, but he has a history of filching from my account and they going on about how he pays for everything.
I have signed everything over to him - what more does he f*ing want!

LemonDrizzled · 26/05/2012 16:41

Fingers you HAVEN'T let your children down. You have drawn a line and said decent people do not treat each other like this I am not tolerating it any longer. That is a brave and strong thing to do and will stand them in good stead in future. Far better to have a happy independent mum than a cowed miserable one. You know that rationally but you are feeling too down trodden to believe it.
Can you go out and walk round a park or visit a beautiful garden and immerse yourself in natural beauty for a while? I found it calmed me a lot.

Your kids will seek you out little by little, and want to spend happy neutral time with you and tell you their woes. You will find they still need you and want their mum, and will see through their Dad's bluster in time. They are still your babies and you are still their mum.

Hugs xxx

arthriticfingers · 26/05/2012 16:47

Thanks Lemon Your day sounds wonderful!Envy :)
I have got a really busy week at work, so that will have to do for distraction.
My head is a real mess, and, unfortunately, I have no one in real life either here or in Britain.

foolonthehill · 26/05/2012 17:55

we are here......(and we exist in RL too!!!!!!)

OP posts:
arthriticfingers · 26/05/2012 19:05

Thanks Lemon

Amitolamummy · 26/05/2012 21:35

Hello, thanks to those of you who replied to me on my other thread and for inviting me over here.
Just saying hello really at the moment. I'm doing ok tonight but i'm sure I will be back ranting and feeling sorry for myself soon :)

arthriticfingers · 26/05/2012 21:48

Hi Amitola and welcome. :( you have to be here, though
Wise women with good stories will be along soon

Horsetowater · 26/05/2012 22:10

Where does it ever end? One minute I look at him with pride, he is a good man and others like him, the next he is barking at me because things want badly for him and it's my fault. I can't bear for him to touch me because he has no emotional closeness to me whatsoever. He comes in to watch tv with me and my hopes are raised. He wants me to rest on him, I say no, he storms out in a huff.

And it's always my fault. I lost a close friend last week, he's being inconsiderate and up his backside about it because he's had to take on a couple of extra duties.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm feeling like a single parent right now, my friend is dead, I am supporting others and he can't rise to the occasion yet again.

foolonthehill · 26/05/2012 22:33

sorry horse they can't rise to it. It's not their pain and that's the only pain they can see. So sorry for your loss. virtual hugs to you.

OP posts:
arthriticfingers · 26/05/2012 22:41

What Fool says.
Actually, how insensitive of you to inconvenience him with your grief.
So sorry for your loss :(

arthriticfingers · 26/05/2012 22:59

Just seen your post Fool Thanks Thanks Thanks
You women are the only support I have at the moment.
For the record, FWX has just sent me a text begging me to go back - to what? More of the same? :(

LemonDrizzled · 26/05/2012 23:19

Hi fingers
How about a negotiotation with FWH? You tell him you can't live with him at the moment (due to your "mental health" or whatever) but if he helps you to rent a room/apartment/house locally for six months then "you will see". You get to stay near the DC and he clings on to the hope that normal service will be resumed. You meanwhile get some breathing space to regroup and make a plan.

There is a solution! You just haven't seen it yet.

I'm being dragged into a far too hot bedroom by a nice man so will sign off. Have threatened to sleep in the garden if it doesnt cool down soon!

ihavesomuchlovetogive · 26/05/2012 23:36

Hi there,

Can i come in Smile

I have been with my husband for 25 years. For some reason (reading mumsnet) over the last 2 years I have realised that he is emotionally abusive. He is my only serious relationship and he is all I know. My mind is in tatters trying to sort my head into some sort of order.

I dont know what is normal in a relationship if i'm honest Sad so when I experience something now I analyse it over and over again to see if it is ok.

for example - he insists on getting in the bath after me (same water ewwww) but goes mad if I dont leave it clean. so yesterday I came down and said the bath is there if you want it but I've washed my hair. He said "well I suppose I'll have to have it wont I, why did you leave it like that". I said no you can get a shower you dont have to get in it. This is a very little example. But I now analyse this as:

He wants to get in the bath after me but wants it to be clean. Therefore he doesnt want me to shave my legs/use a body scrub/wash my hair as this leaves it cloudy.

So he doesnt want me to be clean and tidy - he uses the bath situation to do this - therefore he is controlling me. Or am I going stark raging mad and reading 'out of the fog' too much!

Dont want to drip feed or drone on but the history is

Constant critisism, lack of affection - he wants sex alot but its jst sex, no cuddling, kissing etc. We have 3 children, they just see him as miserable dad. He comments on EVERYTHING I do in a negative way - how I could do it better even where I park my car! There's lots more, too much to write down.

We have split up once in the past when things got too much but we worked on things and got back together. Sadly as it always seems to go from what I've read on mumsnet hes slipping back to how he was. I have detached from him alot recently and I think he senses this. I challenge him more now and he hates this.

Just wanted to join here as I want to write my daily thoughts down so I have a log and a little bit of advice (if thats ok) along the way.

Thanks for listening

ThePinkPussycat · 26/05/2012 23:44

He is a miserly fuckwit - the normal thing is to each have a bath in fresh water!

At least he doesn't insist that you bathe in his used bath water...

Constant negative comments wear you down and leave you feeling indecisive - Chinese water torture that makes you doubt your own perceptions and thoughts. Keep on posting, this is such a helpful thread, though, as is often said, we are all Sad that you have need of it.

Horsetowater · 26/05/2012 23:46

Hi, Ihave, I too have been with mine for 25 years. That's why we are still together, in a very unsatisfactory way. It's a lifetime and very hard to come to terms with. This bath thing of his is very wierd if you don't mind me saying so.

ThePinkPussycat · 26/05/2012 23:46

On a completely different note - nice stealth boasting, lemon Wink

foolonthehill · 26/05/2012 23:49

Hi lovetogive great name. Welcome. As ever sad you need to be here, glad to be of help if we can.

Drip feeding is what we all do.

For what it's worth the bath thing sounds very controlling to me. Especially as a bath is often one of those things that women view as an opportunity to pamper and relax themselves. He is producing a set of expectations around him, so that your personal space is invaded even when he is not physically in the room. Clever and probably quite unusual. Not a comfort to you though.

The constant criticism and demand for sex also rings bells with lots of other stories as you know. Also the victim stance (^ohwell I suppose I'll have to have it wont I^).

OP posts:
ihavesomuchlovetogive · 27/05/2012 00:15

oh thanks ladies so much for your warm welcomes and the little confirmations I'm not going madSmile

Will keep posting

Night all

Horsetowater · 27/05/2012 01:18

Lovetogive, I would like to hear about what things were like when you first met. I remember having doubts quite early on, then each time it felt harder to leave. I think he just kept it going, somehow making his behaviour palatable to me. The first time was after a string of letdowns and failed dates, him minimising the incidents and me then thinking that would change. The pattern continues.

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