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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 *9*

999 replies

foolonthehill · 06/06/2012 15:53

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:
baskingseals · 07/07/2012 18:10

he said 'i didn't raise my fist at you it was a figment of your imagination'

baskingseals · 07/07/2012 18:11

he says 'its all your fault'

i don't want to break up the family.

baskingseals · 07/07/2012 18:12

he says any other woman would be happy

arthriticfingers · 07/07/2012 18:16

Fool and Nini Back from the sea with the girls to pack for Britain on Tuesday.
See that FWs are acting true to form.
Fool the walking away no strings is a dream once you have children. I think you are doing an absolutely brilliant job of holding on to your marbles. Much, much better than I am doing.
It is not possible to enter into anything resembling meaningful conversation with a FW whose moral compass (and only psychopaths don't have one) is so selective.
I walked away with nothing and FW is pushing for the we have nothing to argue about
BUT even this does not work. FW's latest is that and (please don't be horribly shocked, sisters) it is ALL (shock, horror) MY fault! Well isn't that a surprise?!
His borderline illegally bad behaviour 'happened' because I am such a pain.
The fact that said behaviour made me seriously depressed not only shows that I am mentally unstable (well this is obvious to all FWs), but meant that any emotional damage to the girls was caused by my depression and not by his behaviour - which - following another argument I was too weak to prevent Confused
FW keeps sending me messages which should be sold to Hallmark, now that's a thought :) about how wonderful I am and how I embody everything good. The foul verbal abuse is reserved for conversations either face to face, or by telephone with no witnesses.
When I suggested he might consider putting some of the really disgusting things he says into writing rather than reserving the privilege for me to listen to alone, FW said that HE could not trust ME Confused Confused
FWs you really couldn't make them up.
Britain and the Freedom Programme here I come :) Invitation is open to all here

DoingItForMyself · 07/07/2012 18:54

Basking, he's following the script alright. Who on earth would be happy with a man who blames her for everything and makes her doubt her own hearing/memory/sanity?! Next time he tells you anyone else would be happy with him challenge him to go and find himself one, as you quite clearly are not.

Whats the Freedom Prog AF?

DoingItForMyself · 07/07/2012 18:56

Well done Jan2011. Its often easier to start (& continue) these things in writing, so if it gets out of hand suggest that he read your email again and respond to it in writing (no chance of those 'magical disappearing comments' when they write it down either!)

garlicbutt · 07/07/2012 19:08

www.freedomprogramme.co.uk/

DoingItForMyself · 07/07/2012 19:16

Thanks for the link. I must admit, not many of the Mr Bad things are relevant to me, so I was just thinking that this doesn't really apply, but then looked down the 'Mr Good' list and none of them apply either!

My stbxh was neither a total bastard nor a loving husband, he was just an empty void in my life, never cruel enough to make me leave (until now), but never loving enough to make me want to stay.

TodaysAGoodDay · 07/07/2012 19:23

The Freedom program is brilliant! It's a 12 week course that keeps cycling over and over, so wherever you start, you just keep going till you've done all 12 days. Fantastic. Teaches you to recognise FW's and avoid them, opens your eyes about EA, helps you understand what goes on and why, it's just great. I did it 3 yrs ago, and haven't looked back since.

Anastasia, can you not just not text, call or email him? If he's threatening to leave, is this not what you need/want? Just let him go. You do not need to justify yourself to him. Or apologise!

baskingseals · 07/07/2012 19:34

he comes across as shy and diffident. he is charming and gentle. he is an attractive person. he is deluded. completely. the future of my family lies in his hands. everything is always my fault, i am destroying our relationship. how can i get him to be honest even just a little bit?

baskingseals · 07/07/2012 19:36

doing it, actually i have said that to him. the thing is is that it's taken me a while to realise he is actually the enemy. i was under the mistaken impression that he cared about my happiness.

foolonthehill · 07/07/2012 20:34

basking they all appear good to an extent, they all start by making us happy, to an extent. over the years they stop bothering to be quite so nice...they have already caught us, they work on our perception of the reality of the relationship so we accept blame that is not ours, concentrate on changing ourselves to be better/kinder/quieter/less controlling/better housekeepers/more indulgent lovers etc.etc.. We buy the lie that if only we could change than they would be perfect and so would our life.

YOU CANNOT GET HIM TO BE HONEST because in his mind all this is really really true. The abuser does not play by the rules, will not accept responsibility, will not stop at using our weaknesses against us, will destroy our strengths, will use our children to manipulate us further and may even lead us to believe that we are going mad and have lost touch with reality. Some of them are even good enough to really make us lose touch and drive us to depression or other MH issues.

All this whilst maintaining the perfect gentleman face and perfect family for the benefit of those outside the front door.

You have to see him for who he is.

you cannot change him, he can...if he will, but you cannot.

Do you have children, are you with him at present.
How can we help???

OP posts:
foolonthehill · 07/07/2012 20:35

Anastasia please please please just lose this man out of your life...go find freedom, go find happiness. You cannot save him , put that white charger back in the stable. You deserve much better.

OP posts:
AnastasiaSteele · 07/07/2012 21:02

Thank you fool and today

I didn't contact him initially and I haven't apologised. I haven't returned his calls, but have had msn contact. In this contact though, I feel like we've had straw break the camels back.

I know I should have disengaged, but...
He tried to tell me I didn't give anything and that's what was wrong with the relationship. (grrr yes I could have gone on...). I brought up that he never kisses me. (of all the things to start on)

And then he said it.

'because of your teeth'. In a nut shell, my mouth repulses him, too much to kiss me - though he added he likes it when my mouth is performing oral sex. If I get a brace, we'll get married and everything will be ok.

No, no and no. He is actually mental. I'm apparently being a 'coward' and if that's the case he 'doesn't want to know me'. He tried ringing and I've texted saying I don't want to speak to him, he's playing 'life's short, you'll be hurt if I meet someone else'.

Well true. Life is short. Too short not to be kissed.

RUN ANASTASIA, RUN!!!

I know he's mental, and I don't want to know HIM. I'm obviously upset. I feel so bullied.

But I deserve lovely snogs.

AnastasiaSteele · 07/07/2012 21:02

I've blocked his msn now

DoingItForMyself · 07/07/2012 21:06

Basking, I second exactly what Fool said ^ up there. x

DoingItForMyself · 07/07/2012 21:08

Shock Anastasia at that man's rudeness! Run like the wind lovely and never look back.

"I deserve lovely snogs" you do indeed, but not from him.

AnastasiaSteele · 07/07/2012 21:09

Exactly DoingIt.

I'm so hoping this will give me the final strength I need.

NiniLegsInTheAir · 07/07/2012 21:15

Anastasia, please make sure you leave him. He really doesn't deserve you! Your teeth are the problem indeed! Shock

Basking, please keep talking.

Big hugs to all. I took a long nap after my last post (DD was so tired she napped for an hour!). NSDH is staying out tonight to drink and texted me to say if I didn't want him to disturb me with his 'beer breath', to leave the spare duvet downstairs and he'll sleep on the sofa. In other words if I want to chuck him out of the marital bed, do so. So I've left the duvet for him Grin.

foolonthehill · 07/07/2012 21:18

go Anastasia go...if you are ever tempted to get sucked back in remember this moment and the strength you feel escaping......

go and find some nice man and snog away!!!! (may be have a look at the Freedom Programme first though...you could do it on-line if no-where else)

OP posts:
AnastasiaSteele · 07/07/2012 21:18

good for you nini. Sleeping starfish position tonight then?

foolonthehill · 07/07/2012 21:19

Grin...could you leave the duvet sown there every night Nini?

OP posts:
foolonthehill · 07/07/2012 21:19

sown????down obviously

OP posts:
foolonthehill · 07/07/2012 21:21

fingers only a couple of days to go....bring wellies and raincoat....even wetter summer than usual....but it will feel wonderful to be washed free of the FWH!

OP posts:
NiniLegsInTheAir · 07/07/2012 21:23

Looking at the Freedom programme, NSDH is mostly bad but does do one of 2 of the good guy things. Unfortunately the programme doesn't run near me (nearest is a half hour drive) and the last date was 3 months ago. How much is it anyway?

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