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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 for those in Emotionally Abusive relationships: thread 28

999 replies

CharlotteCollinsinherownplace · 10/01/2014 17:57

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
A check list Use this site for some concise diagnostic lists and support
Signs of Abuse & Control Useful check list
Why financial abuse is domestic violence Are 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.
Warning signs you’re dating a loser 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’re 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

What couples therapy does for abusers

If you find that he really wants to change
Should I Stay or Should I Go bonus materials This is a site containing 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
What you should expect as a starting point for your treatment in a relationship, as you will of course be treating others!!

OP posts:
CurtWild · 01/04/2014 13:56

Sounds good so far. My 3 yr old understands that NO is a complete sentence yet my stbxh seems unable to process it. He also needs to understand that when I say I don't want to discuss something, it doesn't mean he's 'hit a raw nerve' or that I'm 'being secretive and obviously lying/hiding something', it means just what it says.
And most importantly nothing to do with my life, that doesn't directly involve our DC, is any of his business. His business was never anything to do with me but I had to account for my every move. I lived with that double standard and many more for almost six years, I'll be damned if I'm going to live like that now.

TheShimmeringPussycat · 02/04/2014 00:47

Would you credit it?

I found out today that FW took a friend to an eye appointment as they wouldn't be able to drive themself. When they got back, the friend's dogs had crapped all over the floor (a reaction to worming tablets). FW drove off and left the friend to it.

Later he rang and said he'd got a speeding ticket while driving the friend, and asked them to pay half of it!

Shock Thank the lord he is out of my life.

TheShimmeringPussycat · 02/04/2014 15:37

In case it's not clear, it was the friend he rang, not me! I was shocked that he would do it to others, shows I was never special to him Confused

yorkie84 · 02/04/2014 17:30

I have dipped in and out of this thread dependin on how things were.
Basically we have 3dc. Youngest 12 months an unplanned. He blames me for her conception and has said she should have been aborted in front of older two. Also said we have been sponging off himfor last 12 years. Not even true as I worked until We had our 1st.
Came to a head again following dh having heart palpitations caused by infection. He went to recuperate with his mum and I joined later in the week.
I left 1st and mil called me a waste of space and (d) h agreed. My dd heard and told me. Clearly he has been feeding her lies as I have complete responsibility for dd 12moths if home. He never changes nappies or feeds her or does bedtime. In the early days I was downstairs with her sometimes from 10pm to 2am as if we made noise upstairs he would tell her to stfu.
Anyway I casually mentioned that he and his mum shouldn't slag me off in front of dc. He didn't bother to deny or apologise. Instead he accused me of screwing up finance s for the month by putting £30 worth of groceries on the wrong card. Hand up I did it but really £30
He than accused me of causing his heart attack. Well it wasn't even a heart attack.
Currently trying to work out how to exit this relationship. We are heavily mortgaged and my share of equity may get me a smaller shared ownership but thats about it.
Just don't know what to do. Keep crying all the time.
Latest thing happened on mothers dat by the way. An especially hard day as my mum died 3 years ago and only a few weeks before Mothers Day.

yorkie84 · 02/04/2014 17:31

Mothers day

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 02/04/2014 17:35

I think CAB or free 30-60 minutes with solicitor, make your plans, and get out with the DCs, either by leaving with them or kicking him out.

yorkie84 · 02/04/2014 17:58

Thank you.

TheSilveryPussycat · 02/04/2014 20:37

yorkie you've got a blamer there and no mistake. Seems likely he learned from his DM. It's him and her vs you. (A dynamic I understand from when DMIL (and she was dear to me) moved up to be near us in her last few years)

We are all victims of our circumstances, all of us, you, me, us, FWs... No-one is to blame, but each of us has the choice to take action. This is a great thread for supporting each other to do just that.

CharlotteCollins · 02/04/2014 21:13

yorkie, that all sounds so sad and so draining to live with. No wonder you feel like crying all the time. But you are a survivor. You've survived - what, twelve years of life with him and still have that little beat of individuality inside saying, "I am a person. I know who I am and I deserve better." Listen to it. Dare to dream about a brighter future. I loved making plans, even before I had any intention of doing anything about them. It was pure escapism to begin with.

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 02/04/2014 21:21

Oh heavens, I think I need brain bleach. ew ew ew

Just went through a spare email account that STBXH used (on my internet account, so it's mine to access and have changed the password so he can no longer access it). Vile vile vile pornographic crap - and he had signed up to loads of nasty sites, including a "local sluts" type of site, lots of "get together and have sex" sites. It looks like he had his mobile bills sent to that email as well - couple hundred ££ a month since Christmas - so I can only assume that he spent loads on porn through his phone, all the way through March (that one was almost £300!). It's basically locked now though.

sigh... just ewwww

yorkie84 · 03/04/2014 05:21

Thank you. I have been doing more research and I am starting to feel there is a way out.
Does anyone know if we put house on market would I qualify for housing benefit if I moved out with dc?
As much as I want to stay in the house I just don't see how we can afford to.
alice that is yuk.

yorkie84 · 03/04/2014 05:23

Obviously once house sold I would maybe have the equity for shared ownership if I push for 60/40 thank you

TheSilveryPussycat · 03/04/2014 06:34

yorkie the CAB would know, or your local council, who are the people who work out Housing Benefit.

I had a look on adviceguide.org, the CAB site, but it is not on there - the benefits system is so complicated that they don't go into detail, as they would prefer you to talk to them. They can then advise on all sorts of related things that you may not have thought of. (I used to be a CAB advice worker, shit-hot on benefits, but that was some years ago now, and I am out of date)

(FW's idea for dealing with our jointly owned house was for it to magically turn into an amount of money, just like that! That's entitled cocklodger thinking for you Confused )

thatsnotmynamereally · 03/04/2014 08:52

Sorry I haven't posted for a long time. I'm waiting for counselling to start, through WA, taking ages but I just confirmed it will start 28 April.
not sure I can last that long! This morning yet again he woke up in a bad mood.. Says it's because we haven't had sex in 3 weeks and evidently he was 'testing' me to see if I would come on to him. Of course I'd been happy to not have to (especially as he likes mornings when I need to get ready for work- hence double bad mood for him).

My worry, and what I want to talk about with counsellor is that he's actually right- I don't like touching him and never have. Never want to kiss him. And maybe I'm just using this 'abuse' issue to break up like we should have done years ago?

he is abusive - ticks every box except outright battery, so to speak. But he just doesn't see it. I'm thinking I made him this way by not fancying him enough... And in recent years just going along with sex to keep the peace so now he expects it.

just needed to write that down! Typing on phone so I hope it makes sense.

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 03/04/2014 09:12

thatsnot no, you did not make him this way by not fancying him enough. STBXH used to get frustrated with no sex, but as I explained to him (and he obviously dismissed) it is very hard to fancy someone who bullies you and is aggressive and abusive to you and the DCs.

thatsnotmynamereally · 03/04/2014 09:38

Thanks Alice! It's what I am thinking...but he will not see my point of view, I guess all FWs have that unquestioned sense of entitlement. At work now, irked at arriving late and disgruntled yet again due to him.

I just don't know how I will find the strength to bring this house of cards tumbling down! I spend more time patching things up thinking I'm helping the kids, stable home etc but I need to draw inspiration from you all and stand up to him.

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 03/04/2014 09:52

thatsnot take a look at that "baggagereclaim" site I posted a link to earlier. One of the articles on there is about how we seem to feel we need validation from the FW that they have been behaving badly. We don't. It's rather enlightening. I am now reminding myself that I don't need HIM to acknowledge that he is a prat. I know it, and that's good enough for me. I can wait around forever and he will never admit what horrible behaviour he's been displaying. So why am I banging my head against the wall expecting him to realise it??? Confused

Validate your OWN feelings and act on them. Don't wait for validation from him. You'll never get it.

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 03/04/2014 10:14

Here. This. It's a good read.

www.baggagereclaim.co.uk/seeking-validation-understanding-in-your-poor-relationships-part-one/

thatsnotmynamereally · 03/04/2014 11:25

Alice- EXACTLY. Thanks. I think I need to get him to see what he is doing wrong. And if he can't -even after spending a night in a police cell and accepting a caution for threatening to 'smash my face in' (sorry still not moved on!) then he must be so mentally disturbed that he may turn into one of these killers who are lurking under the surface and emerge when their partner show signs of leaving. Therefore I am still here. It's the unknowns that may be worse than the status quo. Head is a mess!

But truly there is no longer way he will realize. Thanks for the article..
well spoken!

AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore · 03/04/2014 15:06

thatsnot that's not a good reason reason to stay, it's a good reason to GO.

honey86 · 03/04/2014 20:49

Ive been gaslighted and insulted so much today. Apparently i treat him like shit because i stuck up for myself. Hes making unreasonable demands over ds contact and is angry that i dont trust him again already even though its a result of his behaviour. Its all my fault its all my fault why am i letting him get in my head again ConfusedSad how comes theyre so good at this!

TheSilveryPussycat · 03/04/2014 21:19

honey re-read your own post. See that first sentence? It shows you know what's going on. See those words "He's making unreasonable demands"? It shows you know what's going on.

It hurts to be treated this way. By anybody, but perhaps particularly the father of your own DC. How could it not?

tweedlezee · 04/04/2014 23:02

huge sigh i did it AGAIN!!! I thought "i will be reasonable" and now i realise all his little plans are basically his way of getting to do whatever the HELL he wants to do, whenever the HELL he wants to do it and i am unpaid fucking childcare. Well he can fucking do one. From now on i will follow Alice's comprehensive list of essential actions. DAMN IT!!! I thought i was doing well and now i realise i was being a massive fucking mug....AGAIN!!!!

honey86 · 04/04/2014 23:16

Need handholdingpls
Ive seen fw's fb and the horrible things hes said about me. A real smear campaign. And ppl agreeing. Ppl that hardly know me but one is an old childhood friend so im devastated. Im literally sobbing here. He was lovely to me last week n now hes being so cold n heartless again. I knew he was like this so why does it hurt so much :'(

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