advertisement

Leaving Abuse

Are you the verbal abuser perpetuating the cycle of abuse? The cycle of verbal abuse is a complex one that many individuals are unaware of until they are in the middle of it. Often, verbal abusers are acting out learned behaviors that they experienced in their lives.
Facing verbal abuse can be traumatic and exhausting, especially if it is ongoing. However, if you are the victim of verbal abuse, staying strong and being resilient can give you the power you need to move through a difficult situation and towards a healing path.
It can be hard to talk about a situation that involves verbal abuse. Many victims can be hesitant to share their verbal abuse stories, especially when they are afraid of backlash or gaslighting from others. This reluctance is a barrier that can keep individuals from leaving abuse, healing, and moving forward.
Unfortunately, too often, many individuals will repeat the behaviors that they endured, continuing the damaging cycle for years. For anyone who has fallen victim to verbal abuse and its effects, finding healing and healthy relationships onward can be vital to help break the cycle of verbal abuse.
The effects of verbal abuse are numerous. They can affect the victim during times of abuse and also long afterward, impacting their life. Some side effects have influenced my adulthood, even years after facing an abusive situation. Isolation and loneliness are factors that have made their way into my world with verbal abuse.
There can be numerous side effects that you experience as the victim of verbal abuse. For me, trusting people after those years of abuse was impossible. But, not everyone will be affected in the same way, and each person's healing journey is unique. Sometimes you will be able to work through the aftermath of verbal abuse, but often, you can carry these emotions with you for years. Until you can process your history, verbal abuse can continue to have disastrous results on your life, as it was for me.
You do not have to be in an abusive relationship to experience verbal abuse. There can be many situations where an individual is subjected to verbal abuse from strangers. Unfortunately, this happens more often than you think. These random incidents are not okay, but it can be hard to deal with them when they come up. It can be in the form of personal insults, name-calling, or other belittling comments.
For some victims of verbal abuse, like myself, speaking out helps the healing process. Telling your story of verbal abuse is not only therapeutic, but it can give you back your power. Finding your voice can be a vital aspect of moving forward. Unfortunately, not everyone is receptive to hearing your story; and some individuals may go so far as to try and silence you with victim shaming when you talk about the verbal abuse.
Verbal abuse happens within many dynamics, even if it is not talked about regularly. One specific area of verbal abuse that is not often readily apparent involves men who suffer verbal abuse. However, just because there might not be a lot of pertinent case numbers or stories in the news about this does not mean this issue doesn't exist. For many men, dealing with verbal abuse is a common, problematic reality in their lives.
Verbal abuse in friendships happens more than we think. After all, friends are not the first people that come to mind when you think of verbal abuse. If you are facing any signs of verbal abuse from a close friend, you are not alone.