Domestic Violence
Better By Bostick helps victims of domestic violence. We provide support, resources, and education to those affected. If you need, please reach out to us.
Domestic Violence Does NOT Mean Physical Violence
Domestic violence encompasses a pattern of behaviors used by one person in a relationship to exert power and control over another. This can include physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and psychological manipulation. Victims of domestic violence often experience a combination of these behaviors, making it difficult for them to recognize the abuse and seek help. The effects of domestic violence are far-reaching, impacting not only the victims but also their children, families, and communities. The cycle of abuse can be challenging to break, requiring comprehensive support systems and interventions to help victims reclaim their lives.
Emotional Abuse Can Go Undetected
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Emotional abuse is a particularly insidious form of domestic violence. It involves the systematic undermining of a person's self-esteem and sense of worth by controlling, isolating, or frightening the victim. Emotional abusers may use tactics such as constant monitoring, excessive jealousy, dismissiveness, humiliation, and/or manipulation to control their victims.
Unlike physical abuse, emotional abuse leaves no visible scars, making it harder to identify and address. The abuse hurts, disempowers, and traumatizes the abused partner. It wears down a person’s mental and emotional strength. Over time, victims may begin to doubt their own perceptions and believe they deserve the abuse, further entrenching them in the cycle of violence. Emotional abuse is often subtle like your partner not wanting you to spend time with members of the opposite sex. Regardless of how subtle the behavior, it can have long-lasting psychological effects, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Gas Lighting​
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Gaslighting is a specific type of emotional abuse that involves manipulating someone into doubting their own reality. Gaslighting tactics include denying past events, lying, and creating confusion to make the victim question their memory, perception, and sanity. This form of manipulation can be particularly damaging because it erodes the victim's confidence and autonomy. Victims of gaslighting may become increasingly dependent on their abuser, as they struggle to trust their own judgment.
Does your partner repeatedly say things to confuse you? Does your partner tell you that you are being too sensitive, too emotional, or that you can’t take a joke? Do you feel unsure of yourself because your partner is dismissing, demeaning, and constantly second guessing you? If your answer to these questions is “yes”, you are likely gaslighted.
The term gaslighting comes from a 1938 stage play Gas Light, in which a husband attempts to drive his wife crazy by dimming the lights in their home, and later denying that the light changed when his wife points it out. Gaslighting is an extremely effective form of emotional abuse that causes a victim to question their own feelings, instincts, and sanity. As a result, the abusive partner gains a lot of power by breaking down the victim’s ability to trust their own perceptions.
Get Help
If these behaviors exist in your romantic relationship, Better by Bostick can help. With years of experience counseling domestic violence victims, we can help you take your life back and regain control. Addressing domestic violence requires a multifaceted approach.
Education and awareness campaigns are crucial in helping people recognize the signs of abuse and understand that it is not their fault. Legal protections and resources, such as restraining orders and shelters, provide immediate safety and support for victims.
Emotional abuse becomes mentally and emotionally crippling, affects a person’s ability to function, and destroys their peace of mind. Getting help is a necessity.
Do not wait, get help now.