Your mind is full of thoughts, ideas, and memories that long to be shared. But you’re not sure just how much to share with your friends, how fleeting those thoughts are, whether you feel comfortable enough putting them in the mind of someone else. Consider then regularly keeping a journal. “In particular, journaling can be … More How Keeping a Journal Helps Your Mental Health & Emotional Healing
I must’ve argued with myself a dozen or so times about whether I should write this post. I loathe writing about myself. But this post is really for you. See, I understand what a blog reader feels when he or she hasn’t seen a new post at a favorite blog for a long time. You … More Soldiering On
Editor’s Note: Upon reading this post, some readers may say, “Oh, it’s just a movie!” Indeed, but stories, whether in books or movies or television programs, teach us about ourselves, about what we value, about what we love, about what we hate. Recently, I rewatched the latest Star Wars film, “The Force Awakens,” and noticed … More What Finn From ‘The Force Awakens’ and Adult Survivors of Emotional Child Abuse Have in Common
Whether you’re estranged from your family, limiting contact with them, or processing the truth about your childhood, Thanksgiving can be one very difficult holiday. Images of delighted, happy-to-be-together families gathered around the dining room table or playing football in someone’s gorgeous leaf-filled lawn are everywhere, not just on commercials but on social media accounts, too. … More Finding Something to Be Grateful for on Thanksgiving
After you’ve awakened to the truth that you were emotionally abused as a child (and perhaps continue to be as an adult child), you will definitely encounter some hard-core resistance from some disbelieving people. These people either have known you as a child and believe the image of a happy family that your parents propagated; … More Party of One: How to Stand Strong in the Truth When No One Believes You
You’ve long suspected something is not quite normal about your relationship with your parents. Perhaps you even sought answers and read about the signs of emotional child abuse. Now, you have come to the hard, cold realization that you’ve been emotionally abused as a child—and that the abuse has extended into your adulthood. So, what … More Fear and Guilt Will Keep You in an Abusive Relationship If You Let Them
If you are an adult survivor of emotional child abuse, you probably have a hard time differentiating the “safe” people in your life from ones that are crazy-makers or harmful to your well-being. In fact, you may not even grasp the concept of “safe people.” That’s not your fault. Raised by toxic people, you weren’t … More How to Find Relationships That Are Good for You and Avoid Those That Aren’t
I’ve been publishing posts at The Invisible Scar since April 2013, and from that moment, I’ve been the unwilling recipient of numerous unwanted Facebook posts, texts, emails, and voice mails from families and their friends. The underlying theme to all that communication has been that I am wrong to even discuss emotional child abuse, that … More Speaking the Truth Even If Your Voice Shakes (It Won’t Always)
Survivors of emotional child abuse who awaken to the reality of their past often talk about “finding out who I really am” and “becoming who I was meant to become.” It’s in that spirit, that I urge survivors of emotional child abuse to come up with a resolution this year to do something (healthy and … More Do Something You Love in the New Year
Some relationships are deeply damaging and unhealthy for the people within the relationship. Unlike healthy relationships, which have peaks and lows, which have struggles now and then, a toxic relationship is poison to the people involved. But what happens if the toxic relationship is within the family sphere? Imagine your daughter telling you that every time … More Ending the Toxic Relationship and Giving Yourself Time and Space to Find Yourself
The Invisible Scar 