Study after study shows that stress is a destroyer of health, causing disease and disability. The emotional toll of abuse is manifested in physical stress. Anger, guilt, and fear produce specific physiological reactions that wear down the body. Over time this stress produces physical symptoms that are impossible to ignore or medicate. These can include: – Digestive difficulties including ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome – Heartbeat irregularities – Chronic fatigue – Tightness of the chest – Difficulty breathing or hyperventilation – Muscle tension or shakiness – Headaches – Loss of appetite – Binge eating – Chronic illness such as colds … Continue reading →

In some ways, emotional abuse is the most common form of abuse. It comes from the mother who yells in frustration every time her son makes a mistake, “Why can’t you be more like your sister?” Or from the father who snorts in derision as he proclaims regularly to everyone who will listen, “The girl won’t amount to nothin’!” It comes from the husband who tells his wife, “You’re too stupid to get a job!” Over and over again, that pattern is repeated until the repetition obscures the severity. The son will think to himself, Mom always says that — … Continue reading →