THE FIRST STEP IS RECOGNIZING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. Jasmine Badge

Your abusive partner doesn’t have a problem with his anger, he has a problem with your anger. One of the basic human rights he takes away from you is the right to be angry with him. No matter how badly he treats you, he believes that you voice shouldn’t rise and your blood shouldn’t boil. The privilege of rage is reserved for him alone. When your anger does jump out of you (it will happen to anyone from time to time), he is likely to try to jam it back down your throat as quickly as he can. Then he uses your anger against you to prove what an horrible and irrational person you are. Abuse can make you feel straightjacketed. You may develop physical or emotional reactions to swallowing your anger, such as depression, nightmares, emotional numbing or eating and sleeping problems, which your partner may use as na excuse to belittle you further or make your feel ‘crazy’. THE FIRST STEP IS RECOGNIZING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. Repeat after me: Just because it’s explainable, doesn’t mean it’s excusable! ~ JB