Category: Abuse

Blog posts, news articles, and other resources from The Center • A Place of HOPE

Childhood Bullying and Its Long-Term Psychological Effects

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  January 29, 2024

Did you ever encounter a bully when you were a child? Going through bullying – whether it’s as the victim, an observer, or the bully – seems almost to be a quintessential experience of childhood. Many of us encountered a bully, in some form or another, during childhood. Being bullied...

How to Tell if Someone Is Gaslighting You

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  December 9, 2023

Gaslighting is a manipulation tactic that's used to make you feel as though you can't trust yourself. Someone who gaslights you might make you feel like you're crazy or make you doubt things you know to be true. In essence, gaslighting makes you question your reality. The term “gaslight” originates...

How To Heal From Emotional Abuse

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  May 17, 2023

When we talk about abuse, it’s often physical or sexual abuse that comes to mind. However, emotional abuse is more prevalent than either of these. The National Domestic Violence Hotline reports that 95% of their calls relate to emotional abuse[1].   What is emotional abuse? The National Domestic Violence Hotline...

Narcissistic Abuse and Codependency: What’s the Link?

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  February 20, 2023

You’ve probably heard of the term “narcissist.” The formal term to describe a narcissist is “narcissistic personality disorder,” and it’s an official mental health diagnosis that’s included in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual. Not everyone with narcissistic personality disorder is abusive, and people can and do heal from this condition. However,...

Is Emotional Invalidation a Form of Emotional Abuse?

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  February 15, 2023

If you are seeking to understand what emotional invalidation is and if it’s a form of abuse, then this article will define the terms, outline the impact of emotional invalidation, and offer ways to heal from abusive experiences.   What is emotional abuse? To establish whether emotional invalidation is a...

The Effects of Emotional Abuse

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  November 21, 2022

When most people think of abuse, they think of physical or sexual abuse. They may imagine a parent hitting or molesting their child. Or a domestic violence situation in which one partner physically harms the other. But there is another type of abuse that can be just as damaging: emotional...

Four Attachment Styles in Relationship Dependency

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  May 26, 2022

Attachment theory highlights the importance of a strong, healthy attachment in childhood. This important attachment comes at the earliest stages of life to a parent or primary caregiver, usually a mother. This first, fundamental attachment, or relationship, sets the stage for all relationships going forward.

Learning to Feel Again After Childhood Abuse

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  November 29, 2019

Loss produces pain, so using the term “numbing out” is not a coincidence. So many of the survival strategies used by abused children are meant to do just that—provide a way to numb the pain.  You may think you’re avoiding the pain, but you’re not. The pain is still there,...

Rediscovering Childhood Through Your Adult Eyes

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  June 30, 2019

When you were growing up, you may have been told over and over, in a variety of ways, that you weren’t good enough, smart enough fast enough, thin enough, or just plain not enough of anything to please your parents.  In order to numb this crushing sense of failure and...

Abuse and Parental Authority

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  October 28, 2018

If the parenting model you grew up with was fundamentally flawed, you may be at a loss to determine what is normal and what is not, what is helpful and what is harmful.

Is There More to Love Than What You've Experienced?

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  May 31, 2018

One of the core traits of a dependent personality is difficulty accepting challenging or disturbing truths about self or others out of a need to maintain the status quo.

Ten Questions to Ask About Childhood Abuse

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  January 28, 2018

Resilient as children are, childhood abuse, in its various forms, can decimate a child's sense of self. Here are ten questions to consider when processing the struggles associated with childhood abuse.

Encountering a Sexual Manipulator

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  December 6, 2017

Sheila sat on her bed and cried out in frustration.  What was she going to do?  The fear she'd been carrying around inside for the past six months finally was realized.  He's made it clear that if she wanted to get her promotion, she'd have to "cooperate" with him.  Sheila...

Emotional Abuse: The Effects on Sense of Self

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  March 30, 2017

Any kind of abuse, emotional abuse included, is an attack on a person's sense of self. It demeans and controls that person through words or actions, devaluing that person and ultimately elevating the abuser.

What Does Forgiveness Mean to You?

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  October 26, 2016

Of all the ways we can respond to each other, you can choose love, mercy, and forgiveness. These will first enrich your life, then bless the lives of others.

Healing Emotional Abuse Through Self-Commitment

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  February 28, 2016

The effects of emotional abuse on your sense of self are significant. Yet often these effects are not linked to the emotional abuse you have suffered. Because this connection has not been made, you may find yourself suffering from one or several of these effects without really understanding why. Here...

Recognizing the Put-Down Artist in Emotional Abuse

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  February 6, 2016

“So you really think you can get that job, huh? What a joke! Why in the world would anyone want to hire you?” Jeff’s older brother sneered at him with disgust.“Well, I guess because I’m a hard worker and I’m willing to learn,” Jeff responded angrily, feeling that familiar knot...

Emotional Abuse: The Illusionist

By: Dr. Gregory Jantz  •  January 29, 2016

“Bill is such a great guy!” Carly smiled and made some sort of neutral comment. It did absolutely no good to dispute the evidence of Bill’s obvious charm. He was engaging, witty, energetic, and charismatic. People liked him. She knew the feeling. When Carly first met Bill, she was overwhelmed...

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