Emotional abuse is as painful as it is real, but most of the times it might go unnoticed. Unlike physical abuse which leaves scars as proof, it is subtle. In fact, there are cases where the abusers affect the victims enough to make them see the abuse as “normal” and regard it as something that “they deserve to experience.”
The truth still remains that such victims will typically be traumatized and, in most cases, it might result in their self-worth diminishing. The initial step to battling this abuse is to actually accept that it is happening before proceeding with spiritual and self-care tactics to eliminate the effects. One move that can shed some light on the victim’s life is to take the meditation path.
Here are a few details concerning three common emotional abuse tactics and how meditation can help you rise from the ashes.
Experiencing Gaslighting
Gaslighting, according to Thoughts Catalog: https://thoughtcatalog.com/shahida-arabi/2017/11/50-shades-of-gaslighting-the-disturbing-signs-an-abuser-is-twisting-your-reality/, is a form of induced denial where the victimizer makes the victim lose trust in their own judgment and reality, and start relying on the victimizer’s perspective. For instance, a spouse who cheated on their partner might urge the partner that nothing of the sort happened. When repeated for a while, the victim starts believing their partner’s version as they doubt their own reality.
With some time of exposure to such abuse, the victim might even go insane since they will typically depend on their partner’s version for a long time. This emotional torture can happen in any relationship and isn’t limited to the romantic ones. For instance, a friend can urge the victim that they misplaced an item that was otherwise stolen by the abuser.
Getting Your Opinion Disregarded
While being subtle, this form of abuse can result in the victim thinking that their views do not matter. It occurs when the abuser keeps on shutting down the comments and opinions of the victim. You find yourself hesitant to vocalize your opinions with the mindset that they will not mean a thing.
Among the most common approaches to this is where the abuser silences the victim when they start speaking about things that they are most enthusiastic about. Although this won’t mean a lot when done once, it can lead to emotional torture when repeated severally. If ending such a toxic relationship is impossible, then trying to communicate and exercising spiritual self-care can tone down its effects.
Being Isolated
By its core, isolation is a form of emotional abuse where the abuser limits the victim’s social interactions. They might do this by preventing them from socializing with friends, family, and even other employees. With the lack of emotional support through diverse social interactions, the victim is forced to depend on the abuser for most of their needs, as noted by abuse experts.
This can be observed when a parent denies their children chances to get jobs. Although the victimized individual understands that the relationship is toxic, they realize that if they lose the abusers, they might lose everything as the abuser is their sole provider. Taking a step back to analyze their situation is a sure way to bounce back from such abuse.
How Meditation Can Help
During emotional trauma, areas of the human brain that deal with learning, emotional regulation, focus and memory retention often get disrupted. Meditation is known to help heal this disruption while strengthening the functions of the affected parts of the brain. As a result, the victim can hence gain control of their emotions and know how to tackle abuse.
In the case of gaslighting, the victim can gain control over their reality and learn how to overcome the narcissistic abusers. Other than giving the victim a spiritual and emotional anchor, meditation can further raise their self-worth and overall confidence to deal with emotional issues.
Conclusion
Emotional abuse is an unfortunate reality in the modern-day world. While the first step is to identify it, meditating regularly can help you to heal from it gradually. In case you suffer from such kind of abuse, do speak to someone or consult an expert instead of keeping the trauma to yourself.
Shift Frequency © 2018 – Bouncing Back From Emotional Abuse with Meditation