• Add Yours badge

If You Had An Emotionally Abusive Partner, We Want To Hear What Made You Realize Their True Colors

Emotional abuse can be hard to recognize, but hopefully people sharing their experiences will help make it easier for others to identify!

Hannah Marder
by Hannah Marder

BuzzFeed Staff

WARNING: This post contains discussion of relationship abuse.

Emotional abuse involves consistent words and actions that instill a sense of fear and a lack of self-worth in the other person. This can include insults, threats, manipulation, and efforts to control or isolate you.

A woman crying with a man behind her
Fizkes / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Early signs you're being emotionally abused can be subtle, and, like with physical abuse, your love for the other person may make it difficult for you to see what's really happening.

A sad man looking out window
Marjan_apostolovic / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Since emotional abuse can start slow, many people may not realize what they're experiencing until later. People who have been emotionally abused by a partner, we want to hear about your experiences. What made you realize you were being manipulated and abused?

A woman sitting on the floor while a shadow of a man looms in front of her
Malte Mueller / Getty Images/fStop

You can experience emotional abuse in a myriad of different relationships, but for this post we're looking for experiences specifically about romantic partners. 

Maybe you didn't realize the truth until your partner forced you home from an important business trip to deal with something trivial. Maybe it was a comment on your weight that made you realize your partner was constantly putting you down. Or maybe it was when they used a threat to break up with you or even harm themselves to get you to do what they wanted.

A man yelling at a woman behind a curtain
Malte Mueller / Getty Images/fStop

If you feel comfortable sharing your experience, we want to hear about it. Let us know what made you realize you were in an emotionally abusive relationship in the comments below or via this anonymous form, and you could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.