Psychological Abuse, 7 Invisible Effects
Psychological maltreatment is, without a doubt, a cruel form of violence because it is ambiguous and leads to doubt that those who suffer it are a victim.
The worst part is that, as long as there is no physical attack, the victim hardly realizes the seriousness of the problem.
As this form of abuse is invisible, its consequences are also invisible. They are not perceived at first sight, although the abused person suffers from them and carries them on their shoulders even long after they leave the relationship.
The consequences of psychological abuse
1. The constant feeling of worthlessness
Low self-esteem is one of the factors that encourage this type of violence. A person with high self-esteem would never allow this. However, underestimating is a much more common attitude than you think.
As if that weren’t enough, violence of this kind aggravates the already low self-esteem. The feeling of being worthless can be accentuated until you can’t even raise your head.
Asking for help, surrounding yourself with good and loving people is very important in these cases.
2. The encounter with solitude
In most cases of psychological violence, the abuser isolates his victim more and more away from friends and relatives.
In this way, the aggressor tries to eliminate any kind of support for the partner, in order to tie him to himself and discourage the decision to end the relationship. It can even create a pejorative image of the victim, so that no one suspects the real situation and people leave by their own choice.
3. Coping with guilt
One of the best cards played by the psychological abuser is the sense of guilt. The victim will be convinced at all times that he has done wrong and that for this reason the other party will respond with insults, verbal denigration, etc.
This sense of guilt is related to the low self-esteem we talked about at the beginning and is very difficult to eliminate, if not with intense work.
4. Depression around the corner
Depression is one of the evils of our time, but it is also a common dimension for people who are victims of psychological violence.
Depending on its intensity, it can lead the subject to have suicidal tendencies.
The sense of guilt, believing that you deserve violence and loneliness will convince the victim that the only solution is to end their life.
5. Difficulty expressing what you feel
One of the great consequences of psychological abuse is the inability to express one’s emotions, the so-called “emotional silence”.
The victim suffers in silence for a long time, because he feels guilty and believes he deserves the worst. Therefore, try to cancel your emotions in order to survive. However, this leads her to the previous point, which is depression.
6. Difficulty falling asleep, a consequence of psychological abuse
Insomnia is one of the problems that presents any victim of psychological violence. All this because of the anxiety and stress caused by the situation experienced.
On many occasions, dreams will turn into nightmares, preventing you from enjoying a peaceful, pleasant and restorative sleep.
Often people who have been subjected to violence resort to drugs that allow them to rest.
7. Relationship difficulties
Obviously, people who have suffered psychological violence tend to be wary of others, fearing that the same situation they experienced in the past will repeat itself.
Because of this, and also because of emotional silence, they become unable to establish healthy relationships or to establish emotional bonds with other people.
Psychological violence is silent, it cannot be seen, it hides behind a look or a seemingly harmless word.
However, the deep wounds it leaves can destroy the life of its victim forever. Invisible beating is the most painful and the most difficult to cure.