Emotional abuse is defined as the ongoing emotional maltreatment or emotional neglect of a child or person. This may include Criticizing, Disapproval of another person’s action(s), or Constant expression of dissatisfaction. People who are emotionally abusive often know just where to aim when it comes down to hurting someone. The point at which you feel most vulnerable, is probably what the abuser will try and target so as to cause maximum damage. They tend to enjoy criticizing your every move or gesture in some way and over time this can present itself in various ways. This kind of behavior or treatment can affect your ability to form new relationships later on. Emotionally abused individuals experience a growing fear of being alone, as well as self-doubt, which leaves them in a position where they may accept such treatment as normal, which is available at all luxury rehabilitation centres in India.
How can you recognize emotional abuse in your family patterns? Is this kind of emotional abuse related to decreased success during recovery from addiction?
Signs and symptoms of emotional abuse are often not as obvious; in fact, they are not as visible as a bruise on someone’s body or bloodshot eyes. Recognizing the signs of emotional abuse can be extremely complicated because signs may be very similar to another health issue or part of growing up in general. It’s important to remember that the best treatment providers at the top 10 rehabilitation centres in India equip you to see any of the following signs, it could indicate behavioral issues caused by this type of abuse:
Signs of emotional abuse can be in the form of people who avoid being around people they love or like. They may also avoid having relationships and while they know deep down inside that they want to experience love, something on their mind either stops them from doing so or prevents them from pursuing it. Some will feel intense emotions but are not really sure how to process them. Others may express those emotions aggressively. Some become too cautious and afraid of just about anything, particularly how others might perceive them. They feel less confident about themselves as even their most simple actions might start to deliberately attract negative attention solely for the reason that experiencing some sort of emotional abuse and/or neglectful environment means at some point during their lives - they've witnessed first-hand the suffering that is brought by an emotionally abusive person.
Emotional abuse can make people feel anxious and depressed and it can manifest itself in many ways. Because there is no physical evidence that the abuse is happening to the person, cases of emotional abuse are often considered “less serious” than physical abuse. But evidence has shown that victims of emotional abuse may suffer from severe effects during their lifetime such as the following:
Children have a tendency to get into trouble, whether it be stealing, bullying others, or using drugs. Furthermore, many children still run away; unfortunately, there remains an emotional and mental side to these kinds of practices. Also in some cases, the abuse leads up to an eating disorder due to frustration and irritability caused by starvation. It can tarnish the level at which they are able to express emotions and because of that development could become possible selfish tendencies instead of socially acceptable behaviors.
There have been different reports on the prevalence of childhood trauma among patients with alcohol or drug abuse problems. Grice et al. (1995) reported that over 60% of individuals with drug abuse problems were physically and/or sexual abuse during their childhood. [1]
Children who grow up being constantly criticized and underestimate themselves may unintentionally experience a lack of self-confidence, as well as anger management issues. It can be hard for children to develop healthy relationships with their peers when their parents are not giving them love and attention the way they need it during those impressionable years of childhood. However, emotional abuse can lead people to depression - which is characterized by feelings of sadness or despair over something that you know that is causing you pain or loss. It has been known to affect one's physical health in the adult years, which may be why it is so important for our children to get the special care they need while growing up - because if we take proper steps early enough, it's great knowing how much all of this could possibly help them achieve towards a happy life as an adult!
Emotional abuse will make children irrationally angry and often this leads to them being irritable with their peers or lacking spontaneity due to self-isolation. They may become rebellious as a result of these suppressed feelings of sadness and anger which causes them to distance themselves from others, making it difficult for others to get close.
Emotional abuse in addiction recovery
You’ll have to take some steps in the healing process in order to deal with different forms of abuse from the patterns that you’ve learned before. Here we present you 3 actions that will help you empower yourself:
1. Identifying Your Patterns
Even though there isn't a rule that having insight into a problem leads to change, it is always better to be aware of the problem instead of letting it code your lesson on the hard way for which the best rehabs in India help you. You need to recognize negative feelings such as fear, anxiety, or depression when they appear rather than not acknowledge them at all. When you become aware of them, ask yourself why you are reacting in such an impulsive manner and how your reaction is helping you express those feelings properly. Are you hurting yourself or someone else with this reaction? If so, acknowledge what's going on inside of you and learn how to respond more appropriately. One way to begin putting things back in balance is by acknowledging patterns and being mindful of what's taking place within yourself before reacting.
2. Take Your Healing in Your Hands
Life can throw a lot of curveballs at us and sometimes we need to spend some time in the dugout. It's not easy, but it is possible and this isn't something we deal with alone. The process of coping begins when you decide to take better care of your emotional well-being so that you can push through these hard times. Learning how to be compassionate towards what we're going through (and not just quick fixes) while embracing who we are as unique individuals with different struggles will help us build resiliency. We must strive to understand that the personal experiences that shape the way we think and feel about other people, objects, events, etc may have little to nothing to do with the reality! Remember: that’s no excuse for lashing out and hurting others – harm reduction is key here!
A lot of times in life there can be a lot of things that we can't change. However, at one point or another, you've got to take an active role in making your own life better. When it comes to the process of restoring your authentic self - healing starts with stepping out and coping with your own emotions!
Although it’s easier said than done, the one true way out of reliving emotional abuse and coming into emotional freedom comes with the decision to ask for help and there are plenty of professionals available to walk you through it, who are available at the top rehabilitation centres in India. It may benefit you to reach out for professional help via the best rehab centres in India, featured on www.rehabsindia.in.
3. Specific Evidence-Based Therapies
Before you address emotional abuse, you’ll have to tackle drug or alcohol addiction first. The influence of any psychoactive substance will make it harder to really start recovering. Once addiction recovery is stable you can seek out these specific, evidence-based therapies:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: CBT helps patients overcome drug addiction and alcoholism by helping to dismiss false beliefs and insecurities that lead to substance abuse, providing self-help tools to better their moods, and teaching effective communication skills. Triggers — situations that “trigger” cravings throughout the day — keep many addicted people from getting sober.
Group therapy: Group therapy sessions can be conducted in varied therapeutic settings and levels of care, including hospital-based inpatient programs, residential programs, and outpatient recovery programs. For someone committed to ending their drug use and beginning a period of recovery, group therapy is an option that can be as effective as individual sessions. [2]
Somatic Therapy: Somatic Experiencing is an addiction treatment that helps people to focus on the present moment and to build the capacity for spontaneous sensorial experiences of the body. This treatment method focuses on guiding people back into the present moment so that they can direct their attention to reality-based experiences instead of being pulled back into addictive behaviors by difficult feelings, thoughts, or sensations from unresolved trauma.
Somatic Experiencing uses orientation to help us relax both mentally and physically. By being aware of our current surroundings, we can better assess the situation for safety and begin to resolve addiction by regulating emotions. This process also helps break the cycle of traumatic memory because it gives us the ability to see triggers that might normally lead to a flashback from past trauma. Once we can identify these triggers, we can start to work on overcoming addiction and other compulsive behaviors. [3]
Family Therapy or Couples Therapy: This type of therapy is recommended for individuals who are willing to accept the fact that they have been acting negatively towards others and harming their relationships with family, friends, and significant others. Relatives can help introspective people understand how to make peace within each relationship and may be used as a way to facilitate a compromise within some families that still feel divided over particular issues.
Emotional Freedom Technique: While many therapists throughout the world have found this technique effective, you may find it becomes most useful when trying to make sense of unaccepted or unpleasant situations that made you feel bad. One of the best ways to begin disassociating from these events is by starting with a simple affirmation: ``I love myself!’’ You can also say this out loud several times.
If you find yourself in any of the situations described above, maybe you should talk with a family counselor or approach the best rehab centres in India. Emotional abuse can be treated properly. So there is nothing to be ashamed of if you are ready for help.
REFERENCES-
AUTHOR- Dr. Niharika Singh (MBBS, MD Psychiatry, MIPS)
Dr. Niharika Singh received her MBBS degree from Kurukshetra University, following which she went on to complete MD Psychiatry from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore. During her residency program, she pursued her thesis on psychosocial factors and personality profiles of early and late-onset Alcohol dependence syndrome. With a view to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field of mental health, she then continued to train regularly with premier institutes such as Harvard Medical School - McLean Hospital (USA) in Mind-Body Medicine, Beck Institute (USA) in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, NIMHANS (Bangalore) in Addiction Psychiatry, Behaviour Medicine, Clinical Neurophysiology and Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation and has completed Fellowship in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation from Duke University (USA). After post-graduation, her goal has been to inform the public about addiction issues. Her mission is to help those in need of treatment find the best option for them. And with this being her consistent vision, she believes in de-stigmatizing the field of addiction psychiatry and rehabilitation center treatment in India and has been working at a licensed dual-diagnosis facility in New Delhi. Through her contributions to rehabsindia.in she aims at providing licensed, professional rehabilitative care choices to patients and their families.
REVIEWED BY- Sudipta Rath (M. Phil in Clinical Psychology)
Sudipta Rath completed her MPhil in clinical psychology from Utkal University in Odisha (India) in 2020 and is currently practicing in New Delhi as a clinical psychologist at a dual diagnosis facility. She is a licensed RCI practitioner specializing in all forms of psychotherapy. Addiction and mental health are personal subjects for her, and her goal is that she can give a helping hand to those seeking healthy and lasting recovery.