Orlando Domestic Violence Therapy Counseling

Signs of Domestic Abuse or an Unhealthy Relationship

If questioning whether you are in an unhealthy relationship, ask yourself if the relationship exhibits the following traits:

• Inconsistent
• Unstable
• Insecure
• Intense
• Full of fear and anxiousness

Many abuse survivors describe an abusive relationship as “walking on eggshells” because the unhealthy relationship is “occasionally” calm, safe, secure, and trusting.

Unhealthy and abusive relationships have negative impacts on your life in more ways than one. Below are several ways that abuse negatively impacts your life.

Forms of Domestic Violence:

• Psychological/Emotional
• Physical
• Sexual
• Financial

Signs of a Psychologically & Emotionally Abusive Relationship:

• Growing more isolated from friends, family, and social support than before the relationship
• Feeling crazy or often question the truth of what you are seeing and hearing
• Significant fear of abandonment; “If you don’t do ___, I’ll find someone else who will’ or “You’ll never be good enough for anyone else”
• Being humiliated, embarrassed or called derogatory names
• You often hear verbal threats of future abuse such as “I’ll leave you if…” or “I’ll hit you if…”
• You are often interrogated about your schedule, life, friends, hobbies or anything occurring outside of the relationship

Signs of a Physically Abusive Relationship:

• Shoving, slapping, hair-pulling, pinching, kicking, poisoning, applying force to the throat, holding your head underwater, restraining, shaking, throwing, biting, hitting with fist or object, cutting off air supply, or using a weapon.

Signs of a Sexually Abusive Relationship:

• Physical or psychological force to coerce or compel a partner to engage in sexual acts against his or her will. You may hear, “Just do it because you love me” despite you expressing a deep desire against it.

Symptoms of Abuse or an Unhealthy Relationship

The chronic stress of being in an unhealthy, toxic, neglectful or abusive relationship can result in any of the following symptoms of abuse:

Physical Symptoms of an Unhealthy & Abusive Relationship:

• Increased heart rate or heart-related health concerns
• Significant changes in sleep habits
• Increased or decreased appetite
• Chronic physical pain including migraines
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Difficulties with sexual intimacy or becoming aroused

Emotional & Social Symptoms of an Abusive or Toxic Relationship:

• Decreased social connectedness with previously close friends and family
• Feeling sad or anxious when away from your partner
• Feeling uncomfortable being yourself around your partner
• Difficulty concentrating or paying attention
• Feeling anxious, indecisive or uncomfortable making decisions on your own
• General fear, anxiety, and anger
• Sadness or depression
• Loss of trust in self and others
• Fear of intimacy

Whether suffering from intimate partner violence, domestic abuse, or an unhealthy relationship, it is critical to reach out to people you trust as well as seek out professional domestic abuse counseling and resources for help.

Living with harmful, painful, and unhealthy relationships can leave you feeling lonely, exhausted, and confused. Attempting to understand what you are seeing and hearing becomes increasingly difficult as the abuse continues.

As a domestic violence survivor, you may have suffered from physical, emotional, verbal, psychological, or sexual abuse by someone close to you and are asking, “How do I cope with unhealthy relationships?”

Orlando Domestic Violence Therapy Counseling

Our Orlando domestic abuse therapy and domestic abuse counseling services at Center of Life Counseling can help. Our relationship counselors provide empathetic assistance and domestic violence resources while answering all of your questions.

Together we will:

• Identify signs of an abusive relationship
• Pinpoint warning signs of a toxic relationship
• Develop an individualized plan to protect and avoid unhealthy, toxic, and abusive relationships
• Create a personalized path to finding healthy, safe and secure relationships

When you are unsure of where to turn, our relationship counselors at Center of Life Counseling are here to extend a safe, professional, and compassionate space for healing from an abusive relationship. Our abuse experts provide gentle care and support throughout your healing journey.

Scheduling an Appointment

If concerned that you are experiencing an abusive or unhealthy relationship, you may feel confused, overwhelmed and exhausted. It can be extremely difficult to take action and schedule an appointment, but our therapists and counselors are here to help by providing an initial phone consultation to answer any questions you may have.

Waiting to begin therapy never helps. The earlier we begin, the more effective your healing will be.

Together we will overcome unhealthy relationships.

If relationship help is needed, don’t suffer any longer. Contact Center of Life Counseling by calling or e-mailing us to set up an initial relationship therapy consultation today.

We answer live 7 days a week from 9 AM – 9 PM. We look forward to speaking with you.