The Overwhelmed Brain

Emotional Intelligence for Critical Thinkers

Transforming the Emotionally Abusive Relationship

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When I was first getting to know my partner, she told me about her relationship with her ex. She said that they were the best of friends, so it only made sense that developing that friendship into a romantic relationship would enhance what they had and bring them even closer.

After several years of emotional abuse and a bitter divorce, she left that relationship a shell of her former self.

Emotionally abusive people know exactly how to be a good friend. They show up when you need them. They say all the right things. They appear to be genuinely kind and generous to you and the rest of the world.

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The Formula for Friendship – Tuning Into the Yellow Flags of Betrayal – Trusting Relationships

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Friendships are created and can last a lifetime, but they can also disintegrate, never to be rekindled.

What makes a friendship? How do you know if your friends are truly the ones that will be there with you and for you through all the good and bad times? In this first segment, I tackle these questions head-on.

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Should You Get Into A Committed Relationship When You Have Compatibility Issues?

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Today’s episode is all about compatibility and how you can look at any problem in life and narrow it down to a compatibility issue.

Sometimes taking out the emotional part of the equation can be helpful if you want to follow the life you want to create for yourself.

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The Partner Who Is Everywhere But Home – Not Honoring Yourself In The Relationship – The Present Moment

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What do you do when your partner wants to spend more time away from home than with you? Is that a sign that there’s something wrong in the relationship? Is there a more serious issue? Is it perhaps they don’t feel safe with you?

In the first segment, I read a letter from a man who missed his fiance’. She would go out drinking with friends and family and he would be home alone, trying not to be offended or hurt.

As she spent less time at home, he got more concerned but also gave her the space she asked for. Soon, the wedding was called off and she was moving out.

What went wrong? What could he have done differently?

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Getting Better at Receiving – Recovering from Abusive Love – Living with the Affair

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Giving can feel so good, but receiving can too, so why do so many people have trouble receiving?

Do you reject gifts or other offers? If so, why would you take the honor to give away from the giver? If you’ve not thought about it like that before, segment one is for you.

In segment two, I read a letter from a woman who feels like she’s wasted three years of her life with her emotionally abusive boyfriend. [Read more…]