09/06/2026
An abusive relationship erodes our self-trust. Because the abusive person works hard to make you doubt yourself.
Why do they want to do that?
Well, if they can cause your self-trust to be shaky, then it will be easier to mistreat you. 😣
And when your self-trust is eroded, you won’t believe yourself when you think you are being treated badly.
So now they can get away with it.
You’ll defer to their interpretation of events, their emotions, their judgments.
And that allows them to keep you “in your place.”
It’s terrible, isn’t it? 😭💔
No, the abuse was NOT your fault.
But they’ll try to make you believe it is.
So it’s no surprise that later, when we finally get free from the abusive situation, the internal lack of self-trust often continues.
Which makes sense. After all, abuse causes deep wounding.
But how can we heal when we are too busy believing it was all our fault? 😭
This lack of self-trust can show up as self-blame, poor self-esteem or self-doubt.
You may feel highly critical of yourself, struggle to feel confident, or get bogged down with depression or anxiety whenever you need to make decisions.
My compassionate friend, know this:
There is nothing wrong with you for having perfectly normal reactions and responses following an abusive relationship.
Abuse causes harm. ❤️🩹
And there is no shame in needing time to heal.
Healing is possible.
You can learn to trust yourself again.
And you are worthy of getting the help that you need.
❤️
Molly
Therapist cartooning the boundaries
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