What is Verbal Abuse?

Verbal abuse and physical abuse are very hurtful things. Although most physical scars heal, verbal scars forever stay in your heart and never truly go away. Sometimes all it takes is someone to say just the right words unintentionally to bring a flood of feelings back as far away as your childhood.

Here are some examples of verbal abuse:

• put downs
• humiliation at home and in public 
• unpredictable mood swings, alternating from good to bad for no apparent reason? 
• act of "twisting" your words, somehow turning what you said against you? 
• threat to leave, or threat to throw you out?   
• left you stranded? 
• threat to hurt you or your family?       
• manipulation with you on broken promises
• the ruins of furniture, walls, appliances?  
• drugs and/or alcohol involved? are things worse then?