El Amethyst

“I could handle goblins and bogeymen and evil, flesh-eating horses, but giant freaking spiders?”
― Julie Kagawa, The Iron Daughter

“Being true to ourselves is a key to dealing with the narcissist even when he or she is a parent. If it means the loss of their presence, that sacrifice must be made so that we can call our lives our own.”
― Linda Martinez-Lewi, Freeing Yourself from the Narcissist in Your Life: At Home. At Work. With Friends

“Domestic violence is not only physical abuse. Domestic violence is emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial dependence, control, psychological abuse and gaslighting. Some of the signs of an abusive relationship are: Financial control: taking your money and not allowing you access to it. Counting every penny spent in the household. Isolation: jealousy of time spent with friends or family. Jealousy of time spent away from him/her. Destroying self-esteem: embarrassing or putting you down. Destroying your property or harming your pets. Telling you “You are a bad parent”; criticism of your parenting skills. Intimidating you with weapons and/or physical force. Preventing you from working or going to school. Sexual abuse: pressuring you to have sex or perform a sexual act you are uncomfortable with. Pressuring you to do drugs or alcohol. I”
― Bree Bonchay, I Am Free: Healing Stories About Surviving Toxic Relationships With Narcissists And Sociopaths

“Why did I stay? My self-esteem was ruined for a very long time. I was socially isolated from my family and friends. I kept everything that was going on in my marriage a secret. I feared for my safety if I left him. I was financially dependent on my spouse. I am an educated woman who was working towards a master’s degree when I met him. He persuaded me to stop school after the birth of our first son. Eventually, he trapped me in his web of lies. I believe I suffered from Stockholm syndrome for many years. It isn’t easy to leave. Unless you have lived in an abusive relationship, a typical person wouldn’t understand. It seems perfectly logical to an outsider that it would be easy to leave an abusive relationship. It truly isn’t and walking away is terrifying for a victim. No one deserves to live his or her life as a prisoner. Love shouldn’t hurt and abuse is not love. —Mary Laumbach-Perez”
― Bree Bonchay, I Am Free: Healing Stories About Surviving Toxic Relationships With Narcissists And Sociopaths