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7.3 WILL YOU RECOGNIZE ABUSE?

This almost seems like a ridiculous statement. Yet denial is a powerful emotion. If you decide that you are being abused then many things may change. Even if you do nothing, your attitude toward the other person and toward your own behavior will change significantly. To recognize abuse is to make a life change. And if you do do something, it may radically change your relationship, even end it. This is the risk that you take.

Note: When I was dealing with my 1st wife and my brother, people did not understand the concepts of verbal and emotional abuse; these would only be formulated decades later. Yet, at the same time, I knew something was terribly wrong and I denied it, preferring to just keep on going. Denial is a major psychological force and can keep you from seeing what is directly in front of you.

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