| Isolation is one of the mechanisms used to create | | | | There are several ways in which your isolation serves |
| and maintain domination of one person over another. | | | | your partner and helps maintain the abuse in your |
| Evolution of isolation in abusive relationships | | | | relationship.a) Your isolation creates a relationship |
| It often evolves so gradually that you don't realize | | | | climate of dependence, as there are no other adults |
| it's happening until you wake-up one day and notice | | | | in your personal orbit other than your partner.b) Your |
| you have no friends and your contact with your own | | | | isolation creates an exterior shield of silence regarding |
| family has vanished. | | | | the abuse in your home.c) Your isolation serves to |
| Now the funny thing is that as your icy isolation is | | | | silence you from yourself with respect to your |
| being groomed, you're conditioned to believe that it is | | | | abusive relationship. |
| "good for you." (There's that conditioning, again.) | | | | What you can do to overcome icy isolation of an |
| You're told things like this person is not worthy of | | | | abusive relationship |
| your company, that person is undesirable to your | | | | If you are in an abusive relationship, the "other" |
| partner, another poses a threat to your relationship. | | | | people falling out of your personal orbit may very |
| There are as many reasons for you not to have | | | | well be your first tip-off that something is not right |
| people in your life, other than your partner, as there | | | | at home. When you notice yourself participating in |
| were people in you life before the abusive | | | | the narrowing of your personal social circle, take a |
| relationship. | | | | hard and honest look at all of the defining |
| And when you internalize your partner's perception of | | | | characteristics of abusive relationships. |
| his/her preferences with respect to the people being | | | | If your relationship has progressed and you see |
| walled out of your life, you are rewarded. Sometimes | | | | yourself in many ways "stuck" or merely trying to |
| this reward maybe in the form of a positive gesture | | | | work things out with your partner, make a personal |
| by your partner. Or, it may present as the absence | | | | commitment to yourself to keep at least one channel |
| of a previously negative spill of verbal emotional | | | | of contact with someone near and dear open |
| abuse when you failed to comply with the walling off | | | | always, even if you have to do so secretly. This |
| of this particular person. | | | | person could be your lifeline in a time of need. |
| How this isolation serves your partner | | | | |