If You're Still Asking "Was It Really Abuse?" Listen to This

Were you married to a narcissist and still unsure whether it "counts" as abuse? You're not alone. As a practicing therapist, I asked myself that question for years, until one matter-of-fact sentence from my ex made everything click.

In this episode, I break down the five reasons survivors keep asking "Was it really abuse?":

• Covert abuse doesn't look like abuse
• DARVO and gaslighting teach you to doubt yourself
• The good days trigger euphoric recall
• Kind, self-reflective people get targeted and stay longer
• Betrayal blindness protects you from a painful truth

You'll also hear the four questions nearly every survivor asks, and why your empathy was never the problem. It's worth protecting, not getting rid of.

Learn exactly how I've helped thousands stop doubting themselves. https://chelseybrookecolecommunity.circle.so/find-clarity

Watch my FREE masterclass, The Narcissist's Playbook, and learn the exact patterns narcissists use and why they're so hard to see when you're in it. https://www.chelseybrookecole.com/the-narcissists-playbook/

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ABOUT CHELSEY

Chelsey Brooke Cole is a licensed psychotherapist and Certified Partner Trauma Therapist helping you learn to trust yourself again after narcissistic abuse. She is the bestselling author of If Only I'd Known! and host of the Restoring Resilience podcast. Her work has been featured in USA Today, HuffPost, Psychology Today, and other media outlets.

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Chapter Markers

(0:00) Introduction: Is This Really Abuse?

(1:06) Reason #1: It Doesn't Look Like Abuse

(1:43) Reason #2: They Told You It Wasn't Abuse

(2:57) Reason #3: The Good Days Make You Question Everything

(3:45) Reason #4: You're a Good Person

(4:22) The Sentence That Made It All Click

(5:28) Reason #5: Seeing It Would Cost Too Much

(6:35) Four Questions Survivors Ask

(7:55) Key Takeaways