Is Emotional Neglect Abusive? [Episode 384]
August 18, 2026
Let’s talk about emotional neglect. Can we really categorize this as “abuse?”
I say we can, and in today’s episode, I’m going to tell you why.
Let’s talk about emotional neglect. Can we really categorize this as “abuse?”
I say we can, and in today’s episode, I’m going to tell you why.
This is part two of our series on the subtle gaslighting tactics emotional abusers and narcissists use in Christian marriage. You’ll hear four more specific examples of what he says, why he says it, what it triggers in you, and the precise words to say back so the tactic stops working on you for good.
Today we’ll talk about one of the most disorienting experiences Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages face: gaslighting.
But we aren’t going to just define what gaslighting is. I’m going to break it down into all the tiny parts and give you some specific stories so you can see exactly what’s going on and WHY.
You’ll learn three specific tactics gaslighters use, why they use them, and what you can do to stay grounded in your own reality when someone is working hard to pull you out of it.
Last week was the why. This week is the what now. In Part 2 of this conversation, Natalie Hoffman and Diana Swillinger get practical about what it actually takes to move your nervous system from a state of constant threat management into something that feels like real life. And they go somewhere unexpected: the resistance to joy itself.
This is not a list of lofty advice. These are specific, doable practices that teach your body moment by moment that it is safe to let its guard down. There is also a deeper question: is “survival mode” even still the right story for where you are now?
This is part four of the High Functioning Christian Women in Destructive Marriages series, and today we talk about a concept that ties the whole series together: sovereignty.
Synonyms for sovereignty include: freedom, autonomy, and independence.
If you’ve spent years managing everyone’s needs, shrinking your own, and building an identity around your capacity to give without limit, this episode will challenge a misunderstood theology that was never meant for women who are already pouring out from an empty cup.
Today’s conversation is a kick in the pants AND a permission slip, all wrapped into one.