In this section, review the various abuse examples and check off the ones that apply to you. If you have something to add, feel free to do so, because I cannot cover all the examples that may apply to you. Still, I’ve seen and treated a lot of examples, and they typically fall into these categories (in alphabetical order):

1. Cyber Abuse: Intimidation, threats, insults, and covert operations, often with falsified identities.
2. Emotional Abuse: Intense anxiety, guilt, confusion, shame, anger, hostility, rejection, and fear.
3. Financial Abuse: Sole control of money, stealing, destroying assets, hiding resources, refusing access, falsifying records, and interfering with work environments.
4. Legal Abuse: Using the legal system to tie you up in court unnecessarily.
5. Medical Abuse: Deciding for, or preventing medical treatment. Illegal substances and pharmaceutical drugs are sometimes given without knowledge or consent.
6. Mental Abuse: Gaslighting, silence, manipulation, and victimization.
7. Physical Abuse: Intimidation, isolation, restraint, aggression, and endangerment.
8. Self-Abuse: Cutting, other self-harm, suicide attempts, picking, eating disorders designed to inflict pain to yourself to relieve emotional pain.
9. Sexual Abuse: Jealous rages, coercion, sexual withdrawal, rape, and degrading acts.
10. Spiritual Abuse: Dichotomous thinking, prejudice, elitist beliefs, ex-communication, estrangement, and demanding submission.
11. Substance Abuse: Substance abuse can impact the family both directly and indirectly. Neither has good results.
12. Verbal Abuse: Screaming, bullying, name-calling, berating, and blaming.