Healing From Trauma Is Messy
You want to tell everyone everything that happened, and you want to never think about it again.
Read MoreTag: emotional abuse
What Is “Love Bombing”?
Abusers can use love bombing as a way to destabilize partners and convince them to stay.
Read MoreAll The Fictional Sociopaths I’ve Loved
The sociopath boyfriend isn’t looking for a perfect little wife. He wants an accomplice.
Read MoreThe Kind of Girl Who Gets Herpes
“I guess this is what I get for falling for a girl like you.” An insult tossed off so casually, so precisely designed to gut me.
Read MoreIntroducing “LIFE RUINER,” A Micro-Memoir About Herpes and Abusive Relationships
While I’ve alluded to the less than ideal circumstances surrounding my herpes diagnosis, I’ve never told the story from start to finish.
Read MoreMaybe He Doesn’t Hit You
Maybe he doesn’t hit you but he collects your infractions and lines them up on his desk like so many surgical knives.
Read MoreWhy I Don’t Call Herpes a “Gift”
We need to make space for nuance as the conversation about STIs becomes more than the occasional personal essay on a lady blog.
Read MoreYou Don’t Need to Forgive People Who Hurt You
You do not need to forgive people who have been abusive to you. You do not need to rise above them, or make peace with them, or even pity them. You need to do whatever is best for you.
Read MoreThe Conversation That Never Happened: On Herpes and Abusive Relationships
I think I texted him that I needed to talk and asked if we could meet up. I might have called him directly, but my voice was shaking and brittle and I knew he would hear it. So I think I texted him, and he must have called me instead of answering the text—he liked […]
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Ella Dawson 