Episodes

If intimacy in your marriage feels confusing, pressured, or something you’re starting to dread, often, maybe you have a manipulative husband. Here are three overlooked signs of manipulation in marriage. And over time, those patterns don’t just affect intimacy—they erode your sense of safety, clarity, and trust in yourself. If you’ve ever wondered if all married intimacy is this way—this will help you finally make sense of it. SIGNS OF A MANIPULATIVE HUSBAND 1. YOU SAY YES AFTER SAYING NO One...

Many people say the key to restoring a relationship is forgiveness, but what should you do when an abuser denies his abuse? Is forgiveness even possible? Here’s what you need to know. Many clergy, therapists, family or friends tell victims to “just forgive” their abuser. But this advice often ignores the trauma victims face and the need to focus on protecting themselves so they can heal. When people talk about forgiveness, they’re often really asking victims to accept abuse and move on. This cr...

When your husband doesn’t help with housework, it’s important to understand how it might impact you. Sometimes his refusal to do housework is a sign of emotional abuse. To discover if he’s using any one of the 19 different types of emotional abuse, take our free abuse quiz. TRANSCRIPT: WHEN YUR HUSBAND DOESN’T HELP WITH HOUSEWORK Anne: It’s just me today. I’m going to talk about what happens when your husband doesn’t help with the housework. When he fails to help with household responsibiliti...

Psychological abuse is so insidious victims often cannot identify that they are a victim. If your husband has used psychological abuse to hide his infidelity or other harmful behavior, here’s what you need to know. If you relate, take our free psychological abuse quiz. PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE DEFINITION & SYMPTOMS Psychological abuse is a form of emotional and mental harm inflicted that is often so subtle it’s almost impossible to recognize. Tactics of psychological abuse include lying, manipulat...

If you’re a woman trying to make sense of your husband’s behavior or struggling with feelings of worth tied to how you look, understanding what is featurism might bring much-needed clarity. Here are 3 things to know. To know if you’re experiencing any one of the 19 types of abuse, take our free abuse quiz. Featurism, also known as feature-based discrimination, is the practice of valuing and prioritizing certain physical features over others. Featurism is when people think certain looks, like s...

Is crying yourself to sleep almost every night normal? Is marriage meant to be hard? We’ll get to the answer. And in the meantime, consider that you may be experiencing emotional abuse. To find out, take our free emotional abuse quiz. THE MYTH THAT MARRIAGE IS MEANT TO BE HARD ENABLES ABUSE The old “marriage is hard” trope enables abusers. When clergy, family, therapists, and others advise women struggling in abusive situations, they answer the question, “Is marriage meant to be hard?”” By sa...

Did you know that emotional abuse and infidelity always happen together? If your husband has been unfaithful, take this free emotional abuse quiz to see if you’re experiencing any of the 19 types of emotional abuse that occurs with infidelity. BETRAYAL IS ABUSE BECAUSE IT INVOLVES ALL THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE TACTICS 1. Lying He lies to hide infidelity, secret spending, or pornography use. Betrayal never happens without lying. Hiding things like watching pornography, having secret relations...

If you’re thinking about divorce or recently divorced, you may wonder, “Do good men exist?” Here’s what to consider if you’re worried about being single. To learn more about emotional abuse, before you consider dating again, take our free emotional abuse test. TRANSCRIPT: DO GOOD MEN EXIST? Anne: I’m more than excited to have my friend Gretchen Baskerville on today’s episode. She’s a Christian living in the Los Angeles area. She’s been doing Christian divorce recovery ministry in churches sin...

Are you wondering if there’s something wrong with your husband or boyfriend? Here are 5 silent red flags in a relationship that you need to know. If you relate to this episode, did you know that there are 19 types of emotional abuse? Take our free emotional abuse test to see if you’re experiencing this. 1. COMING ON STRONG EARLY ON Like most red flags, abusers will often come on very strong early on. In Ayla’s case, her abuser immediately began to love-bomb her with attention, a job offer, fla...

Many women turn to clergy to ask, “Should you stay married after infidelity?” If you’ve been looking to God or clergy for answers (or even friends and family), here’s the truth no one will say out loud. The shocking truth might be that you’re also experiencing emotional abuse. Take our free emotional abuse test to find out. If you need live support, attend a Betrayal Trauma Recovery Group Session today. TRANSCRIPT: SHOULD YOU STAY MARRIED AFTER INFIDELITY? Anne: Women go to clergy, they go to...

Is your husband using scriptures to coerce or oppress you? If so, you may be experiencing spiritual abuse symptoms. Here’s how to know for sure. If you’re wondering if you’ve experienced spiritual abuse, take our free spiritual abuse quiz to see if he’s used any of these tactics to exploit and oppress you. Spiritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological manipulation where a husband uses scripture, revelation, or religious traditions to oppress women. It also involves the misuse of powe...

If you’re married, have you just discovered that your husband watches gay pornography or is hooks up with men? Have you wondered, “Is my husband gay?” This kind of betrayal cuts deep, and it makes sense that you feel angry, confused, and sad. Not because you’re mean or hateful, but because he lied to you and broke your trust. You’re not alone. Betrayal can hurt a lot, but there are ways to get help and feel better. Here are three signs that might show if your husband could be gay, along with s...

If you’re lying awake at night wondering, “What will this do to my kids?”—you’re not alone. But divorce co-parenting research tells a very different story than what most women have been told. Let’s walk through what the research actually shows—especially for mothers trying to create a calmer, safer home for their children. DIVORCE CO-PARENTING RESEARCH YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. DIVORCE IS NOT UNIVERSALLY HARMFUL TO KIDS One of the biggest fears mothers carry is that divorce will “ruin” their child...

Have clergy or therapists pushed you toward forgiving abuse? Here’s why that’s so damaging. Before you discover the truth about forgiving abuse, confirm it’s abuse by taking our free emotional abuse quiz to find out. FORGIVENESS VS. RECONCILIATION (THEY’RE NOT THE SAME THING) Betrayal Trauma Recovery is inter-paradigm. Religious and non-religious victims can accept that reconciliation is not only unnecessary, but inadvisable in working toward the process of forgiving abuse. Forgiveness does ...

If your husband filmed you with a hidden camera, you could be a victim of trafficking. Dani Pinter is Senior Legal Counsel for the National Center on Exploitation. The National Center on Exploitation was founded in 1962, and is the leading national nonpartisan organization. They expose the links between all forms of exploitation. Such as CSCAM, prostitution, trafficking, and the public harms of online explicit material. If you are a victim of exploitation and would like to reach a representativ...

The nature of psychological and emotional abuse leaves many victims unsure, asking how do I know if it’s abuse? To discover if you’re emotionally abused, take this free emotional abuse quiz. Lorelai, a member of the Betrayal Trauma Recovery community, joins Anne on the free BTR podcast to share her powerful story of escaping her husband’s sexual abuse, constant manipulation and gaslighting. Through the fog of abuse, she was able to use empowering tools to identify the abuse and set safety boun...

It’s important for women to understand that under Federal Law, the distribution of intimate images without consent is illegal. If it’s happened to you, here’s what you need to know. When Laila Mickelwait, founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, began questioning the legality of P____b’s content. She quickly learned that P____b is full of videos that document the abuse of women. At Betrayal Trauma Recovery, we take the firm stance that pornography is abusive to everyone involved. P____b is ...

Here’s how to set boundaries with your emotionally abusive husband. One of the first steps is to discover which of the 19 different emotional abuse tactics he may be using. To do that, take our free emotional abuse quiz. BECOMING FREE FROM EMOTIONAL ABUSE Victims can use emotional safety strategies with their emotionally abusive husband. To learn these strategies, enroll in the Betrayal Trauma Recovery Living Free Workshop. TRANSCRIPT: HOW TO SET BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE HUSB...

If you’re wondering, “What does the bible say about narcissistic abuse?” Here’s a list of scriptures that will help you know what to do next. To know if you’re one of the 19 different types of narcissistic abuse, take our free emotional abuse test. TRANSCRIPT: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT NARCISSISTIC ABUSE? Anne: I am honored to have Leslie Vernick on today’s episode. Welcome, Leslie. We will talk about what does the Bible say about narcissistic abuse. Leslie: Thanks Anne for having me. I’...

Are you considering divorcing an abusive husband? If you feel overwhelmed at the thought of hiring a lawyer or fighting for custody? To discover if you’re emotionally abused, take this free emotional abuse test. Wendy, an attorney, joins Anne Blythe, M.Ed. to talk about divorcing an abusive husband. To learn strategy for dealing with and abusive husband before and after divorce, enroll in The Betrayal Trauma Recovery Living Free Workshop. HIRING AN ATTORNEY WHEN DIVORCING AN ABUSIVE HUSBAND A...

Children of divorce often wonder, “Can you emancipate yourself from one parent?” Tiffany will share the story of how she emancipated from both parents. Hopefully, her story can help any minor hoping to emancipate themselves from an abusive parent. If you have children in danger from their father after a divorce, or you’re concerned about it, we’d love to support you. Attend a Betrayal Trauma Recovery Group Session TODAY. 1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO EMANCIPATE YOURSELF? At BTR, we advocate for safe...

Melea Stevens, from the National Center of Exploitation, and Anne Blythe, M.Ed. talk about how we can protect children online. With kids spending increasing amounts of time on smartphones, tablets, and computers, ensuring their safety requires tools, education, and awareness. Because the foundation of all abuse is emotional manipulation, teach children the 19 different types of emotional abuse. Take our free emotional abuse quiz to learn more. Educating children about online safety is crucial....

The long term effects of emotional abuse in marriage are different for every woman. Here are 6 long term effects and 3 way to overcome them. 6 LONG TERM EFFECTS OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE IN MARRIAGE Low self-esteem and self-worth due to constant manipulation or criticism. Anxiety and depression caused by prolonged emotional distress. Confusion of not being able to make progress with your goals because your husband is exploiting and undermining you. A sense of isolation and loneliness from emotiona...

Liz just wanted to keep herself and her family safe. She didn’t know these 3 signs of spiritual abuse that every woman needs to know. To discover if you’re emotionally abused, take this free emotional abuse quiz. Liz sought support from trusted church leaders after she experienced abuse. But rather than receiving the help she deserved, Liz experienced severe spiritual abuse from clergy and continued emotional and psychological abuse from her abusers. If you’re experiencing this type of abuse, ...