Relationship abuse is emotional, mental, spiritual, financial, physical, and/or sexual abuse committed by a spouse (or intimate partner), family, friend, religious leader, and/or work colleague and/or supervisor. At CARA, we focus on emotional, mental, and spiritual abuse because they leave invisible wounds that do not receive the attention they deserve.
Relationship abuse can be confusing, because abusers aren’t always harming their victims. The image below details how the cycle of abuse generally evolves. It will continue until someone breaks it.
