When Silence is a Weapon: Surviving Psychological Torture in Plain Sight

After 20 years of emotional and psychological abuse, I was barely functioning. My husband used silent treatment, gaslighting, and daily emotional pressure to wear me down — all while convincing others, including the police, that he was the victim. When I finally called for help, I could barely speak. I said, “I need the yelling and the craziness to stop,” but no one listened. The yelling continued — in front of my child — and I began to disappear. I felt invisible, broken, and insane. It wasn’t until I discovered he’d been in a long-term affair that everything made sense. The covert abuse had been carefully orchestrated. Even now, I still feel crazy sometimes — because that’s what years of gaslighting does to your brain. But I know this: I survived. And now, I’m reclaiming my voice. If you’ve been silenced, ignored, or made to doubt your reality, you're not alone. Emotional abuse is real — and it’s time we talk about it.