Reactive Abuse

You remember it exactly. The night you finally yelled back after months of silent treatment. The afternoon you said something cruel, something that surprised even you. The moment you crossed a line you swore you'd never cross, and somehow became the villain of a story you didn't start.

This is reactive abuse: a manipulation tactic where someone provokes you for months or years, then points to your reaction as proof that you're the real problem. It's one of the most disorienting forms of psychological abuse because it uses your own worst moment as evidence against you.

In this book, you'll learn:

Why the explosion everyone points to was never the beginning of the story
The psychology behind deliberate provocation, and why it works so well on people who are otherwise calm and reasonable
How to see through the myth that both people in a conflict are equally abusive
Why this trap works especially well on smart, self-aware people who hold themselves to a high standard
How reactive abuse shows up outside romantic relationships, in families, friendships, and workplaces
Scripts and tools for refusing the trap the next time it's set

Written in the same clear, no-jargon style as her other books on manipulation and psychological abuse, this is for anyone who has been made to feel like the aggressor for finally reacting to something they endured for far too long.

Your reaction was never the beginning of the story. This book will help you find where it actually started.