Thank you for your response! Let me first say that I relate to EVERYTHING you said. Though each situation is different, you'll find a lot of commonalities among people who have suffered through emotional abuse.

I guess for me, it was about seeing how my relationship with him affected everyone around me. His abuse was starting to extend to my friends and my family, and I just had to finally say that it was no longer about me anymore. And it really forced me to recognize that I deserved to be treated better as well.

The events surrounding how I left . . . I sort of lucked into. He had gotten arrested, so it made it much easier to sever those ties safely.

When it's the right time, you will know. Something will happen that will push you toward that point. I'm not a professional—just someone who found my voice. But I know how important it is to be safe. If you don't feel safe, gather up a support team to surround yourself with and tell them what's going on. If you feel safe, on the other stand, still do that. You will need loving people around you once you finally make that decision to go.

If you don't feel you are strong enough to leave, don't beat yourself up about it. If you only have the strength enough to recognize the problems, that still takes a lot of courage to do. One day, one step at a time.

If you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to me elsewhere. You can find me on facebook by searching for Tina Marie Morlock.