PAUL BARIBEAU

From the book Creating an Abuse Free Relationship by Carolyn S. McGinnis, Ph. D.

It is really important to understand the amount of control that abusive people have. I’ve heard my friends, sadly, talk about needing more “proof” that abuse is happening. They say they would need to see it to believe it. Well, you probably won’t see it. Abusers I have met are smart enough not to physically attack their victims. Instead, they attack with words. They are smart enough to stop when someone says “no” to sex. Instead, they make the victim feel that they don’t have the option to say no. 

If your friend reaches out to you for help, trust them and try to help them. Don’t say that you will need to see more abuse happen. Do what you can to make abuse stop.