Stop Emotional Blackmail: Establish Boundaries and Protect Yourself from the Effects of Fear, Obligation, and Guilt

"If you really loved me, you would..."

"I'll hurt myself if you don't do what I want."

"You owe me after all I've done for you."

"I'll tell everyone about your secrets if you don't..."

Do these phrases sound familiar to you?

The real meaning of these sentences, although it may trigger complex and confusing feelings, can be summed up in two simple words: emotional blackmail.

Emotional blackmail is a covert form of aggression in which a person close to us threatens, directly or indirectly, to puni...