This week, Dr. Greg follows up on last week’s episode about the warning signs of emotional abuse to answer the question “What can I do if my relationship is unhealthy?” In this episode, he breaks open three practical steps you can take to help you navigate through the challenges of a difficult relationship.

Highlights from the episode: 

• The subtlety and invisibility of emotional and psychological abuse; 

• How the parts of us that believe “if only the other person would change, my life would be better” can overshadow other more helpful parts; 

• Free will and self-determination as integral parts of our humanity that cannot be taken away; 

• The importance of identifying where we still have freedom to make a choice;

• The fruitlessness of attempting to change another person’s behavior; 

• Understanding boundaries as necessary when making decisions in and about a relationship; 

• How there can be parts of us that put up roadblocks to our growth and development due to fear;

• The way we react, respond, and participate in relational dynamics as a result of our personality formed in childhood; 

• Growth in self-awareness as essential in the process of healing; 

• How courage and greater strength come from support and community. 

Resources mentioned or relevant:

• Last week’s episode: Seven Signs of Emotional Abuse (A Relationship Series, Part Four); 

• Need help? Schedule a free consultation call with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you;

• Past episodes on Internal Family Systems and parts work: 

• Ep. #34: A New Theory! with a Catholic Lens 

• Ep. #35: Why Do I Feel Like I Have Conflicting Parts? w/ Dr. Peter Malinoski; 

• More about the Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat;

• Books: 

• Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life;

• Stop Walking on Eggshells;

• Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning;

• Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more!

• Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, courses, prayer resources, and more;

• Learn about IDDM (Mentorship), our new model of accompaniment;

• Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on the exciting developments at CatholicPsych;

• Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available;

• Join the waitlist to be notified about our next Open House to learn more about the new CPMAP certification!

Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!

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