YES, please read the book. Knowledge is power...without that book, I never would have realized there was a name for what I was experiencing (verbal abuse), and also as a child
There is NO such thing as "mild" abuse. ALL abuse is damaging.

One should NEVER go into counseling with the abuser....either the abuser will abuse you later on (happened to me), or the abused will be afraid to say anything, and nothing can happen. Amazingly, many therapists miss the abuse dynamics, since aubsers are master manipulators (everyone thinks they are mr. Nice GUy.

They have issues from the past and they take it out on the person the are supposed to love.

Abuse is also literally brainwashing. THe same techniques used in POW camps, are the same ones abusers use (See Biderman's chart of Coercion and/or The Stockholm Syndrome.

One thing you should know: Abuse is a CHOICE, always a CHOICE, if it were not, they would abuse others; they don't they do it behind closed doors.

Unless an abuser is willing to get therapy (ALONE) to work on their issues, they will never change. THey rarely believe they have a problem, anyway.

YES, PLEASE read that book, and tell me what you think. FOr me, it was as if Patricia was writing just about me, but in reality she was writing about millions of women.

Hugs, Alice