Many people ask, can emotional abuse cause PTSD? The answer is yes. Even though it isn’t physical, emotional abuse can leave lasting scars. The effects often manifest in changes to your habits, personality, preferences, mood, and overall quality of life. If you’ve noticed these changes and are experiencing symptoms of PTSD (discussed below), it’s possible you’re dealing with the aftermath of emotional abuse, even if you don’t perceive it as severe.

Nonviolent traumatic experiences like surgeries, life-threatening illnesses, verbally abusive relationships, and bullying can profoundly affect your psyche. If these emotions aren’t consciously processed, your subconscious will work overtime, potentially leading to PTSD from emotional abuse.

Recognizing Symptoms of PTSD From Emotional Abuse

According to APA, symptoms of PTSD from emotional abuse can include:

Irritability and rage
Anxiety
Recurrent and intrusive flashbacks
Avoiding triggers
Nightmares
Panic attacks
Trouble with memory
Difficulty making decisions
Lack of motivation

PTSD emotional abuse presents in both psychological and physical forms. You might find that panic attacks or anxiety have altered your preferences, disliking things you once enjoyed. You may claim anger, anxiety and indecisiveness as your new personality when you were once filled with joy, clarity and social aptitude. Maybe insomnia disrupts your sleep, hindering your body and mind’s ability to heal.. Over time, these disruptions can spiral into a downward momentum physically and mentally.

Recognizing these symptoms lets you take control over the trauma that once dictated your life, paving the way for recovery.

Ptsd from Emotional Abuse Test

Below is a PTSD from emotional abuse test to help screen for symptoms. Please note, this is not a formal diagnosis, which can only be provided by a clinician.

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Email *

1. Do you have intrusions about the event in at least one of the following ways?

Repeated, distressing memories or dreams

Acting or feeling as if the event were happening again (flashbacks or a sense of reliving it)

Intense physical and/or emotional distress when you are exposed to things that remind you of the event

2. Do you avoid things that remind you of the event in at least one of the following ways?

Avoiding thoughts, feelings, or conversations about it

Avoiding activities and places or people who remind you of it

3. Since the event, do you have negative thoughts and mood associated with the event in at least 2 of the following ways?

Blanking on important parts of it

Negative beliefs about oneself, others and the world and about the cause or consequence of the event

Feeling detached from other people

Inability to feel positive emotions

Persistent negative emotional state

4. Are you troubled by at least two of the following?

Problems sleeping

Irritability or outbursts of anger

Reckless or self-destructive behavior

Problems concentrating

Feeling "on guard"

An exaggerated startle response

Thank you for taking the time to screen your symptoms. Your mental health is a priority. Your results will be emailed to you!

Strategies To Heal From PTSD Emotional Abuse

Understand Why it Happened
It’s crucial to understand why the emotionally abusive relationship occurred. Without this understanding, it’s easy to repeat patterns. Did you miss or ignore early signs? If you saw the signs, why did you decide to stay? Were you hesitant to honor your boundaries without the need to change your partner? If these questions feel overwhelming, seeking professional help is advisable. Click here for Resources to Therapists (found at the bottom of page).
Build Self Esteem
Insecurity often allows emotionally abusive relationships to continue. Sometimes we may make ourselves small and prioritize others' needs and wants. Why is that? Here are some actions that need to take place in order to sustain change. The next time you notice negative self talk, highlight your good attributes. Then the next time, start with a positive attribute about yourself before critiquing. Let’s change the way you speak to yourself for a healthier self image.
Establish Boundaries
After deep cleaning your mind and emotions, you’ll be ready to begin enforcing these changes outwardly. Establishing boundaries is the substance to the inner work you’ve done. It’s the evidence of your growth. Not just telling your boundaries to yourself and others, but keeping them no matter what the actions of another person are. Boundaries are for you and your protection, not for the other person to change.
Find Examples of Healthy Relationships
After you notice all the changes you’ve made, you might realize that your perception of an ideal relationship has changed. Doing the work on yourself prepares you for a healthy relationship, but finding new role models will give you hope and encouragement to attract one. However, remember not to compare too closely—what works for one person may not work for you.

How Training Supports Recovery From Emotional Abuse PTSD

Here at Drip Training, fitness is not only a confidence booster to your health and body image, it’s also a way to manage PTSD emotional abuse triggers. Exercise, but its nature, is stress on the body, which, when done in a controlled environment, trains your body and mind to maintain control under those intensities. This repeated exposure can help you manage your body’s response to stress and teach your mind that not all hard things are “threatening”.

Training at Drip Training supports not just physical and mental fitness, but also emotional fitness. By learning to control physical responses, you also gain control over emotional triggers, fostering growth in emotional health. To read more on how to use exercise to manage PTSD from emotional abuse, click here.

Take The Next Step in Healing

Addressing PTSD from emotional abuse is paramount to your healing. Drip Training offers an active approach to healing, utilizing movement and exercise to promote neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire its neural networks so it functions differently from how it was previously. This process, supported by our specific protocols, helps you rebuild not just your body, but also your mind.

Ready for real transformation through coaching from someone who’s lived through PTSD and has now overcome? Contact Coach Dee today.

Train Smarter with a Virtual Coach

If you’re tired of generic workout programs that don’t account for your body’s unique needs, it’s time to train smarter. My virtual personal training services will help you:

Get a CUSTOMIZED Plan
1-1 Virtual Training
1-1 Health Coaching
All with a REAL Coach

Book a FREE Consultation

Online Health Coach / Online Personal Trainer / Virtual Health Coach / Virtual Personal Trainer — **COACH DEE**

Online Personal Trainer *CPT: ACE & Trauma Informed Weight-lifting*

About the Author: Coach Dee

Deborah Park, known as Coach Dee, is the owner of Drip Training LLC and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach. With a background in architecture and kinesiology from the University of Virginia, she has extensive experience in personal training and athletic coaching in a clinical (physical therapy) setting. Coach Dee combines her scientific knowledge with years of hands-on experience and generational knowledge of food as medicine to create programs that empower clients to regain control over their bodies and minds.

Her journey into personal training was deeply influenced by her personal struggles, including recovering from a life-changing car accident that led to PTSD and pain from scoliosis. This experience gave her a unique understanding of the connection between mental health and physical well-being. Coach Dee is committed to helping clients develop resilience, build strength, and rediscover their confidence—no matter the challenges they face.