In this episode, I tell the story of the very first time I felt truly betrayed by my husband and the circumstances of our life at the time that prevented me from leaving.

Please feel free to leave me comments here or send me an email at gettingoutbrenda@gmail.com.

In Part Two of this episode I discuss the first time my boundaries were really tested with my ex-husband, before he was my husband, and how that may have set the course for our entire relationship and marriage.

Trigger warning for mentions of suicide and some adult language.

Please feel free to leave your comments and questions here or e-mail me at gettingoutbrenda@gmail.com

In Part One of Episode 3, I begin to tell the story of how we met, and how I started to put aside my own needs and wants. The love bombing from my love interest, who I eventually married, seemed like the key to fulfilling my dream of getting married and settling down before I was "too old" and passed some arbitrary past due date that I had set for myself.

Trigger warning for mentions of suicide and some adult language.

Please feel free to leave your comments and questions here or e-mail me at gettingoutbrenda@gmail.com

Thank you for joining me again as I tell my story of how I got out of an abusive relationship with a man, who I believe is a narcissist, in a country that is not my own. In this episode, I tell a little bit about my upbringing, and how I became a people pleaser believing that was the only way to be loved. I truly believed, and to some degree I probably still believe, that no one could simply love me for me. If I wasn't doing my best to make those that I love happy, then I would never be worthy of their love.

*Trigger warning - There is mention of suicide in this episode.

Hello and welcome to Getting Out From Under! I'm so happy to have you here!

This episode explains why I started this podcast and what I hope to achieve by publishing a podcast.

I am an American woman, who has been living in Japan nearly 30 years. I had a successful career and satisfying social life when I met the man I would marry nearly 20 years ago. I quit my job and moved across the country to be with him. We then had 4 beautiful children together. However, our relationship was not the flowers and rainbows it appeared to be on social media. I was subject to emotional and financial abuse that I didn't think I would ever be able to free myself from...but I did.

I realized that for many, if not all, women (and men) in abusive relationships, shame plays a significant role in keeping us trapped in our situations. There is no shame in being abused. When we talk about our stories, we take back our power from our abusers. I hope my stories help other people in abusive situations gain the courage to share their stories and take back their power, and I hope that those with loved ones in abusive relationships gain some insight into how to provide help and support.

*Disclaimer - I have no mental health training. I am not a mental health expert or professional. I am only sharing my own, personal story of abuse and what I learned from it.