Every person deserves free passage – to be unhindered in daily life. To be free of bullying of all kinds, free of abusive behaviors, free of controlling behaviors, free of intimidation, manipulation, and domination – to live as victim to none.

If this is not your experience, it is time to muster the courage to do something about it. It is time to speak up.

Begin small: choose a few selected and trusted friends and tell them the truth. Ask them to listen without offering you advice, without attempting to rewrite or to reframe your experience. Essential to finding freedom, to finding your voice, to gaining the self-respect required to escape the destructive web that comes with toxic relationships is the willingness to articulate your experience and name it as accurately as possible.

Once named – the trap is easier to identify and an escape plan is easier to devise. While there is no one-plan-fits-all to rise above unhealthy patterns in relationships, silence is never the answer. Speak up. It’s the first step to freedom.