Isolating You From Friends and Family

It starts subtly: they're "not comfortable" around your friends, they suggest skipping family events, they sulk when you make plans without them. Gradually, your social circle shrinks until they're your primary (or only) emotional support. The National Domestic Violence Hotline identifies isolation as one of the earliest and most reliable indicators of an abusive relationship. A partner who loves you wants you to have a full life. A partner who needs to control you wants to be your entire life.