When Your Family Doesn’t Support You
Special Guest: Heather Kent
Improving your fibromyalgia is really hard to do all on your own; you need a team of people to support you, including various providers, friends, and family. So… what happens when your family doesn’t support you? Aren’t they the ones who should be giving you the most support?
Listen in as Tami interviews Heather Kent, psychotherapist and author of two books on toxic relationships, about what to do when your family isn’t supportive. You’ll learn how to tell if it’s a lack of support which can be improved through education and communication, or a more toxic and unhealthy type of non-support, including the signs for a toxic or abusive relationship.
Heather and Tami want you to know: your fibromyalgia doesn’t have to be the thing that keeps you stuck in a toxic relationship — and a toxic relationship doesn’t have to be the thing that keeps you stuck in your fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. There is hope. You can feel better and feel safe.
Key Points
- If you’re being belittled, degraded, blamed, or constantly wondering what kind of mood they’re going to be in and what’s going to set them off, this is a much bigger issue that needs to be acknowledged and addressed.
- The common misconception that people have when they are in abusive relationships is, “I’m not being beat, so I must not be in an abusive relationship.” This is very inaccurate.
- The hallmark of a narcissistic personality versus selfishness is the lack of empathy.
- Psychological abuse encompasses emotional abuse and financial abuse, where the other person in the relationship is controlling the money and finances.
- Financial abuse extends to controlling our ability to get better through controlling whether or not we can pay for certain treatments.
- Being in an abusive relationship is going to compound stress and make symptoms all the more severe and difficult to manage.
- In order to heal from the trauma caused by a toxic person, we must eliminate that toxic person from our lives.
About Heather Kent
Heather Kent is a Registered Psychotherapist with a training background in trauma assessment and treatment. She is the bestselling author of the books Heal From Your Narcissist Ex and I Left My Toxic Relationship – Now What?
Much of her professional practice is focused on helping clients through the process of recovering from the trauma and PTSD of abusive relationships. Having survived her own experience in an abusive relationship, Heather soon came to realize that many other women (and men) find themselves in the same situation, which leaves them feeling broken, ashamed, and paralyzed by fear.
Heather combines her experience from her previous teaching career with her integrative therapeutic approach to counseling. Through her virtual programs, speaking engagements, workshops, and retreats, Heather is able to serve a larger population of clients who want interactive guided support from a licensed professional, as they navigate their way through trauma recovery from an abusive relationship and begin the next phase of their lives with safety and confidence. Heather currently resides in Ontario, Canada.
Website: HeatherJKent.com
Download FREE copies of Heather’s books: FREE Book download
Links & Resources
- Get free copies of Tami’s books here
- Schedule a consultation with Tami or one of her coaches through the International Fibromyalgia Coaching Institute
Other Episodes Mentioned
- Episode 57, Talking to Others About Your Fibromyalgia
Listener Shoutout
“Hello, Tami.
“I’ve been listening to your podcast for about a year now and I truly love it. It has really helped me deal with my fibromyalgia.
“Thank you for all your wisdom and support towards all of us living with fibromyalgia.
“Lots of love, Joanie”
~ Listener in Canada
Episode Highlights
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