Let’s talk about reactive abuse — or reactionary abuse.
A form of gaslighting, reactive abuse is when one person intentionally provokes another into intense, adverse reactions.
It can be emotional, psychological, or physical — and in many cases, reactive abuse is an unconscious, reflexive instinct.
Is it harmful?
What types of people engage in the practice?
Why do they do it? How can you stop the cycle of reactive abuse?
Settle in — because we’re unpacking it all below.