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the first type of relationship that comes to mind when thinking about toxic relationships, unhealthy relationships can also form between family members, friends, or colleagues. Due to our neurological system , toxic relationships can even become addictive. Before we delve into the biological reasons why these relationships happen, we need to know what exactly a toxic relationship is. What Is a Toxic Relationship? According to Dr. Lillian Glass, an expert on communications and the psychology of human behavior, a toxic relationship is “any relationship [between people who] don’t support each other, where there’s conflict and one seeks to undermine the other, where there’s competition, where there’s disrespect, and a lack of cohesiveness.” This relationship could be with a romantic partner, a parent, a sibling, another relative, a friend, a schoolmate, or a coworker. Toxic relationships tend to feel incredibly draining to the people who are within them. There seems to be a constant push and pull between both parties in the relationship, and the negative experiences tend to far outnumber the positive experiences that occur within the relationship. A toxic relationship can consist of emotional and verbal abuse, as well as physical abuse. In most instances, even less serious ones, a toxic relationship can lead to emotional damage to one or both people within the relationship. Signs of being in a toxic relationship include isolation, blaming, jealousy, dishonesty, denial, gaslighting, constantly arguing or disagreeing, and giving in to everything the other partner wants, according to Psychology Today . Most people don’t recognize that they are in a toxic relationship until months or even years have passed. That’s because toxic partners are good at hiding the toxic aspects of their personality while they are still within the early stages of a relationship. Over time, as a relationship progresses, the toxic partner

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Detoxing from a Toxic Relationship