You Are Not Crazy
You’re exhausted from over-functioning. Always managing the chaos. Always trying to keep the peace.
You feel alone. Misunderstood. Like no one sees the full story—except you.
You question yourself constantly. You wonder if you’re the problem.
You’re not.
This podcast helps you understand emotional abuse, coercive control, narcissistic relationships, and trauma bonds—so you can stop doubting yourself and start trusting what you already know.
I’m Jessica Knight, emotional abuse coach and survivor. I help people make sense of confusing, destabilizing relationship dynamics—including gaslighting, manipulation, intermittent reinforcement, and post-separation abuse.
Here, you’ll learn to recognize the patterns of narcissistic abuse, understand the psychology of trauma bonding, and rebuild your sense of clarity, stability, and self-trust.
This podcast is especially for you if you are:
• Leaving or recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship
• Navigating divorce or post-separation coercive control
• Trying to co-parent with a high-conflict or manipulative partner
• Questioning your reality after gaslighting
• Rebuilding yourself after psychological abuse
You are not crazy. Your nervous system adapted to survive something real.
This is your space to understand what happened, reclaim your truth, and heal—on your terms.
🖤 Learn more and find resources at www.emotionalabusecoach.com
You Are Not Crazy
Cognitive Dissonance with Kerry McAvoy
Kerry McAvoy joins us to discuss cognitive dissonance—a complex yet crucial concept that can profoundly affect one's clarity during and after an abusive relationship. Through her personal experiences and professional expertise as a retired psychologist who has authored books on the subject, Kerry delves into what cognitive dissonance feels like, how it manifests in relationships with manipulative individuals, and strategies for overcoming its paralyzing effects.
We discuss:
- The dual realities created by abusers through love bombing.
- The three stages of cognitive dissonance victims often experience.
- How confusion leads to deteriorating mental function under stress.
- Why decisions become incredibly challenging when faced with conflicting versions of reality.
- Strategies for identifying truth amidst manipulation.
You can learn more about Kerry and her groups here: https://kerrymcavoyphd.com/
*Please Note: there is a long intro that explains my services. If you do not want to listen, just fast-forward 5 mins past. This intro will be changed in future recordings to be shorter. I am not paid to record this podcast and it is a free offering. Offering my work is the only way I can sustain the podcast*
Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/Youarenotcrazy
*New Course*: Unhooked: Map the Cycle of Abuse in your Relationship
Website: Emotional Abuse Coach and high-conflictdivorcecoaching.com
Instagram: @emotionalabusecoach
Email: jessica@jessicaknightcoaching.com
{Substack} Blog About Recovering from Abuse
{E-Book} How to Break Up with a Narcissist
{Course} Identify Signs of Abuse and Begin to Heal
{Free Resource} Canned Responses for Engaging with an Abusive Partner