Welcome to my independent research page!
A few years ago, I came out of an emotionally abusive relationship. It was my first polyamorous relationship. So much of the gaslighting and harm I experienced was perpetuated by the fact that I didn't know what I was doing (and my partner didn't either).As such, I couldn't name what was happening or trust my intuition.
In the advent of #metoo I heard so many friends experience the same things. But all separately and with shame. Many of them were still unsure if it had really happened as they'd been told that the discomfort they felt was normal for polyamory. They also struggled because any resources they read about emotional abuse in monogamy didn't quite fit their experience with polyamory. I googled emotional abuse and polyamory, and nothing came up.
I don't want this to ever happen to anyone again, so in 2019 I decided to conduct my own independent research. I interviewed four polyamorous people who identified as emotional abuse survivors. I plan to thematically review the findings, compare them with literature and develop them into accessible resources for all to find and use.