In this episode of The Internal Shift Show, Debbie Longo speaks with Carine Van Hee about toxic relationships, emotional abuse, healing from manipulation, self-awareness, and the internal shifts that helped her understand lifelong relationship patterns and rebuild her life.

Carine shares how she grew up believing she came from a loving family, never realizing many of the relationship dynamics she witnessed as a child were emotionally unhealthy and controlling. Although she believed she would never stay in an abusive relationship, she later found herself trapped in toxic emotional patterns without fully understanding what was happening.

A major turning point came while sitting beside her mother’s deathbed, when Carine realized for the first time that her mother had spent more than 65 years in a toxic relationship. That realization forced her to confront painful truths about her own life, including the emotionally abusive relationship she experienced with the father of her son.

Throughout the conversation, Carine explains how confusion, manipulation, isolation, and emotional exhaustion made it difficult to recognize the abuse while she was living through it. Like many survivors, she questioned herself constantly and struggled to understand why the relationship felt unhealthy even when others around her viewed it as normal.

After leaving the relationship with her infant son, Carine focused on protecting and supporting him before eventually realizing she also needed to heal herself. She began therapy, studied family science and psychology later in life, and spent years learning about toxic relationship dynamics, emotional abuse, trauma responses, and healing patterns.

Carine explains that one of the most important internal shifts came through awareness — learning to pause, observe situations clearly, and recognize unhealthy patterns before reacting emotionally. That awareness helped her rebuild confidence, reduce shame, and understand that what happened to her was not her fault.

Today, Carine openly speaks about toxic relationships and emotional abuse to help others recognize harmful patterns sooner and understand that healing and rebuilding are possible.

This episode explores emotional abuse, toxic relationships, trauma recovery, self-awareness, healing, resilience, emotional manipulation, personal growth, and rebuilding life after abuse.

Contact Debbie Longo, Executive Behavioral Coach:

Website: https://www.debbielongo.com/

Email: debbie@lifeinbloomny.net

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-longo-life-in-bloom-ny/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.longo.2025

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbie.life.in.bloom.ny/?hl=en

Contact Carine Van Hee:

“Is It Me? The Hidden System Behind Toxic Relationships” is available on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Google Books, Kobo, Amazon.de, and Thalia.de.

Website: https://www.carinevanhee.com/

Email: carine@carinevanhee.be