How do you become a better listener when emotions are running high—and the urge to interrupt takes over?

In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener who wants to stop interrupting his spouse during tense conversations—but finds it hard to stay quiet when big feelings are stirred up inside.

Angela explores:
• Why interrupting often stems from caring deeply—not from a lack of interest
• How emotional discomfort drives the urge to respond too quickly
• The role of the “inner translator” in distorting what your partner is actually saying
• Why our inner dialogue can make us feel criticized—even when no criticism is intended
• How reflective listening and intentional breathing help interrupt the urge to interrupt
• Why understanding does not require agreement—and how different perspectives deepen intimacy

If you’ve ever found yourself talking over your partner, jumping to defend yourself, or struggling to truly listen when it matters most, this episode offers a grounded, compassionate roadmap for building emotional capacity and becoming a more attuned, responsive listener.

✑ Join the conversation or leave a comment at askangela.co

✫ Because love after trauma takes a different kind of wisdom—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

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In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener who spent 15 years in a marriage marked by gaslighting—and is now left questioning whether he was truly the problem all along.

Angela explores:

• What gaslighting actually is, and why it’s so damaging

• How gaslighting erodes your ability to trust your own reality

• Why people who worry about being good are rarely the problem

• How internalized voices of abusive partners keep us stuck in cycles of self-doubt

• Why proving your goodness never leads to healing—and what to do instead

• Practical tools for reclaiming your inner trust and building a compassionate relationship with yourself

If you’ve ever struggled to trust yourself after emotional abuse, this episode offers grounded, hopeful guidance for finding your way back to your own heart.

✑ Join the conversation or leave a comment at askangela.co

✫ Because love after trauma takes a different kind of wisdom—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

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In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener who’s grown through self-reflection and personal responsibility but feels stuck with a spouse who avoids doing the same.

Angela explores:
• Why trying to convince your partner to change often backfires
• The difference between blame and honest self-reflection
• What emotional responsibility looks like in healthy relationships
• How to speak your truth without getting pulled into defensiveness
• Why it’s not your job to manage your partner’s growth
• What to do when your partner’s behavior hurts you—and they won’t acknowledge it

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by a partner who won’t own their part in relationship struggles, this episode offers clear, compassionate guidance for finding your voice, setting boundaries, and letting go of what isn’t yours to carry.

✑ Join the conversation or leave a comment at askangela.co
✫ Because love after trauma takes a different kind of wisdom—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.
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What do you do when your body goes into shutdown mode during relationship conflict—especially when you want to do better but feel frozen in the moment?

In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener who struggles to stay engaged during difficult conversations with his girlfriend: shutting down, freezing, and going blank under stress.

Angela explores:
• Why your nervous system may interpret conflict as danger
• How the “freeze” response is a trauma-based form of protection
• What it means to expand your “window of tolerance” in relationships
• How to work with your body instead of against it
• The power of taking pauses, communicating your capacity, and returning to hard conversations
• Why avoiding conflict keeps you stuck—and how to build confidence over time

If you’ve ever shut down in the middle of an argument and felt ashamed or overwhelmed, this episode offers grounded, compassionate insight into how to stay present, communicate better, and grow emotional resilience in your relationship.

✑ Join the conversation or leave a comment at askangela.co

✫ Because love after trauma takes a different kind of wisdom—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Read more Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma

Is it possible to heal old wounds and build a stronger relationship—even if both you and your partner have past trauma? What happens when one person is ready to grow, and the other is unsure?

In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener wondering whether it's possible for a struggling marriage to heal when both partners bring communication struggles and unhealed trauma into the relationship.

Angela explores:

• How relationship patterns rooted in trauma often run on autopilot
• Why the first step toward change is gaining awareness of your own patterns
• How changing your part of the "dance" can influence your partner's responses
• Why you don’t have to wait for your partner to be equally committed in order to begin
• How relational healing starts with building emotional awareness, emotional literacy, and empathy
• What it really looks like to create healthier communication—and deeper connection—over time

If you’ve ever wondered whether real change is possible—or how to move forward when you feel stuck in old patterns—this episode offers grounded, compassionate guidance for reclaiming hope and healing in love.

✑ Join the conversation or leave a comment at askangela.co

✫ Because love after trauma takes a different kind of wisdom—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

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What do you do when you want to grow closer—and your partner keeps putting you off? Can you improve your relationship when your partner isn’t willing to work on communication?

In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener who feels stuck: she keeps trying to have real conversations with her partner, but he avoids every attempt, leaving her feeling unheard, frustrated, and blamed for being “too emotional.”

Angela explores:

• Why you can’t fix communication problems by working harder alone
• How avoidance and deflection create emotional stalemates
• Why learning to regulate your own emotions is key when your partner won’t engage
• How to stop waiting for “tomorrow” and focus on what you can control today
• The difference between trying to fix a partner—and choosing to grow yourself
• How to use relational data to decide what kind of relationship you really want

If you’ve ever exhausted yourself trying to get your partner to talk—or wondered whether you’re asking for too much—this episode offers grounded, compassionate guidance for reclaiming your voice and your power.

✑ Join the conversation or leave a comment at askangela.co

✫ Because love after trauma takes a different kind of wisdom—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

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Why is it so hard to stay open when your partner brings up something that’s bothering them? Why do even small criticisms feel like attacks—and how do you change that pattern?

In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener who wants to learn how to stay present and listen when her partner shares concerns, instead of falling into automatic defensiveness.

Angela explores:

• Why defensiveness often starts as a survival strategy in early relationships
• How our bodies react before our awareness can catch up
• Why honoring your defensive response is the first step toward change
• How past experiences of blame, criticism, and attack distort present-day conversations
• Practical ways to shift from reactivity to true responsiveness
• How learning to listen without defense can deepen intimacy and trust

If you’ve ever wished you could hear your partner’s concerns without shutting down, lashing out, or feeling attacked, this episode offers grounded, trauma-informed guidance for creating real change in how you communicate.

✑ Join the conversation or leave a comment at askangela.co

✫ Because love after trauma takes a different kind of wisdom—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Read more Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma

How do you grieve a relationship that wasn’t all bad—but wasn’t good for you either? How do you heal when your heart is broken not just by loss, but by the way you were treated?

In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener who asks how to release the grief and hurt of being treated badly by someone she deeply cared for.

Angela explores:

• Why breakups after hurtful relationships trigger a unique and complicated grief
• How to hold space for both the good memories and the painful reality
• Why friends’ well-meaning support can sometimes deepen feelings of isolation
• How loss isn't just about the person—it’s also about grieving the dream of what could have been
• The importance of honoring your pain without minimizing your experience
• Why healing after betrayal requires deep tenderness toward your own heart

If you've ever struggled to let go of a relationship that hurt you—or felt guilty for grieving someone who didn't treat you well—this episode offers gentle, grounded guidance for navigating the breakup grief process with compassion and clarity.

✑ Join the conversation or leave a comment at askangela.co

✫ Because love after trauma takes a different kind of wisdom—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Read more Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma