How do you trust yourself to love again after a toxic relationship—especially when trauma got in the way of the love you had?

In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a young mother navigating a painful breakup with her child’s father. The love was real—but so were the trauma patterns that made the relationship untenable. Now, she’s wondering how to heal, when to start dating again, and how to break the cycle for good.

Angela explores:
• Why even loving relationships can turn toxic when trauma is unhealed
• The importance of grieving the relationship you hoped for—not just the one you had
• How to recognize red flags early on and trust yourself to respond
• What it means to raise your standards for love—especially as a parent
• How people-pleasing and self-doubt interfere with choosing safe partners
• Why healing includes building the skills to navigate future relationships with care

If you’ve ever looked back on a painful relationship and thought, “I don’t want to do this again,” this episode offers clarity, guidance, and gentle encouragement as you begin again—with a stronger sense of direction.

✑ 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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How do you communicate in a relationship when you and your partner speak very different emotional “languages”?

In this episode of Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma, Angela Amias responds to a listener who wants to improve communication with her husband—a man who prefers direct, black-and-white answers—while she tends to communicate with nuance and emotional context.

Angela explores:
• Why communication styles differ—and how to bridge the gap between them
• The distinction between high-context and low-context communication
• How people-pleasing and fear of conflict can lead to indirect responses
• Why “just saying yes or no” can feel impossible for trauma survivors
• How to navigate differing preferences without losing your voice
• When a partner’s disappointment is healthy—and when it crosses the line

If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to answer your partner directly without abandoning your own emotional truth—or you’ve struggled to speak up because you fear conflict or disapproval—this episode offers insight, support, and strategies for finding your authentic voice 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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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.

Read more Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma

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.

Read more Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma

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.

Read more Ask Angela: Relationship Advice for Love After Trauma