Healing from Emotional Abuse:
Tools for Clarity and Self-Trust

I created The Attuned Shift for you and for me.

I’m Simone Adkins—a regular human, licensed therapist, and mother of two adult children.

I’ve come to learn I’m also a survivor of every form of relationship abuse—beginning before I was old enough to talk.

The Book That Changed What I Thought About Emotional Abuse

The shift started when I picked up a book about verbal abuse—not for me, but for a teenager I was working with. When I opened it, I saw my own relationship staring back at me.

He didn’t call me names—but he gaslit the f*ck out of me. Denied what he said. Turned every conflict back on me. Focused on my reaction instead of what caused it.

He’d tell me who I was whenever I had a reasonable reaction to unreasonable things. He’d see me—really see me—and then take it away. Suddenly I was “too sensitive.” “Immature.” “Manipulative.” “Insecure.”

It was like the carpet was pulled from under me.

When I first saw the pattern named, I put the book down. I wasn’t ready. But I couldn’t unsee it.

What I Want You to Feel Here

That recognition—that moment of “holy sh*t, this is me”—is what I want you to feel here. Not because misery loves company, but because you need to know you’re not alone in this.

You’re not crazy. You’re not too sensitive. And you don’t need to wait until you have it all figured out to start shifting.

I decided to stop suffering in silence and heal loudly—in real time, with all my mess and contradictions showing.

The abuse, the mistreatment, the manipulation—that’s what’s shameful. Not you. Even if you stayed too long. Even if you’re still dealing with it. Even if you tell yourself “I’m choosing this.”

This isn’t about self-improvement. It’s not about anything “broken” inside of you.

It’s about recognizing that early experiences can create a blueprint for relationships—and that blueprint lives in your body, not your logic.

Attachment can override your signals because humans depend on connection to survive. And a lot of people were taught to mistrust their gut—especially women—because feelings are treated like weakness.

Fawning, appeasement, and people-pleasing aren’t personality flaws. They’re survival responses that show up in human-to-human harm.

This is about trusting yourself again. Or for the very first time. It’s about taking up space in your own damn life because it’s yours.

The Attuned Shift is a non-clinical education and tools platform for people navigating emotional abuse, gaslighting, toxic relationship patterns, and confusing dynamics—even if you can’t name it yet, even if you’re not ready to leave, even if it's across different types of relationships, and even if you’re still holding out hope things will change.

The shift you’re working toward is internal: rebuilding a healthier relationship with yourself so you can stop abandoning and betraying yourself—even when the external situation is still messy.

What You’ll Get

What You Can Expect

Real shifts that happen even when external circumstances haven’t changed yet. Tools you can use to interrupt toxic patterns, recognize manipulation tactics, trust your gut again, and see clearly through the fog.

I’m here to walk with you—not stand above you as "the expert" who has it all figured out. While I have personal and professional expertise in this areas, YOU are the expert of you.

This Is for You If…

• You’re navigating relationship dynamics that leave you confused, drained, constantly disrespected, or responsible for your own mistreatment.
• You recognize words like gaslighting or emotional abuse—but you’re not sure what to do with what you’re seeing.
• You want things to change inside of you even if circumstances haven’t changed yet.
• You already ended relationships, but you still feel the impact—or you’re worried it’ll happen again.
• You want tools you can use regardless of where you are, without pressure to make decisions about keeping or ending your relationship.

Just released: Walking on Eggshells?

Walking on Eggshells? I Lived It. Find Clarity While Still in the Confusion is a short ebook bundled with audio recordings for anyone navigating confusing, toxic, and repetitive relationship issues.

Is it abuse if they don’t hit you? If they don’t call you names? If you can’t “prove it”? If they can be so kind and understanding too? If you’re asking these questions, this is for you.

What’s Inside

Practical tools for what to do to prevent yourself from getting pulled into repeat interactions—and what to do once you’re already in them. These are things I actually did.

It explains why these patterns keep happening by showing how early experiences can create a blueprint stored in the body—so you can stop blaming yourself for “choosing” this. You’ll get a different perspective of what's called self-sabotage and how you were unconsciously trying to resolve old attachment wounds.

It includes validating resources and ways to start moving differently. You’ll also see some of my real journal entries—unfiltered thoughts from when I was living it. The ebook can be read in a weekend. The audio recordings are brief summaries of each section so you can listen while you’re doing other things.

It's what I (and other readers) wish I had when I was drowning in confusion and shame—questioning myself, blaming myself, hoping things would change, wondering why it kept happening.

You don’t need to have things figured out to start. You don’t need to be “ready” to leave.