"She's just so controlling" he said.

So what are you getting out of letting him/her control you?

Because you will be getting something - weird as that may sound!

Somehow, you've taught her/him that it's ok to treat you in a particular way - purely by not stopping it!

Yes I understand you didn't realise you were doing that, but somewhere along the line, you NEED to draw the line in the sand and say ENOUGH!

Why?  Because you're not happy!

Karen Salmansohn, of Be Happy, Dammit fame, recently wrote about Prince Harming Syndrome.   It's a quirky article but has some serious truths in there.

I remember once I was sharing a story about a particular Prince Harming with my girlfriend, Joanie, in a café, when the man at the next table interrupted.

“Excuse me,” this stranger said. “I hope you girls don’t mind, but I must confess I overheard you talking….and well…I’m a psychoanalyst…and I’m worried about you,” he said staring directly at me. “Do you mind if I give you my free therapy opinion?” [more]

While Karen's article is about a bully boy, abusive partners come in both sexes and often in MUCH MORE SUBTLE ways than physical abuse!

So if you're not happy...

What behaviour of your partner's are you tolerating with just a hint of Karen's masochist about you?