Content Warning:
Before we begin, a gentle content note for this episode.
This episode discusses emotional abuse, scapegoating, and psychological harm within families. While there is no graphic content, some listeners may find the themes activating. Please listen at your own pace and prioritise your emotional wellbeing.
If you have experienced family scapegoating, emotional abuse, or toxic family relationships, this episode offers validation, understanding, and a grounded path toward healing.
What happens when emotional abuse and scapegoating don’t come from strangers—but from within your own family?
In this deeply personal and trauma-informed podcast episode, Lisa Aston Michael explores the experience of being targeted, scapegoated, and emotionally harmed by a family member. She examines how intra-family hate mirrors the same psychological patterns found in collective hate crimes, operating quietly through projection, dehumanisation, and exclusion.
This episode offers compassionate insight into family emotional abuse, family scapegoating, and toxic family dynamics, with particular attention to blended and step-family systems.
Topics explored include:
This episode is not about blame or diagnosis. It is about naming harm, restoring clarity, and supporting healing for those experiencing family-based emotional abuse.
Next week in Episode 10, continuing on from this episode, Lisa covers "Healing from Family Scapegoating".
** If you are experiencing family scapegoating, gaslighting, or other forms of emotional abuse, are are two confidential outlets within Australia that can provide support and resources:
1800RESPECT (Australia): A 24-hour national sexual assault, family, and domestic violence counselling line.
Lifeline (Australia): Provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services for anyone experiencing emotional distress or a personal crisis.
Kids Helpline (Australia): A free, confidential 24/7 online and phone counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25 years.