Episode 22
"Have You Ever Been DARVO’d? The Abuse Tactic Nobody Talks About" Mask Off
🎙️ Episode 22 -"Have You Ever Been DARVO’d? The Abuse Tactic Nobody Talks About"
July Spotlight – Mental Health & Entrepreneurship
Host: Tina White, The Trigger and The Truth
🎙️ Series Launch Intro: DARVO In Real Life – Mask Off
“Let me tell you how we got here…
A couple weeks ago, I received a text message from my beloved niece.
Someone I love like my own child.
A young girl who, in a different life, would've been sleeping peacefully in the guest room at my house again this summer.
She asked if she could come stay with me.
And my first instinct? Of course, yes.
That’s what love says. That’s what family says.
But here’s the problem...
She’s the daughter of the same sibling who violently assaulted me in February 2020.
The same sibling who pointed a gun at me.
The same sibling who launched a smear campaign against my name when I spoke the truth.
And suddenly, I found myself caught between the person I used to be—the fixer, the protector, the one who put everybody’s needs before her own.
And the woman I’ve fought like hell to become through therapy, boundaries, and healing.
Over two days, I spoke with both her parents.
Even after I told my niece’s mom not to give him my number, my sibling called me anyway.
And I answered. I let him speak. He asked if his daughter could stay with me.
At first, I said yes.
Out of habit. Out of love for that little girl.
But after sleeping on it... consulting with my circle... and sitting in my truth...
I realized:
I can’t go back.
I won’t go back.
So I sent the text that closed the door.
And just like that—the fake politeness, the pretend apology, it all evaporated.
His true colors showed, just like they did that day outside the real estate office.
The same rage. The same manipulation.
And in that moment, I realized something deeper:
This isn’t just family drama.
This is DARVO.
Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim and Offender.
A manipulation tactic where the person who harms you denies it ever happened, attacks your character, and then plays the victim when you protect yourself.
And I almost got caught in it again.
Almost.
But therapy showed me the trap.
Healing showed me the pattern.
And wisdom told me no.
Even when your heart is breaking…
Even when a child you love is caught in the crossfire…
Protecting your peace sometimes means saying no to the innocent because the guilty still refuse to change.
That’s the cost of healing.
And that’s why I’m launching this series.
Over the next four days, I’m going to walk you through how DARVO plays out in real life, far beyond the textbooks and TED Talks:
➡️ Day 1: The Betrayal Nobody Saw Coming – How it all began.
➡️ Day 2: When Silence Becomes Survival – What happens when your truth gets buried beneath their lies.
➡️ Day 3: Rebuilding from the Rubble – Therapy, boundaries, and reclaiming my business and my peace.
➡️ Day 4: The Power of Truth – Why your story matters, even if they never admit what they did.
This is DARVO in Real Life: Mask Off.
No more cover-ups. No more pretending.
Just the truth.
And if this is your story too
I want you to know:
You’re not alone.
🎧 Stream the full series wherever you get your podcasts.
#DARVO, #TriggerAndTheTruth, #ProtectYourPeace, #BetrayalTrauma, #GaslightingAwareness, #FamilyBoundaries, #SurvivorStrength, #HealingJourney, #TruthTeller
