TRIGGER WARNING: This film is about toxic relationships and emotional abuse. If you don't feel good about it, please don't watch this film alone. In this episode, Frank speaks to Erika (Instagram: blickwinkel_seelenfrieden). She was a victim of toxic relationships herself and experienced a lot of coercion, pressure and physical violence during this time. She is now a therapist and runs support groups for victims and relatives of toxic relationships. Frank asked Erika your questions and talked to her about how to recognize a toxic relationship and how to free yourself from it. All questions at a glance: 01:25 What is a toxic relationship anyway? 02:44 When did Erika realize that it was a toxic relationship and how did she realize that it wasn't good for her? 03:26 What is emotional abuse? 04:04 At what point does Erika recommend ending a relationship due to toxic experiences? 05:16 What was the decisive point that made Erika draw the line under it? 07:13 Many people have written to us saying that they didn't realise for a long time that their relationship was actually completely toxic and that they couldn't admit to themselves how much they were suffering under the relationship. Did people close to Erika notice that she had changed as a result of the relationship? 08:18 Are there any tips on how to help friends get out of toxic relationships? 09:04 Many people have written to us saying that they felt like they were letting their partner down and that they felt guilty about it. Does Erika know that too? 09:40 How can you deal with anger at yourself for letting that happen to you? 10:40 Almost only women have written to us - has Erika found that emotional abuse is more likely to happen to women? 10:57 Many people have written to us saying that they also experience toxic relationships in their families. How do you deal with it if you have a toxic relationship with your parents? 11:50 What can you do if you think you are the toxic part in a relationship? 13:06 A user wrote to us that a toxic relationship is often confused with a real romantic relationship - but it is not actually real love. What does Erika say about this? 13:29 If you notice that you are not doing well in your relationship and you cannot manage to get out of it on your own - what should you do? What contact points are there? In addition to many reports of experiences with toxic relationships, we have also received some positive news, because: many have already successfully managed to get out of the unhealthy relationship and can now look forward with renewed strength. Erika also believes that you can definitely overcome this difficult time. She says: "There is light at the end of the tunnel. You rediscover yourself, you find things within yourself that you may not have known before. Don't think you can't do it - there's always a way out!" Here is the playlist with all episodes: • Open relationship: We live the free... Reporter: Frank Seibert Author: Samira Schütz / Frank Seibert Camera: Robert Stöger Editing: Markus Valley Channel Management: Samira Schütz Editor: Florian Meyer-Hawranek This is The Question: There are these big, tricky questions to which there are no easy answers: Why do we bully? Why do we let animals suffer? Do we drink too much? Or: What does porn do to us? My team and I are interested in questions that have something directly to do with our lives, but also topics that are important to all of us and are often only discussed superficially. We look for answers to these questions, week after week - openly, honestly and independently. To do this, we don't meet any experts, we are there: at the slaughterhouse, at the swinger party, while proselytizing in the pedestrian zone. And because we want to get to know as many perspectives as possible in our search, we always spend several weeks on one question. In the end, we want to give an answer, even if it isn't easy for us. With every video - and especially in the discussions with you - we get a little closer to answering the big, tricky questions. The question on Facebook: / diefrage The question on Instagram: / diefrage_offiziell ───────────────────────────── YEAH! We are also part of #funk. Check it out: YouTube: / funkofficial funk WebApp: https://go.funk.net Facebook: / funk Instagram: / funk https://go.funk.net/impressum funk is a joint offering of the Association of Broadcasting Corporations of the Federal Republic of Germany (ARD) and the Second German Television (ZDF).