Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
THIS IS PART 3: Life after Divorce
Recap: Amanda and her husband were overseas Christian missionaries. Shortly after their wedding, he started to act differently: impossible to please, critical, making false accusations. Amanda (not her real name) was scared and hurt, but she was a conservative person of faith who took the sanctity of marriage seriously. She tells why she stayed, and how she made the decision to divorce. (Her husband was officially diagnosed as having Paranoid Personality Disorder, but refused treatment.)
Part 3 - Amanda talks about finding happiness, peace, and safety after divorce. She discusses the key issues in divorce recovery: Dealing with anger, forgiveness, loneliness, raising kids, safe friends/churches, rebuilding her self-respect, financial stabillity, and how her relationship with God has grown through it all.
What if your spouse is mentally ill AND destructive? What if their behavior is scary, but you feel pity for them because they may not be able to control their thoughts or actions? Can you still divorce them? Yes, if even their best behavior isn't safe, you may have to get away to protect your life and sanity...and your children's.
---- Here are the first two videos ----
Part 1 - youtu.be/vigwVV5W7xs - How they met and married. She loved him and called him her best friend. They were career missionaries overseas. Within their first year, he started behaving strangely and his actions and words scared Amanda. Amanda was against divorce, so she stayed and they had several children together.
Part 2 - youtu.be/3GuDugFj9jk - But as it got worse, she and the missionary agency were very concerned and brought them back to the U.S. He was officially diagnosed with Paranoid Personality Disorder, but did not follow through with the recommendations by medical professionals. Amanda's husband accused her parents of trying to poison him, and viewed every passing police car as a deliberate plot to stalk and capture him. A retired missionary told her she was in danger and should consider leaving. After more than 15 years of marriage, where her husband repeatedly threatened her with divorce, Amanda divorced him.
------
INTERVIEWER:
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and researcher. For more than 20 years, she has worked with Christian women and men going through difficult, life-saving divorces, listening with compassion to those who have suffered from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, and emotional abuse. She helps heartbroken people find strength and courage and healing.
Her book, "The Life-Saving Divorce" is about the half of divorces that are for very serious reasons. She will give you optimism about your children's future (nearly 8 in 10 children turn out fine after divorce, according to top researchers); and will help you understand emotional abuse, "gaslighting," the abuse cycle, and tips for surviving high-conflict divorces.
FOR MORE ON MENTALLY ILL SPOUSES, read p. 111-112, 178, 184, 260, in The Life-Saving Divorce book.
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for the serious reasons: a pattern of chronic emotional abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, sexual immorality, felony behavior, neglect, substance abuse, etc.
How to Get the Book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback Book/Kindle via Amazon: amzn.to/3CCBsnr As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Follow Gretchen Baskerville:
Subscribe to Gretchen's You Tube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCRgtUNfTlYIRDt8iOK6XPKQ
Facebook: facebook.com/gretchen.baskerville
Twitter: twitter.com/GGBaskerville
Instagram: instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
Other helpful links
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Divorce Story Interviews: LifeSavingDivorce.com/interviews
Life-Saving Divorce Email Signup: LifeSavingDivorce.com/courage
THIS IS PART 3: Life after Divorce
Recap: Amanda and her husband were overseas Christian missionaries. Shortly after their wedding, he started to act differently: impossible to please, critical, making false accusations. Amanda (not her real name) was scared and hurt, but she was a conservative person of faith who took the sanctity of marriage seriously. She tells why she stayed, and how she made the decision to divorce. (Her husband was officially diagnosed as having Paranoid Personality Disorder, but refused treatment.)
Part 3 - Amanda talks about finding happiness, peace, and safety after divorce. She discusses the key issues in divorce recovery: Dealing with anger, forgiveness, loneliness, raising kids, safe friends/churches, rebuilding her self-respect, financial stabillity, and how her relationship with God has grown through it all.
What if your spouse is mentally ill AND destructive? What if their behavior is scary, but you feel pity for them because they may not be able to control their thoughts or actions? Can you still divorce them? Yes, if even their best behavior isn't safe, you may have to get away to protect your life and sanity...and your children's.
---- Here are the first two videos ----
Part 1 - youtu.be/vigwVV5W7xs - How they met and married. She loved him and called him her best friend. They were career missionaries overseas. Within their first year, he started behaving strangely and his actions and words scared Amanda. Amanda was against divorce, so she stayed and they had several children together.
Part 2 - youtu.be/3GuDugFj9jk - But as it got worse, she and the missionary agency were very concerned and brought them back to the U.S. He was officially diagnosed with Paranoid Personality Disorder, but did not follow through with the recommendations by medical professionals. Amanda's husband accused her parents of trying to poison him, and viewed every passing police car as a deliberate plot to stalk and capture him. A retired missionary told her she was in danger and should consider leaving. After more than 15 years of marriage, where her husband repeatedly threatened her with divorce, Amanda divorced him.
------
INTERVIEWER:
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and researcher. For more than 20 years, she has worked with Christian women and men going through difficult, life-saving divorces, listening with compassion to those who have suffered from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, and emotional abuse. She helps heartbroken people find strength and courage and healing.
Her book, "The Life-Saving Divorce" is about the half of divorces that are for very serious reasons. She will give you optimism about your children's future (nearly 8 in 10 children turn out fine after divorce, according to top researchers); and will help you understand emotional abuse, "gaslighting," the abuse cycle, and tips for surviving high-conflict divorces.
FOR MORE ON MENTALLY ILL SPOUSES, read p. 111-112, 178, 184, 260, in The Life-Saving Divorce book.
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for the serious reasons: a pattern of chronic emotional abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, sexual immorality, felony behavior, neglect, substance abuse, etc.
How to Get the Book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback Book/Kindle via Amazon: amzn.to/3CCBsnr As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Follow Gretchen Baskerville:
Subscribe to Gretchen's You Tube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCRgtUNfTlYIRDt8iOK6XPKQ
Facebook: facebook.com/gretchen.baskerville
Twitter: twitter.com/GGBaskerville
Instagram: instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
Other helpful links
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Divorce Story Interviews: LifeSavingDivorce.com/interviews
Life-Saving Divorce Email Signup: LifeSavingDivorce.com/courage
