Would You Know If You Were Being Love Bombed?
Wouldyou know if you were being love bombed? It’s a question that survivors of narcissistic abuse and emotional manipulation have to ask themselves a lot. Althoughthis internet buzzword has gotten washed up and washed out in overuse, it’s a genuine experience that damages a lot of lives.
Read full storyAre You Being Manipulated by Someone You Love? Know the Signs.
If you are anything like me, then you got sent out into the world with no real concept of relationships.Reeling from trauma — with nothing but toxic examples behind me — I stumbled right into bad relationships with manipulative people who pushed me to places I didn’t want to be. It happened over and over again.
Read full storyIt’s A Big Red Flag When Your Partner Won’t Say These Things to You
Toxic people don’t make for the best partners. Yet millions of us make the decision every single day to tie our lives to partners and spouses, who make us feel less worthy and deserving of love and happiness. Why?
Read full storyTaking an Honest Look at the Long-Term Cost of Parental Narcissism
As a society, we are long beyond the point of being able to deny the extensive costs of parental narcissism. It is one of the most damaging forms of parenting that occurs, and it happens so much more often than we think.
Read full storyHow Does a Covert Narcissist Show Up in Their Relationships?
Of all the narcissistic personality subsets, the covert narcissist remains one of the most insidious and damaging when it comes to romantic relationships. What really stings is that they’re good at getting themselves into deeply committed partnerships, too. Posing themselves as powerless individuals, in need of a savior, they are scooped up by compassionate people who set out to ease their emotional ills.
Read full storyWhat Is Behind the Narcissist's Obsession With You? Is It Love?
It never surprises me when one of my clients reveals they have a narcissistic partner. The pattern sticks. A lot of them come from narcissistic parents. That’s what I do after all. I help people break the cycle with the narcissists in their lives.
Read full storyThe Best Ways to De-Escalate Stressful Family Gatherings
As the holiday season approaches, people are getting excited about the cooler nights and extra time spent with family. They look forward to the big gatherings with parents, grandparents, and extended family. Christmas and Thanksgiving? Imagining it fills them with thrills and all kinds of magical plans.
Read full storyThese Are the Worst Things You Can Say to Someone With Depression
It will come as no surprise to anyone that I have dealt with depression a time or two in my life. I struggled with it as a kid, being crushed under the wheel of my mother’s misery and narcissism. I struggled with it as a young adult when traumatized, I continued to make a bigger and bigger mess of my life.
Read full storyHow Do You Fix a Relationship That Feels Like a Friendship?
My first serious relationship collapsed about a year after we fell into the friendzone. Things had grown stagnant, and we were in a truly boring rinse-and-repeat cycle that would have bored the teeth out of Ben Stein. Eventually, he wandered off and cheated and I, devastated, nuked the relationship in a spectacularly toxic way.
Read full storyAre You Addicted to Romantic Love?
Are you a love addict?It’s estimated that 3% — 6% of adults are, which can cause them to slip into toxic relationship patterns that cause a lot of emotional destruction. Being a love addict isn’t easy. It feeds on unrealistic expectations of connection and can make it hard for those suffering to function (even to the point that they lose their job and all their friendships).
Read full storyHave You Fallen For a Toxic Empath? Here's What You Need to Know.
We are living through strange times. More aware of our own psychology and mental health than ever before, we’re seeing a shift in which people are using this knowledge to create strange identities for themselves. This is on display no clearer than it is in the world of the “empath”. What was once a term to describe a person who sabotaged themselves with compassion, the term now bears a closer association with manipulative people.
Read full storyYour Peace May Require Going No Contact with Someone You Love
Are you stuck in a relationship that makes you miserable? Maybe that connection is with a romantic partner or a best friend. If you’re really unlucky, you may just have that kind of relationship with a family member.
Read full storyIt's Hard to Build a Healthy Relationship with Unhealthy Habits
A few weeks ago, a striking video went viral. In it, the girl detailed a life-changing piece of knowledge. “He’s not your type, he’s your pattern.” It was a revelation to millions. The pattern. So much of what we get right and what we get wrong in our relationships ties into our own patterns.
Read full storyWhy Are You Really Holding On to That Codependent Relationship?
Have you ever watched someone struggle in a toxic relationship? Ever wondered why they didn’t walk away? What about you? Have you ever questioned why you settled for someone who didn’t love you the same way? Ever asked why you always had to compromise or change, but your romantic partners did not?
Read full storyBuild Better Friendships with These 6 Rules All Amazing Friends Use
How are your friendships faring these days? Do you feel you’re surrounded by the right people? Or are you someone who wishes they had a few more genuine connections to enjoy? Our friends can be an important part of our happiness. More than just social connections, they provide us with a sense of safety and a sense of family in a crazy world.
Read full storyYou Have to Communicate Your Needs to Get Them Met By Others
When my clients come to me, most of them are frustrated. They're not getting what they want and they're not getting where they need to be. For so many of them, that begins in their romantic partnerships. They feel like their partners aren't being present or they aren't making an effort. When you ask them to quantify that, there's usually a common thread running through the foundation.
Read full storyThe Real Chaos Begins When the Romantic Affair Ends. Here's Why.
Affairs are complicated and devastating things. Created by emotionally uncertain or immature people, they can destroy families and create heartbreak that ripples through your life. These affairs aren’t just sordid. They are confusing and chaotic, validating and soul-destroying all in one.
Read full storyDo the Toxic Men In Our Lives Come From the Toxic Mothers In Theirs?
We talk a lot about the toxic men that we settle for and marry our lives to. But where do they come from? As the old adage goes, they don’t come out of a cabbage patch. They are born from human beings. Sure, some of them grow into the abhorrent examples their father set for them…but what of the mothers involved in raising these toxic husbands and boyfriends?
Read full storyThe Surprising Link Between New Age Spirituality and Narcissistic Behavior
When the news about Teal Swan broke last year, many were surprised. How could such a spiritual person push their followers to such heinous places? It’s a question that got asked of NXIVM, of The People’s Temple. We ask ourselves this question every time a cult leader turns on their people to create violent, hopeless, and emotionally abusive environments.
Read full storyThis Is What Happens When You Surround Yourself with Toxic People
We all want to believe that the people around us are good and moral. There are layers to it. We want to see the best in the people who we love or respect. That is both for them and for ourselves.
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