Opinion: Don't Let Trauma From A Narcissist Ruin Your Life
I started therapy about a year after dating the narcissist for the first time in my life. Although things appeared perfect on the surface of my life, it didn’t matter. I had an amazing support system, a healthy relationship, and I was still falling apart. In fact, I was acting out on my new partner and projecting things on him that were based on the trauma from my past. I was drinking more than I should have been, which led to me saying things to him that were extremely hurtful and not true. I realized I was getting worse emotionally, not better, and it was time to do something before I continued to spiral out of control.
Read full storyOpinion: Love Languages Misunderstood By Narcissists
As far as I’m aware,a romantic relationship doesn’t begin withabuse, the silent treatment, and neglect.Who wouldstayand tolerate that kind of behavior with someone that you’ve just met?If you aren’t emotionally invested it’s easy to leave without a second thought.
Read full storyOpinion: Dealbreakers Are Needed To Find A Healthy Relationship
Over the years my standards have evolved but I used to not have any dealbreakers or even an idea of what I would and wouldn’t tolerate in a partner. This resulted in me basically having no standards and quite a few frustrating relationships. There is nothing wrong with having benchmarks for what you do and don’t want in a partner.
Read full storyOpinion: Failed Relationships Can Teach Important Lessons
I’ve been there. Boyfriend after boyfriend came in and out of my life while I tried to fit them into the mold of what I thought I wanted. I completely poured myself into my relationships. I loved the high at the beginning of every romance but was devastated when I began to feel the low creeping in.
Read full storyOpinion: Individuals Should Put Their Needs First in Relationships
Want to know a surefire way to ruin a relationship and become absolutely miserable? Neglect all of your needs and desires. Immerse yourself in everything your partner likes and be completely agreeable. If you’re upset don’t bring it up, just let it simmer directly beneath the surface. Then after a few months or years ponder the reasons why you’ve lost a sense of who you even are as a person. What’s a great way to avoid this?
Read full storyOpinion: Are You Dating Someone Without Empathy?
EDD (Empathy Deficit Disorder) can exist solely on its own because a person simply does not feel or possess empathy. However, it is very commonly associated with narcissists because they possess similar traits.
Read full storyOpinion: People Are Not Happy With Dating Apps
We are human. Most, if not all of us, crave genuine connection whether we want to admit it or not. However, times have changed. Social media is allowing us to be so connected that we don’t have to pick up the phone to call a friend anymore. And who meets in person anymore to start a romantic relationship?
Read full storyOpinion: How to Keep From Burning Out At Work
In the professional world, we are often asked to give more than we can take. Workloads pile up and until someone has a breakdown, they’ll keep getting more because that’s the glass ceiling. The more you give the more you will be asked to give.
Read full storyOpinion: The Initial Love-bombing From a Narcissist And The Aftermath That Follows
Iwas told by the narcissist that he had been looking for me his whole life. I felt like my heart exploded.I had finally found what I had been looking for.All of the failed relationships and pain led tothis.
Read full storyOpinion: Are Weddings About Love Or Social Media?
Weddings have evolved over the last decade. There has been a shift where almost everything is focused on how it will appear on social media. Cute matching shirts for Instagram. Cute matching robes. Mimosa glasses with the bridal parties' names on them. After posing with these props for an hour or two to get the perfect photos, I have to conclude it may be for the photos and not the moment.
Read full storyOpinion: Mistakes Are Easily Made In Long-Term Relationships
“I can order takeout now so that it’s ready when we get there to pick it up!”. Instead of trusting me to place the order, my fiance’ insisted on doing it himself. This was a common occurrence, and even though it seemed so trivial, I began to have a meltdown.
Read full storyOpinion: Couples Often Settle In Long-Term Relationships
Trouble seems to be brewing in the relationship department. A couple I know just broke up after five years of dating. Several clients I coach are facing constant conflict in interactions with their partners and struggling to figure out why they cannot make their relationship work.
Read full storyOpinion: We Shouldn’t Be Surprised When “Happy” Couples Break Up
Back in college, my best friend and I lived in a house with several male roommates. One of them was incredibly sweet and had a wonderful girlfriend he had been dating for years. We were entirely convinced they would get married.
Read full storyNarcissists Manipulate Victims By Utilizing "Future Faking"
If I were to outline the most manipulative things that the narcissist did, it wouldn’t have been the apparent charm or the violent behavior/rage that would transpire when he didn’t get his way.
Read full storyOpinion: Gabby Petito's Case Showcased Worst Possible Outcome Of Narcissistic Abuse
It was heartbreaking to watch the Gabby Petito case play out in real time and see footage released following her death. Those of us who were/are also victims of domestic violence watched the videos of her sobbing, and it was a scene that was all too familiar.
Read full storyOpinion: Youth Consumption of Romantic Tropes Affect Relationships Expectations
When I saw Titanic, I left the movie theatre with tears in my eyes and a newfound belief in true love. Numerous obsessions with other romance films followed, but Titanic was the pivotal one. After seeing the movie, I believed that relationships needed to be dramatic, at times tragic, and full of nothing but a fiery passion.
Read full storyManipulators Have A Playbook To Ensnare Victims
You probably heard a fable as a child about a frog in a boiling pot of water. In the cautionary tale, the water is slowly getting hotter and hotter, but the frog doesn’t notice because it’s such a slow burn. Eventually, the frog ends up being boiled alive.
Read full storySerial Monogamists Jump From Partner to Partner
Freshman year of college, I ended a relationship with my first serious boyfriend. College held the promise of new experiences and opportunities, and dating casually was one that I was eager to explore.
Read full storyIndication Codependency Is Affecting Relationship Health
Yet another relationship bit the dust. I was tired. I was sad. I was exhausted. Over a decade of dating, and every relationship had ended in flames. A lightbulb went off in my head as I realized there had to be something that I was doing wrong because the same outcome kept repeating itself.
Read full storyThe Narcissist Will Discard Victims as Part Of Devaluation Cycle
A break-up with a narcissist usually involves the victim being discarded because they no longer have enough value and life to take away in the narcissist's eyes. I recently talked to a survivor of narcissistic abuse, who told me that she felt extremely frustrated that she hadn’t been the one to cut things off first and felt incredibly embarrassed that she had been dumped by someone who had mistreated her.
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