Archive for January, 2019

Love Fraud book excerpt: Was the relationship moving too fast, or was I just afraid?

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By Donna Andersen

Not long after we met in person, James Montgomery proposed to me — he was smitten with me, and proclaimed we’d make a great team. But it felt like he was taking over my existence. What was I getting myself into?

Life became a spinning tornado, with James at the center of it. He was working at full speed on all his projects, yet called me many times a day, keeping me apprised of his progress. He told me about his meetings, forwarding reports and faxes. He also asked for my help. James wrote newsletters for the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans Association and his new Lions Club. He wanted me to use my vendors to … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud books

Wed 1/30 – Sociopathic Seduction: How you got hooked and why you stayed

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Webinar tomorrow:

Sociopathic Seduction: How you got hooked and why you stayed
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 • 8-9 pm ET
Instructor: Donna Andersen, author of Lovefraud.com

You’re smart, loving and accomplished. Take this course and learn how your exploitative partner used your good human qualities against you, by targeting your vulnerabilities and hijacking the human bonding system.

Purchase the webinar Sociopathic Seduction: How you got hooked and why you stayed for only $25. More info.

Sign up for the Lovefraud Understanding and Recovery 5-part Masterclass, and the webinar is included. You get six webinars for $99. More info.

Highlights of this webinar:

Why most of us are clueless about the social predators living among us
The

To survive a sociopath, we sometimes act like a sociopath

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act like a sociopath I almost didn’t recognize myself. There I was, plotting with my cheating husband’s mistress to steal money from his bank account.

Before I married James Montgomery, I never would have considered such an action. But after he convinced me to blow $227,000 on his ridiculous business schemes, and after I discovered that my entire marriage was a scam, I was angry, broke and desperate. I did what I had to do to survive a sociopath (although at the time, I didn’t know he was a sociopath).

Maybe because of your own entanglement with a sociopath, you’ve found yourself doing things that you never, ever did before. This happened to “Stevie2018,” who just posted her story in the Lovefraud … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Recovery from a sociopath, Uncategorized

Signs of a sociopath: Man sinks his boat to kill wife on their honeymoon

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Lewis Bennett and Isabella Hellmann (Facebook)

Lewis Bennett will be sentenced this week in Miami, Florida, for the death of his wife, Isabella Hellmann, who was lost at sea during their honeymoon in November, 2017.

Bennett, an experienced British sailor, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Bennett had claimed that the boat had struck an unidentified object. However, photos released by federal prosecutors show that the hull was intentionally punctured from the inside, causing it to sink.

The United States Coast Guard found Bennett floating in his lifeboat in the Atlantic Ocean. The body of his wife was never found.

Signs that Lewis Bennett is a sociopath:

Murder.
Bennett saved himself — and $36,000 in rare coins he had

Posted in: Laws and courts, Media sociopaths

Research participants wanted to complete online survey about experiences in relationships with psychopaths!

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Researchers at the University of Windsor are currently recruiting participants for a study investigating experiences of remembering past events in interpersonal relationships with suspected psychopaths.

We are interested in hearing about a time when a person you suspect could have psychopathic traits gave you feedback that led you to question your memory for a specific past event.

If you have had such an experience, follow the link below to complete the screening for the study.

Please follow the instructions carefully. If you meet the eligibility criteria for the study, we will send you an invitation to complete the remainder of the study within about one week. Upon successful completion of the study you will receive the full compensation … Read more

Posted in: Events and announcements, Scientific research

Love Fraud book excerpt: Meeting my future husband (the sociopath)

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By Donna Andersen

I met James Montgomery online in 1996. Although he was originally from Sydney, Australia, he moved to New Jersey and lived about a half-hour from my home. After corresponding for a month, we met for breakfast:

My scrambled eggs arrived—James only ordered coffee. “So you’ve worked in Hollywood?” I asked.

“Yes, I was one of the founders of the cable channel, Movietime. Later the channel was sold to Time Warner and became E! Entertainment Television. When I was there, our concept was to make Movietime interactive. But this was back in the late ’80s—we were ahead of our time.

“I also did some screenwriting—I have credits for Crocodile Dundee II. The Crocodile Dundee movies were … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen

As Valentine’s Day approaches: Why was I betrayed by the sociopath?

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When you’re single, Valentine’s Day is rough. I know, because from my teenage years through age 40, I never had a romance going on Valentine’s Day. I was lonely, and loneliness sets you up as a fat, juicy target for a sociopath.

The commercialization of the holiday doesn’t help. When you’re “between relationships,” all the advertising for jewelry, flowers and special restaurant menus is painful — a constant reminder that romance is missing from your life.

When I was alone, I couldn’t figure it out. I was reasonably attractive, nice, considerate, successful, active and loved to have fun. What was the problem? Why couldn’t I get a date?

So there I was, single and about to turn 40, … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud books

Interview: Donna Andersen on spotting and recovering from sociopaths

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What are the warning signs that partner may be a sociopath? If you realize that you’re already involved with a sociopath, how do you escape and recover?

Donna Andersen answers these questions about spotting and recovering from sociopaths — and more — in the IndoctriNation podcast, hosted by Rachel Bernstein. Rachel is a therapist in Los Angeles who specializes in helping people trapped in cults, and a relationship with a sociopath is just like being in a cult.

In the beginning of the interview, Donna describes the upcoming Lovefraud Understanding and Recovery 5-part Masterclass, a series of webinars that begins on January 30. Then she talks about typical control tactics sociopaths employ, parental alienation, and more.

Listen to … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Events and announcements

Legal Abuse Syndrome: the result of facing sociopaths in court

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**Book review — Legal Abuse Syndrome: A Preventable Public Health Problem, by Dr. Karin Huffer**

Review by Donna Andersen

You’re traumatized by your experience with a sociopath. Then you face a divorce, child custody or some other court battle against the sociopath — and you’re traumatized all over again.

The sociopath lies about you, smears your reputation and makes false accusations against you. So do his or her attorneys. And the clueless judge allows all of it.

Thirty years ago, Dr. Karin Huffer, a marriage and family therapist, witnessed this phenomenon among her clients. No matter what she did to help them, they kept getting worse. Then she realized that everything she did for them was being … Read more

Posted in: Book reviews, Donna Andersen, Laws and courts

Tribute to Karin Huffer, author of Legal Abuse Syndrome

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The survivor community lost a shining star recently with the passing of Karin Huffer, who wrote Legal Abuse Syndrome: A preventable public health problem. She also pioneered the use of the Americans with Disabilities Act to help people dealing with sociopaths, narcissists and psychopaths get a fair hearing in court.

Through her consulting practice, Karin personally accompanied her clients to court to help them stand up against manipulative sociopaths, whom she called “power centered individuals.” Despite the fact that she was a very senior citizen and needed a walker to get around, she was absolutely indomitable in court, protecting her clients against lies, smear campaigns, and power plays from the opposing parties.

But one person can … Read more

Posted in: Donna Andersen, Lovefraud Continuing Education