Psychopath Free: Recovering from Emotionally Abusive Relationships with Narcissists, Sociopaths, and Other Toxic People, by Jackson Mackenzie Review by Donna Andersen I admit I've been remiss. Jackson Mackenzie's book, Psychopath Free, came out in 2015, and I just finished reading it. I think I need about 48 hours in the day. Anyway, if you've been romantically involved with a psychopath or other disordered individual, Psychopath Free will ring true for you. Jackson does an excellent job of describing the cycle of an involvement with a psychopath, from the glorious beginning when you're feeling high on all the attention, to the confusion of the mind games in the middle, to the utter …
Webinar preview: How to Navigate a Court Proceeding when the Opposing Party Is a Sociopath
Personality disordered individuals lie, blame and exaggerate in life — and do the same in court. By anticipating what your opponent will do, you will not be blindsided; you'll be prepared. Here's how to overcome their tactics and prove your case. About this course In your dealings with a personality-disordered individual, you've learned that this person lies, blames and exaggerates. In court, despite swearing an oath to tell the truth, he or she will continue to lie, blame and exaggerate. How do you protect yourself? How do you make your case? In this webinar, you'll learn how the traits and tactics of disordered individuals typically play out in court. This will enable you to a …
Webinar preview: How to Navigate a Court Proceeding when the Opposing Party Is a SociopathRead More
8 reasons why we can’t see what’s wrong with the sociopath
"I could smell the smoke, but I could never find the fire." That's how one Lovefraud reader explained her experience with a sociopath. She sensed that something was terribly wrong, but could never figure out what it was. Other Lovefraud readers described the same situation this way, "I knew something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it." Why is this? Why can't we see what later turns out to be massive lying, exploitation and betrayal? Following are eight reasons why we may suspect that something about the sociopath isn't right, but we don't identify it. We don't know sociopaths exist. No one tells us that 12% of women and 16% of men — 47 million people in the U.S. — a …
8 reasons why we can’t see what’s wrong with the sociopathRead More
Do sociopaths actually know what they are?
I receive a lot of email from readers, and over the years many have asked some variation of the question: Do sociopaths know what they are? Do they realize that something is wrong with them? The answer varies with the individual sociopath, because they aren't all the same. Generally, though, I believe sociopaths know that they are different from the rest of the human race. However, most are not bothered by their difference. They view themselves as superior. It's easy to see where this attitude comes from. Because sociopathy is highly genetic, and is influenced by the early childhood environment, sociopaths usually never were anything but sociopaths. They never experienced a true …
After the sociopath, consumed by obsession
The illusion is vaporized. One way or another, you have discovered that your partner, family member, friend or colleague is a sociopath. Maybe you unearthed one lie too many. Or maybe the mask slipped and the person unceremoniously dumped you. However it happened, you've learned that he or she has been lying to you all along. And now you're obsessed. You want to know the truth. You want to know where the sociopath really was, who the sociopath was really with, what happened to the money. With your new awareness of his or her lying personality, you recall multiple incidents that left you scratching your head, and now look at them in an entirely different light, trying to figure out what …
Psychopaths can consider another’s perspective — if they want to
Psychopaths can understand what their victims are thinking, but they just don't care. New research cited in The Atlantic has looked into the psychopathic "theory of mind" — the human skill through which we consider the perspective of someone else. It turns out most of us have the ability to do this automatically. Psychopaths, however, do it when it will help them achieve their goals — and otherwise switch the ability off. How psychopaths see the world, on TheAtlantic.com. Link supplied by a Lovefraud reader. …
Psychopaths can consider another’s perspective — if they want toRead More
Sociopathic deception: A plan or second nature?
Lovefraud received the following question from a reader: When a sociopath targets his victim, does he think and create a plan as to HOW he is going to manipulate his prey to glean what he wants, or is this just second nature to him? How can he spend MONTHS being such a kind, considerate person, going out of his way to do the "little" things that matter in life, before turning into the evil monster? When you have been deceived and manipulated by a sociopath, the most difficult idea to grasp is how totally different people with this personality disorder are from the rest of us. Their behavior is different from everything we thought we knew about human interaction. Sociopaths—both male and …
The Atlantic tells the story of serial con man Derek Alldred and his multiple romance scams
For several years, Lovefraud posted articles about Derek Alldred, a con man who scammed women in Minnesota, Texas and other states. He posed as a war hero, physician, investment banker and more, scamming about a dozen women out of more than $1 million. The creep is finally in jail. And The Atlantic has written a comprehensive story of his exploits — and how his victims banded together to stop him. The perfect man who wasn't, on TheAtlantic.com. My comments on the article: Not once did the author mention any personality disorder. She made the statement that "America loves a con man." Because Alldred impersonated a Navy SEAL, he was investigated by NCIS. That's the first time I …
The Atlantic tells the story of serial con man Derek Alldred and his multiple romance scamsRead More
How could such a wonderful young man turn into an evil sociopath?
Editors note: Here's a letter Lovefraud received from a reader whom we'll call "Charlotte18." Donna Andersen's response follows the letter. About a year ago, my husband was arrested for kidnapping a couple of friends of ours. Since then, I have been discovering so many other nefarious things he was doing behind my back, such as stealing money for a living, having relations with other men, committing tax fraud, and the list goes on. As I look back on our relationship, nearly every one of the items you listed on your checklist ring true for our relationship, but I was very blind to them before his arrest, except for the gaslighting. I called him out on that about three months before his …
How could such a wonderful young man turn into an evil sociopath?Read More
To recover from the sociopath, and protect yourself from another one, work on relieving your emotional tension
[youtube_sc url="https://youtu.be/rJNFeHHGGN4"] Over the weekend Terry, my husband, and I watched The Zookeeper's Wife, a movie is set in Warsaw, Poland, during World War II. It tells the true story of how after animals at the Warsaw Zoo were bombed and shot, the couple that ran the zoo used the property to hide Jews from the Nazis until they could be transported to safety. It's a good movie, but as you can imagine, it is tense and emotional. My reaction to the film, plus the normal stress of daily life, made it difficult for me to sleep. Perhaps the connection I felt to the movie was a distant memory — if you've read my book, Love Fraud, you may remember that I describe how I learned a …