How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

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Sociopaths, information and power — what you need to know

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I clearly remember the words of my sociopathic ex-husband, James Montgomery: "Information is power." Sociopaths don't really interact with others — they look for ways to exert power and control over the rest of us. Information, Montgomery understood very well, gave him the ability to manipulate, deceive and exploit me and others. Let's take a close look at how sociopaths acquire and use information at various stages of a romantic relationship. Advance preparation If you're looking for romance online, you've probably heard about how to protect yourself when you meet an online date in person. But what's more important is protecting yourself when you create your profile. When s …

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To Mom and Dad: 9 reasons why your son or daughter fell for the sociopath

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Dear Parents of a Lovefraud Target, Your son or daughter has now come to the brutal realization that the entire relationship was a scam. Perhaps you've had your suspicions for a while. Perhaps you've even tried to tell your kid that the partner was no good, but he or she wouldn't listen to you. Now everything has collapsed, and you can't understand why your son or daughter didn't see it coming. Please understand that sociopaths are professional con artists, and they are really, really good at what they do. In fact, they spend their entire lives perfecting their craft. Following are nine reasons why your son or daughter fell for it. 1. Your son or daughter didn't know …

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Kaitlyn Conley, 24, sentenced to 23 years for killing her boss

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Kaitlyn Conley, 24, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for fatally poisoning her boss. The victim was Mary Yoder, 60, of Whitesboro, New York, a chiropractor. Yoder was also the mother of Conley's ex-boyfriend. During the sentencing, William Yoder, the victim's husband, said Kaitlyn Conley "had a fight with my son … and then murdered his mother." Kaitlyn Conley sentenced to 23 years for the death of her ex-boyfriend's mother, on NewYorkUpstate.com. Story suggested by a Lovefraud reader, who was a relative of the victim.       . …

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10 lessons from the mistakes we made with sociopaths

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Many years ago, I attended a workshop presented by Patricia Sun, a pioneer of the self-awareness movement. One of the things she talked about was shifting our views about making mistakes. We tend to fear making mistakes, and when we do make mistakes, we berate ourselves. But in reality, mistakes are a part of life. There are no instruction manuals for most of the choices we make. Life, therefore, is a series of decisions made mostly by trial and error. We never progress in a straight line towards out goals. We have false starts and detours, but with time and persistence, we get to where we want to go. Patricia Sun talked about viewing mistakes as opportunities to make course corrections. …

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How do I forgive myself for staying in a relationship with a sociopath?

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Lovefraud recently received the following email: I suspected that my ex boyfriend was a sociopath, but your website confirmed it. I always thought that sociopaths were murderers like Ted Bundy or Casey Anthony, but I realize now that the vast majority lead "normal" lives (whatever that means). I'm a divorced mom with a precious little daughter. My ex boyfriend was the first man I dated after a long and abusive marriage to an alcoholic. I was with my ex boyfriend a little over 2 years, although he exhibited signs of sociopathic (or what I considered narcissistic) behavior, including chronic infidelity, pathological lying, a grandiose sense of self, a total lack of empathy (particularly …

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Introducing a FREE 30-day mind/body recovery program, created by a Lovefraud reader

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[youtube_sc url="https://youtu.be/6nSk1uPm1X0"] Roxana D recently escaped a traumatic situation — one that many, many Lovefraud readers can identify with. While in the midst of it, she experienced worrisome physical symptoms — blackouts, heart palpitations, panic attacks. To get through her troublesome journey, she is using calming mind/body techniques and exercises. Roxana now wants to share her healing journey with Lovefraud readers. Roxana is creating a 30-day Self-Love and Healing Video Series. When I saw her videos, I thought that they would be truly helpful for many Lovefraud readers. Roxana uses simple yoga and meditation techniques and movements that anyone can do — altho …

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12 years later, Phil Haberman still pretends to be military

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Sociopaths just don't quit. Back in 2006, Lovefraud profiled Phil Haberman, who claimed to be special forces (a lie), claimed to have suffered war injuries in Iraq (a lie), and convinced the military to pay him money he didn't deserve (the truth). Over the years, Lovefraud has periodically heard from people who had tangled with Haberman. He frequently created fundraising campaigns for sick or injured dogs that were nothing but scams. Well, Haberman was still at it during Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas in September. He showed up as a volunteer rescuer, convinced authorities — at least temporarily — that he was military. He took charge of a dozen volunteers, shut down a highway, lau …

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If you must fight a sociopath, you cannot be nice

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Sociopaths do not believe that the rules apply to them. They do not fight fair. Therefore, if you choose to fight a sociopath, or if you have no choice but to fight a sociopath, your own fighting style will need to become aggressive as well. If you're a nice person, if you typically want to do what's fair for everyone involved — well, that doesn't work with a sociopath. A sociopath's objective is not to be fair. It's to win, and possibly annihilate you in the process. To survive the battle, you'll need to act in a way that is probably contrary to your nature. It will be uncomfortable, but necessary. First decision — do you fight? Here's the first and most important decision: Do …

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When your daughter is in a relationship with a psychopath

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Editor's note: The following was posted in the Lovefraud Forum by the reader "freedomformydaughter." This article is so poignant and insightful I wanted everyone to see it. when your daughter is in a relationship with a psychopath* you cannot speak sense to her if you try she will walk out so you go years without being able to talk deeply to her when your daughter is in a relationship with a psychopath she will drop her family values, her morals, her modesty, her purity she will find her value in her use to him as a sexual object she will forget that she is beautiful inside she will forget that she has qualities that make her rare and unique she will forget that she has strengths …

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