How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

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Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas shooter, and his psychopathic father

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Here's the big question after the horrible massacre in Las Vegas: Why? Sunday night, Stephen Paddock, from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Casino, started shooting at the 22,000 people attending a country music concert. From his elevation, and with automatic weapons, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. A total of 59 people were killed and more than 500 wounded. It is the worst mass shooting in recent American history. Stephen Paddock, 64, is the son of Benjamin Hoskins Paddock who robbed two banks between 1959 and 1960. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1961 — but escaped in 1968. Benjamin Paddock, Las Vegas gunman's father, robbed banks and fled FBI, on N …

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What I learned about trauma from my dog

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My husband and I adopted a five-year-old rescue dog, Bo, in July of 2016. I wrote about him when we brought him home, which you can read here: My new dog offers a lesson in letting go, on Lovefraud.com. Bo has been living us for over a year now, and he is an absolute joy. When I'm working, Bo usually spends the day snoozing on his cushion on the floor beside me. His internal clock tells him when it's time for his walk, and he gets all excited — he loves going out. Who is he going to meet this time? Bo wants to approach every human, dog and even an occasional cat that happens to be along his route. Bo likes to hang around in the kitchen when Terry and I are making dinner. This, h …

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Think of sociopaths as aliens — it may help you understand them

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Perhaps the hardest thing to comprehend, and accept, about sociopaths is just how different they are from the rest of us. I've spoken to hundreds of people who have tangled with sociopaths. Even when the mask has not only slipped, but shattered, even when they know the truth about what the sociopath has been doing all along, they still ask, "But how could he do it?" "He kept telling me how much he loved me; how could he cheat like that?" "He said we were soul mates; how can he just up and leave?" "How can he be so cold and calculating?" "How can he look me right in the eye and lie?" (Substitute "she" for "he" as necessary.) Then, the people I talk to start making statements like the …

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Did football star and murderer Aaron Hernandez have a personality disorder or a brain injury?

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In 2013, Aaron Hernandez, the former standout tight end for the New England Patriots football team, was charged with murdering his friend. Hernandez had a history of violence and infractions with the law, so his behavior appeared to be that of a typical psychopath. For this reason, Lovefraud covered the story: Aaron Hernandez charged with murder; his cousin charged with contempt, on Lovefraud.com. Hernandez was found guilty of the murder on April 15, 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Two years later, at the age of 27, he hanged himself in prison. An examination of Hernandez' brain found that he suffered from CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It' …

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How being devastated by the sociopath helped me find love

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In the course of our two-and-a-half-year relationship, my sociopathic ex-husband, James Montgomery, took $227,000 from me, cheated with at least six women, had a child with one of the women, and then, 10 days after I left him, married the mother of the child. It was the second time he committed bigamy. Once I learned the truth about his behavior, and realized the depth of his deception, I was totally, completely, crushed. But if I hadn't been shattered by the sociopath, I would not have been able to love as I do now. Is your reaction, "huh?" Let me repeat. It was my experience with my sociopathic ex-husband, James Montgomery, that actually enabled me to find the love I always …

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Childhood experiences – including abuse – can alter your DNA

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Scientists once thought our genetic blueprint was carved in stone — whatever we inherited from our parents was with us for life. Research over the last few years, however, indicates that this is not the case. Genes can be modified by experience through processes referred to as "epigenetic." This is especially true during childhood. Recent research shows that childhood events, such as the family's socioeconomic status or the absence of a parent, can alter genes responsible for regulating inflammation. Experiences in childhood can alter your DNA for the rest of your life, on ScienceAlert.com. This study dovetails with earlier research showing that child abuse also affects DNA. According to …

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5 steps to recovery from the sociopath (they’re not fast or easy, but the healing is real)

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Finally, you realize what is wrong with your romantic partner: He or she is a sociopath. Finally, the behavior that was so confusing makes sense. The person you loved, and who you thought loved you, has a personality disorder. Now you realize that anything your partner told you could have been a lie. Now you know why your partner could be so cruel, then tell you how much he or she loved you, practically in the same breath. Now you realize that there never was any love, that your entire relationship was exploitation, and nothing more. Now what do you do? How do you move forward? How do you recover? Many of your friends and family tell you, "Just put it behind you. Get over it. Move …

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My experience with my narc ex boyfriend

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Left my ex since almost 4 years now, the hell I went through with him, it's a miracle I'm still here. Even though I've left he still pops up here and there doing the hoovering manuever, which is well known for borderline narcs. He would use the silent treatment on me and it drove me crazy as at that time. I had no idea about the narcissistic personality disorder one can have. I was pregnant with his child, I left my country to live with him in his country. He promised he love and all the wonderful things in life and always used to coo about how he would like to see me pregnant with a baby bump and all, so when it finally happened he blackmailed me into getting an abortion. He literally …

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5 steps to avoid being taken in a romance scam — beware of fake documentation

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Fake documentation is easy to create, and romance scammers know it. I recently received the following email from a reader in Denmark whom we'll call "Grete": In december 2015 i got to know an engineer from New Jersey. He claimed he was from New Jersey. He got a contract from Shell. The job was in Ukraine. We spoke on the phone every day. He made me believe I was the one. I trusted him. When he arrived in Ukraine, his problems started. He said that his credit card didn’t work. His bank accountant send me a collateral letter. I sent the letter to my bank. They thought it was an original. Unfortunately it wasn’t. I have given him 17.500$ I contacted FBI fraud center and sent them a …

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The sociopath is a neighbor of a family member!! Ugh!!!!

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First, I would like to say how beneficial reading the Lovefraud site has been. It has really pulled me through some rough moments of dealing with the sociopath that I was romantically linked to. He and I were in a LDR relationship (or so I thought) for a year and a half. I knew something was off right away, but I thought it was fear of commitment on his part or depression. He did all of the textbook things a sociopath would do (before I knew what one was.) He blew hot and cold, would ignore me for weeks, try to make me jealous, disappear on special days even when I was in town, and so much more.The final straw was him ignoring me when I was in town and then basically inviting me over for a …

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