My sociopathic ex-husband, James Montgomery, considered himself to be an entrepreneur, the equal of any man who ever built a commercial empire. As he was seducing me, painting a glimmering picture of how successful and rich we would become, he proclaimed that he would be "the next Walt Disney." When Montgomery went to business meetings, he wore a jacket, trousers, and a polo shirt. He refused to wear ties, but he always had a silk square in his jacket pocket. He told me that even when he was young, he always dressed up in jackets and cravats, eschewing the psychedelic fashions of the 60s. So you can imagine my surprise when I heard that he'd been spotted at a train station in Katoomba, …
Psychopaths’ brains react to pain in themselves, but not others
Researchers studied the brains of 121 prison inmates who were categorized as weakly, moderately or highly psychopathic. While in an fMRI brain imaging machine, the inmates were shown photos of someone experiencing physical pain, for example, a finger caught in a door. Asked to imagine it was their finger, the psychopaths' brains showed typical neural responses. But asked to imagine it was another person's finger, the psychopathic brains did not register a pain response. They showed a pleasure response. Neurological basis for lack of empathy in psychopaths, on ScienceDaily.com. Here's another similar study: Psychopaths are not neurally equipped to have concern for others, on …
Psychopaths’ brains react to pain in themselves, but not othersRead More
Donna Andersen presents to Student Assistance Professionals
Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk about sociopaths to the Association of Student Assistance Professionals for the Southern Region of New Jersey. These are the student assistance coordinators who work in the public schools in New Jersey's seven southern counties. I had enough time to essentially give them two presentations, which was terrific: Love Fraud and How to Avoid It is my program for high school and college students. Sociopathy Awareness for Staff and Counselors provided more in-depth information that professionals should know. The presentation for students explains what a sociopath is, the Red Flags of Love Fraud, how people become addicted to relationships, the dangers of …
Donna Andersen presents to Student Assistance ProfessionalsRead More
Dateline: Expose of Warren Jeffs and polygamy
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy At age 19, Rebecca Musser was forced to be the 19th wife of Rulon Jeffs, the 85-year-old "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. She escaped, and has written a new book called The Witness Wore Red. NBC's Dateline will feature her story tonight. Story suggested by a Lovefraud reader. …
Van Dralan Dixon, crime watch captain, suspected in rapes
Van Dralan Dixon, a neighborhood crime watch captain in South Dallas, Texas is a suspect in a series of rapes. Between June 22 and September 1, 2013, there were nine rapes in the Fair Park area. Dixson's DNA matches one of the cases. Dixson was called a "dedicated father," yet he had a violent temper and sometimes left his children unattended. Neighbors: South Dallas rape suspect was crime watch captain, on DallasNews.com. …
Van Dralan Dixon, crime watch captain, suspected in rapesRead More
Breaking the compulsion to “fix” and “help”
Lovefraud recently received the following letter from a reader whom we'll call "Emilie": I won't go into the long, boring details of my 7+ year relationship with the sociopath that invaded my life. It's the same basic story as always and plus, I think there's some kind of email size limit. :) Ever since I ended the engagement over 3 years ago, and finally terminated the relationship itself another year after, I've made comments (in a lighthearted, self deprecating fashion) that, "if you're going to treat me like crap, then I'm the girl for you!" Yes, it gets chuckles from the people I'm around, but sadly it's true. I was watching a movie last night and was judging the characters on …
New tools for the psychopath tool box
Editor's note: The following alert was sent to us by the Lovefraud reader who posts as "Jcco." I reconnected with my exP. My guard is totally up but I'm enjoying the show. I no longer use craigslist, i have limited FB use, and no more digging for info regarding the P. He is what he is. He told me about the new app called "Snapchat." The user can send a message/image and set a time limit for the recipient to view the message. After the message is viewed, it automatically deletes itself from the server. You can set the timer from 1-10 seconds. You can delete the app from your phone (if you're hiding an affair or something) and all its all gone. You can download the app again, as needed, …
Sociopaths and love
If you're like most Lovefraud readers, you're here because you were romantically involved with a sociopath. This person probably declared love for you repeatedly, exuberantly and convincingly. Then the individual lied to you, betrayed you, cheated on you, abused you and perhaps even threatened you. You were left stunned, distraught and devastated. How could someone who loved you treat you so badly? A letter Lovefraud received recently might help you understand why that person's love was so shallow: I have read several articles on your site out of curiosity and boredom over the past few weeks, and I agree with almost all of their content. If I weren't a sociopath I would probably find …
Minnesota Appellate Court overturns mom’s conviction for ‘deprivation of parental rights’
Caroline Rice and Brent Rice, of Chanhassen, Minnesota, divorced in 2004, and have been involved in custody battles over their five children ever since. Full custody was awarded to Brent Rice, even though the children said he was abusive. In 2010 the youngest child, 13 at the time, ran away, met up with her mother, and they fled to Canada. When Caroline Rice returned to the United States, she was charged with depriving parental rights. Last week, the Minnesota Court of Appeals overturned the conviction, saying that Judge Richard C. Perkins and prosecutors conspired to deprive Rice of her civil rights and access to due process. Update: Long custody battle produces guilty verdict, on …
Minnesota Appellate Court overturns mom’s conviction for ‘deprivation of parental rights’Read More
Saving the world from sociopaths
Last week, three teens from Oklahoma were charged with killing an Australian student athlete "for fun." Christopher Lane, 22, was visiting Duncan, Oklahoma, where his girlfriend lived. While he was jogging down the road, a car drove by him and Lane was shot in the back. Charged in the crime are Chancey Allen Luna, 16; James Francis Edwards Jr., 15; and Michael Dewayne Jones, 17. According to CBS News: "They saw Christopher go by, and one of them said: 'There's our target,'" said Police Chief Dan Ford. "The boy who has talked to us said, 'We were bored and didn't have anything to do, so we decided to kill somebody.'" Back in June, there was a similarly shocking case in Indiana. …