Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a mother whom we'll call "Natalya". She shares a child with a sociopath and her custody nightmare keeps getting worse. I have read in many articles and blogs that often psychologists would not recognize the psychopath and actually "allow" themselves to be manipulated. I thought it won't happen to me as my son's father is so ridiculous and I think it is so obvious to see something is wrong with him. Unfortunately my custody evaluation was a disaster. Even one of the mental tests he took shows the possibility of substance induced psychotic disorder and the psychologists herself stated he shows paranoia, delusion and cannot be …
LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: Pushed, and then abandoned, by a controlling older brother
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a woman who lives in Greece and Cyprus. We'll call her "Evangelina." My brother is 14 years older. He took charge of my life's choices (where to live as a child, what to study as young person applying for university), and I blindly followed, as I fully trusted him. He was my brother after all ”¦ He then turned nasty every single time I did not fulfill his expectations. He even lied and said often that a choice that was made by him, was only mine. Like studying archaeological conservation when I knew I am weak in sciences. But he insisted it's for my interest not to study what I want and I'm inclined toward (I'm good with arts so I wa …
LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: Pushed, and then abandoned, by a controlling older brotherRead More
He controlled my moves and thoughts with diabolical and methodical precision
Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call "Ingrid." I met my Sociopath over 10 years ago and just like in all the books and blogs I have read as of late fell hard and fast for what I thought was honesty as he would look me right in the eyes and tell me everything any women wants to hear ”¦ you know how beautiful I was, how he wishes he would have met me in his twenties, how we are so much alike, blah, blah, blah. Unbeknown to me he was gathering all the information he would need later to control my every move and thought and that he did with DIABOLICAL AND METHODICAL precision and I being the honest and open hearted person I am I believed him. My Sociopath used and …
He controlled my moves and thoughts with diabolical and methodical precisionRead More
Are you a senior living in New York? Did you meet a liar on the Internet?
By Joyce M. Short Catfish Profiles are personal write-ups containing fictitious information, and they are prolific in internet dating. And all too many participants here on Lovefraud have first-hand knowledge of this heart-wrenching problem. As many of you are aware, I've been working diligently to create laws that will prevent victims from being defrauded into relationships. I'm happy to report that on October 21, 2015, I'll be testifying before legislators in New York State about this problem. In order to effectively get the message across, I'd like to hear real-life cases of victims who fell prey to a Catfish Profiles in New York State. If you are age 55 or older and met a person …
Are you a senior living in New York? Did you meet a liar on the Internet?Read More
My close call with a sex-obsessed cult
Editor's note: The Lovefraud reader "Seekeroflight" sends us the following story related to her almost being dragged into a cult. In Lovefraud's view, cult leaders are sociopaths on steroids, and engage in mind control over cult members. There is a story from my past that I've wanted to share somewhere publicly, and I am thinking this might be a good place to do so. It doesn't deal with a sociopath directly, but it is a type of situation that those of us vulnerable to sociopaths also may be vulnerable to. I certainly was. It also deals with a specific group which is incredibly dangerous, but of whom there is almost zero knowledge of within the United States even though they are practically …
All of his abuse was secret
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a reader whom we'll call “Marla Marie.” Following 9/11, I moved back home and within just three years married my ex-husband. I think the trauma of 9/11 inspired me to hurry up and get a life, and in doing so I overlooked some red flags. I was also naive in love matters. My ex-husband is the hallmark charming, handsome nomad. Although even prior to marriage not all of his stories "checked out" it immediately escalated once we were married. He was using drugs, had a criminal record and two prior marriages. He also had a child he never knew/saw. We were married and divorced within 2 years. All of his abuse was secret. He would berate me …
I was supposed to give and give, but was not allowed to ask for anything
I have spent the last 7.5 years in a relationship with a sociopath. I gave more than I had to give mentally, emotionally and financially. He barely worked in that time. He lied, cheated and did his best to convince me I was crazy. He would steal and swear on his children he would never do that to me. The last two years of the relationship I would often tell him he was a sociopath, but it wasn't until the last six months that I truly started researching the disorder and everything I read on the topic was him to a T! It was as if someone sat back documenting his behaviors, then put them all together to create this disorder. The charm, false sense of entitlement, pathological lying, parasitic …
I was supposed to give and give, but was not allowed to ask for anythingRead More
Highly Sensitive People are perfect targets for sociopaths
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a reader who posts as “emotionallyraped.” I visualize a spectrum for 'living beings' on an emotional scale ”¦”¦ from the HSP (highly sensitive people) at one extreme, to sociopaths at the other extreme. I've taken excerpts from some reading online. ----------- The personality trait highly sensitive people, which was first researched by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D., in the early 1990s, is relatively common, with as many as one in five people, or 20% of the population, possessing it. (Taken from Huffington post) Psychologist Martha Stout — who was a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School for 25 years — estimates in her boo …
Highly Sensitive People are perfect targets for sociopathsRead More
LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: I lost my marriage, my children, my job and my home
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a woman who calls herself “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” My story began in high school where we started dating. We were both at the end of our junior year and began dating as summer was beginning. It started off fantastic; I mean that's why I stayed to get back those first few weeks of our relationship. Then the jealously started, the manipulations, the isolation: it was too much for me to take and begin my college years. So I told him we were done; of course this was after he "tried to commit suicide" in front of me by taking a handful of aspirin; he pinned me down in my car in the dorm parking lot and I screamed to the point that someone ca …
LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: I lost my marriage, my children, my job and my homeRead More
LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: The ride on the sociocrazytrain was painful, but I don’t regret it
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a reader whom we'll call Roseann. I just wanted to thank you for developing the Lovefraud site, sharing your experience and writing your books. I have read both. The books and your site have helped me tremendously, not only initially when I needed to understand what was happening, during the no contact time and even now, when he's long gone. It helps me to remember who I was back then and to see whom I am now and I'm pleased with my progress and the choices I made. Cutting contact All in all, I spent the better part of 10 years dealing with my on and off relationship/friendship with my spath and THE best thing I did was cut …
LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: The ride on the sociocrazytrain was painful, but I don’t regret itRead More