Many people think that women who've been snared by a psychopathic con artist are weak, gullible and lacking in self-esteem. Well, many people are wrong. In a recent article for SheKnows.com, author Kiri Blakeley lists seven traits that make women vulnerable to psychopaths. They're not what you may think. Donna Andersen, author of Lovefraud.com, was quoted in the article. 7 traits psychopaths are attracted to, on SheKnows.com. …
Married To A Sociopath — How It All Began
My Story Since ending what turned into a toxic marriage, suffering through a divorce from hell, and enduring severe post-divorce emotional, legal, and financial aftershocks, I have educated myself about sociopaths. It is clear to me now that my ex-husband and the father of my children is a sociopath. By sharing my story and painfully gained insights in my book Husband, Liar, Sociopath: How He Lied, Why I Fell For It & The Painful Lessons Learned, and on the lovefraud.com  website, I hope to help others identify some of the markers that indicate someone in their life might be a sociopath as well as to recognize and offset the qualities in oneself—as in all of us—that encourage us to give t …
He’s a sociopath – he’s been lying to me since the day I met him
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call "Arlene." Five months ago I found myself in one of the worst situations of my life. I found out that my boyfriend, the love of my life, the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and grow old with, the man I thought I knew better than he knew himself, of 8 years ... was a total stranger and never existed. This is my story. I started dating a man 11 years older than me when I was 24 years old; I am now 33. We supposedly, in my mind, fell in love very quickly. Three months in, he took me shopping for a wedding ring, and two weeks later he told me that he had been making payments on the one that I loved, …
He’s a sociopath – he’s been lying to me since the day I met himRead More
BOOK REVIEW: Husband, Liar, Sociopath
Many people equate the term "psychopath" with "criminal," especially "serial killer." Although it's true that many serial killers are likely either deranged or psychopathic, it is also true that most psychopaths never kill anyone. In fact, there is an entire group of university researchers, led by Scott Lilienfeld, professor of psychology at Emory University, are investigating the "successful psychopath." Scientists disagree on how to define this creature. Some consider any psychopath who stays out of jail to be successful. Others look at career or monetary success. Read: Is the 'successful psychopath' a myth or reality? on PsyPost.org. Married to a successful psychopath Even if a psychopath …
How to work with your brain to so you can feel better
Dealing with sociopaths and the havoc they create crushes your sense of wellbeing, mood, self-esteem, confidence and happiness. In short, sociopaths make you miserable. Sometimes all you want is to feel better. Eric Barker wrote an article on BusinessInsider.com about how to feel happier. He summarized the work of multiple neuroscientists to come up with four steps you can take that will improve your outlook. They are: Ask "What am I grateful for?" Label negative emotions Make a decision Touch someone These aren't just "feel good" platitudes the suggestions are based on what affects your brain. Take these steps and you just might start to feel better. And that will enable you to deal with …
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Q&A with Jaqueline Kraft Bruno, Intuitive Life Coach and Reiki Master
Lovefraud is pleased to introduce the newest member of the Lovefraud Professional Resources Guide, Jacqueline Kraft Bruno. Jacqueline is an Intuitive Life Coach, Reiki Master and survivor of narcissistic abuse. What experience have you had dealing with sociopaths or other disordered personalities—personally, professionally, or both? Professionally, my experience includes working in substance abuse treatment. As a counselor, I worked with addicts and their families of all ages. I have worked in out patient and in-patient programs and as an Interventionist in private practice. Many of my co-workers were aware of the disordered people in their families prior to beginning their careers. I was a …
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LETTER TO LOVEFRAUD: Is he blind to the fact that he exploits and manipulates?
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a reader whom we'll call "Clara." My ex friend, after lying, abusing, manipulating everyone has now found himself in a whirlwind of trouble. Owes everyone in town, credit card issues, issues with every law agency known to man, IRS, trouble with his two previous ex wives, etc. Is now going around saying to everyone what goes around comes around, everyone is out to get him, he can't win or get ahead, no one has any sympathy or empathy for him. He "tries" to be a decent caring guy. Except he fails to mention he pathologically lied to everyone, stole money from people, was sleeping with other guys' wives, carrying on with single women …
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How to know if you were raised by a narcissist, and what to do about it
You feel like a doormat, you are competitive with siblings, you have no sense of yourself. Worse yet, you can't figure out why you feel the way you do. An insightful article on Huffington Post, written by Anna Almendrala, suggests that your problem may not have originated with you, but with your parents. Maybe your parents were narcissists. The article describes six ways you may feel or behave now, why your emotions or behaviors may be the result of a narcissistic parent, and how you can recover. 6 Signs you were raised by a narcissist, on Huffingtonpost.com. Story suggested by a Lovefraud reader. …
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He knew her for 20 years, but didn’t know she was a lying, cheating sociopath
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email from a reader whom we'll call "Jesse." I'm so saddened by the events from the past 5 months it pains me to relive them. I'm just trying to move on. I saw someone I know but really wasn't close to her. We saw each other a few times in the past 20 years, just a hello she was always smiling and happy, shy. My close friends knew her also but not close either. So we went out one afternoon to catch up on our lives since we knew each other. Funny looking back how our lives were exactly the same, or so I was being "mirrored" well. Quickly we were in Love. She was living at her parents, sleeping on the couch. No real job. So I moved her in, …
He knew her for 20 years, but didn’t know she was a lying, cheating sociopathRead More
What I, as a Highly Sensitive Person, learned the hard way about sociopaths
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following email froma reader who posts as "emotionallyraped." She previously wrote the blog post "Highly Sensitive People are perfect targets for sociopaths." Obviously, anyone with a conscience is a potential victim for the sociopath. Among people with a conscience, I would say a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) would be the easiest to detect, right? So, if HSP's are more easily spotted among the population with conscience, then would you agree that HSP's are likely a sociopath's most common target? Assuming you agree, would it not make sense that socios would be experts at feigning the emotions and actions of Highly Sensitive …
What I, as a Highly Sensitive Person, learned the hard way about sociopathsRead More