How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

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I knew immediately something was wrong, but I felt trapped

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Editor's Note:  This SPATH Tale was submitted by the Lovefraud reader who posts under the name "sunshinejan." The names in this story have been changed. I married someone I met online after a relatively short courtship that I and friends/family felt was sufficient to answer our questions and made us feel secure as conservative evangelical Christians about his intentions and character. Once I was married and moved out of the country away from my family and gave up my beloved profession and friends to be with him, I knew immediately something was wrong, but I felt trapped. He abused my credit in two countries and lied before and during the marriage about his financial situation. He …

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Pennsylvania murder spree: PTSD or psychopathy?

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The body of Bradley W. Stone, 35, was discovered Tuesday in the woods about a half-mile from his home in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, which is outside of Philadelphia. On Monday, Stone killed his ex-wife, Nicole Stone, 35, and five members of her family, authorities say. The killings took place in three separate locations. Stone and his wife began divorce proceedings in 2009. Although the divorce was finalized, they were still battling over custody of their daughters, ages 8 and 5. The daughters are safe. Bradley Stone filed an emergency order for custody this month. The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Lisa Andrey, a neighbor of Nicole Stone's mother: When the pair first got together "he …

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Josh Powell allegedly murdered his wife; now his family wants a cut of the insurance money

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Editor's note: Five years ago, Susan Powell, a Utah mother of two, went missing. Her body has never been found. This is pretty low By Ann Stevenson Joshua Powell and his father were the chief suspects in Susan Cox Powell's disappearance a few years ago. Josh got sole custody of the couple's children, then moved them to Washington State. The State then found Josh to be unstable and awarded Susan's parents custody of the kids. During a "supervised" visit between the children and Josh Powell, Powell hacked the kids up with an ax and blew the house up, killing himself and his two children. Josh Powell's father, Steven Powell, is a convicted sex offender who was caught with child porn. He …

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He makes me believe the lies and sucks me into the drama

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Editor's Note: This SPATH Tale was submitted by the Lovefraud reader who posts by the name "stronginthecity." I am currently in a relationship with a sociopath. I've been with him since June 2013. I was with him before. That relationship ended in 2006, leaving me jobless and depressed because he left the relationship abruptly and literally disappeared. I am a medical professional, so I am the typical target I guess. He resurfaced last year proclaiming his love for me and how much he missed me -- giving three or four reasons, explanations why he left. I kept tabs on him through the years from time to time and found out he was in prison in 2009 for drug charges. He is a constant liar …

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I am not, and never have been mad – just stressed and traumatized because of him

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Editor's note: The following story was submitted by a Lovefraud reader whom we'll call "Laverne." I feel that my life has been basically ruined (and is still being ruined) by the father of my children who is a truly vicious sociopath. He stalks the background of my life like the Grim Reaper feeding off the misery he causes. For anyone who has not had this type of experience it is very hard to explain, as sociopaths, such as my ex partner, appear so 'normal' to others, whilst making you, the victim, seem like the 'mad' one. As we have children together I feel like I am trapped and the only way out is if he were to die. My whole existence is one of nervous terror - waiting for the next …

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Sarah Strudwick Presents: ‘Dark Souls’ – The Aftermath Talk

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Editor's note: Sarah Strudwick, based in the UK, is author of Dark Souls—Healing and recovering from toxic relationships. She has also created a wonderful animation that describes the antics of a sociopath, called Exposing the Mask of Insanity. Sarah Strudwick Presents: 'Dark Souls' — The Aftermath Talk LONDON Saturday 31st January 2015 12.30-2.30 A good way of describing the relationship with a sociopath is to liken it to a Tsunami. Sometimes you are lucky enough to come out of it unscathed but for many you are left with an aftermath  which can take days, months or even years to clean up. Five years ago Sarah Strudwick decided to write Dark Souls fresh out of her  relationship with a s …

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Protect yourself: Learn from Australia’s amazing ScamWatch website

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The Daily Telegraph in Australia recently posted the following article: Local man loses $7,000 in internet love scam then calls the police, on the DailyTelegraph.com.au. The man met a woman from Ghana on line, she professed her love, and then asked him to send money so she could visit him. Of course, it was a ruse. Yes, men as well as women lose money to online dating scams. But the most important part of the article was a reference to ScamWatch, a comprehensive consumer protection website developed by the Australian government. This website is fabulous. It lists all types of scams and offers support for scam victims. Check it out. If you're online, you need to know this i …

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Mom still presses for answers in daughter’s death

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Kathy Morris, a 22-year-old who was about to graduate from the University of Maryland, was found dead on May 6, 2012. Authorities ruled her death a suicide. Her mother, Rev. Marguerite Morris, believes the investigation was botched. Kathy had secretly married a U.S. Army soldier. Rev. Morris believes the soldier married her daughter just so he could collect more money from the Army, which is fraud. "She had all the documentation about the fraud and the next day's she's dead," Rev. Morris told the Capital Gazette. "And that's one reason why I push. Mother of apparent suicide seeks answers, on CapitalGazette.com. Here's Lovefraud's original story on this case: Army Specialist Isaac …

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What if lying for sex were illegal?

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A couple of weeks ago, New Jersey Assemblyman Troy Singleton introduced a bill to expand the definition of sexual assault to include "rape by fraud." This is defined as: "An act of sexual penetration to which a person has given consent because the actor has misrepresented the purpose of the act or has represented he is someone he is not." Singleton is the Assemblyman for Burlington County, New Jersey, and one of his constituents is Mischele Lewis, who was seduced and defrauded by William Jordan. When Singleton read about what happened to Mischele, he reached out to her and offered to write a law to protect future victims. Now, the story about the bill has hit the media. …

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How to divorce a narcissist

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Divorce coach and founder of The Inspired Divorce, Lindsey Ellison, says that “divorcing a narcissist may be the toughest fight of your life.” While doing her research for her blog:  Secret to Engaging a Narcissist, Ellison came upon Robert Farzad, president of Farzad Family Law in Orange County, California, who believes that those divorcing a narcissist "lose" their case because they never have a strategy and end up surrendering. Farzad says that "all of your emotions and what you feel are irrelevant. The minute you react to that person, you are already losing the battle." Farzad  suggests if you're divorcing a narcissist, "stop feeling and start thinking." The Secret to Divorcing a Na …

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