How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

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Mary Ann Glynn on why a support group helps recovery from a sociopath

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[youtube_sc url="https://youtu.be/Wq_w9KEXglw"] Upcoming Lovefraud CE Webinar: Facilitating Professionally Run Support Groups for Partners in Exploitative Relationships Friday, June 22, 2018 • 12 noon - 2 pm ET 2 CE credits available for therapists • $49 Confusion — everyone who is romantically involved with a sociopath experiences massive amount of confusion. Support groups offer clarity and validation — that's why they're so helpful for recovery. Lovefraud constantly hears from people who are looking for support groups specifically to help with recovery from sociopaths. They are really hard to find. And that's why Mary Ann is offering her webinar — so therapists who want to of …

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Has your ex threatened to take revenge after your divorce?

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Dwight Jones, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was bitter and angry about his November, 2010 divorce. Last week, almost eight years later, he allegedly lashed out. Jones is suspected of killing six people, four of whom were connected to his divorce: Dr. Steven Pitt, a well-known psychologist who testified against Jones in the divorce Veleria Sharp and Laura Anderson, paralegals who worked in the law office of the divorce attorney retained by Jones' ex-wife Marshall Levine, a counselor who took over the office space once used the counselor who treated Jones' son Mary Simmons and Bryon Thomas, who were friends of Jones, although police don't know why he killed them It certainly …

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Sociopathic Behavior Was Trained Into Me

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Editor's note: The following article was written by the Lovefraud reader acetiger01. Reverting back to the child self I kiss my boyfriend’s forehead lovingly as I pin him down before he has to go to work today. Lovingly being the way I look at him, touch him, the tone in my voice, as my grip is tight on his arms and my full weight on his chest to ensure that I speak to his subconscious as the dominant (even though he could easily out power me if given the chance). I smile sweetly and look up at him with big innocent brown eyes, a look I was taught from a young age could change someone’s perception of me entirely as I deliver harsh or distasteful information. I advise him to manipulate his c …

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Strategies to help recover from a break-up — at least in normal relationships

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In a recent scientific paper, researchers tested three cognitive strategies to help people get over a breakup with a romantic partner. They studied 24 heartbroken people, who had been in the relationship an average of 2.5 years. All were upset, and most still loved their exes. The recovery strategies: Negatively reappraise their ex — highlighting the ex's negative traits. Love reappraisal — accepting feelings of love without judgment. Distraction — think about positive things unrelated to the ex. Here were the results, according to the study authors: Negative reappraisal decreased love feelings but made participants feel unpleasant. Love reappraisal did nothing. Di …

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If your relationship and financial support are gone, services for displaced homemakers may be able to help

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[youtube_sc url="https://youtu.be/KXLu76dm_jU"] If you're in dire financial straits because you've been abandoned, divorced or widowed, there may be resources in your community to help you. At last month's Battered Mothers Custody Conference, I met Nancy Howard, director of the Center for People in Transition at Rowan College in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Her social services agency assists displaced homemakers in becoming self-sufficient. Nancy told me that displaced homemaker programs are available in all 50 states of the United States. To find them, just Google "displaced homemaker" and the name of your state. According to People in Transition, a displaced homemaker is …

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Self respect means not having to say you’re sorry (unless you really mean it)

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By Eleanor Cowan In my large family, so many of us were affected by our mother’s personality disorder that over time, our odd behaviors and adaptations became normalized. When neighbors asked about my mother’s terrible shrieking and screaming or her calling her children names such as "stupid brainless idiots," I’d quickly minimize the damage and offer inauthentic responses. “Oh, our house is so big. She’s just calling everyone for supper.” When I read, years later, that people swear according to their insecurities, I sensed my mother felt insecure about the education she lacked. Always guilt-free herself, she loudly blamed her older children for our toddler brother’s dangerous habit of …

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12 ways sociopaths say, ‘It’s not my fault’ — what have you heard?

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One of the defining characteristics of a sociopath is that they never take responsibility for anything. Nothing is ever their fault. Any problem they face is always caused by someone else, or circumstances beyond their control. I'll bet that a young sociopath invented the excuse, "The dog ate my homework." Early in my relationship with my sociopathic ex-husband, James Montgomery, he explained that his innovative business venture wasn't built because "the government took his land." Of course, he never mentioned the fact that he never owned the land, and never raised the money to buy the land. He just blamed the government for his business failure. Since I launched Lovefraud, I've …

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After dating a sociopath, the advice you need for your recovery

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The most telling sign that you've been dating a sociopath is confusion. This person claimed to love you, but after the initial whirlwind romance, treated you like dirt. Your partner would be absolutely brutal to you, and the next day, maybe even the next hour, act like nothing ever happened. He or she seemed to be proud of you, and then did nothing but criticize you. You finally figured out that something was wrong — he or she was disordered — and you ended the involvement. And then you started to second-guess yourself — what if you made a mistake? There are reasons why you feel so conflicted, and I've helped hundreds of people find validation and clarity after the insanity of these rel …

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The answer: Why psychopaths do what they do

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Perhaps the biggest question asked by people who have been targeted by psychopaths is, "Why?" 1. Why did he work so hard to win me, proclaiming his love and promising a beautiful future together, and then suddenly dump me? 2. Why does she intentionally scare, upset, demean and embarrass her own children? 3. Why does he lie about stupid things, even when he'd be better off telling the truth? 4. Why doesn't she care that she's hurting me? I'm sure you have your own list of "why?" questions. We try to make sense of the psychopath's unfathomable behavior. We look for explanations that we can understand: Perhaps he was abused or felt abandoned as a child. Perhaps she has low …

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Cognitive dissonance: Vicky Cilliers can’t accept that her husband tried to kill her by tampering with her parachute

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Emile Cilliers, a British army sergeant, was convicted last week of attempting to kill his wife, Vicky. The two were avid skydivers, and in April 2015, he tampered with her parachute before a jump. She fell 4,000 feet, but miraculously survived. Earlier in the week, Emile Cilliers damaged gas fittings in their home. If the gas had exploded, it would have killed Vicky and their two children. But even though the court found him guilty, Vicky Cilliers can't believe her husband was capable of murder. Read this story: 'I still can't believe he tried to murder me': Tearful wife of Lothario army sergeant refuses to accept his conviction for cutting her parachute, says she has NO plans …

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