Recovery from a sociopath

Editor's note: Caroline Parsons is an attorney from Queensland, Australia. Today she reminds us that leaving an abusive marriage isn't a failure, it's a success. Learn more about Caroline Parsons on the Lovefraud Announcements page or in her author profile. By Caroline Parsons, Esq. There’s a swear word that is often used by people who have just separated from their life partner. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t start with “F.” The word is “should.” Conversations with our inner voice often follow this script: “I should have been a better wife/husband/partner,” “I should have tried harder/stayed longer/left earlier” and “I should just get over it/stop drinking/move on.” But there are …

When leaving an abusive marriage, forget the ‘should’Read More

Editor's note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, offers advice on handling your feelings of anger toward a sociopath. Read more about Liberty. By Liberty Forrest When your life has been derailed by a sociopath, it is natural to experience strong emotions such as anger, indignation, betrayal - even rage. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s good to express it or release it - and to  be sure to do it in a way that doesn’t cause harm to anyone. It’s also perfectly natural to feel like you want to get even, or to wish that the sociopath would get a taste of his/her own medicine. Although it is understandable to feel this way, it will o …

How to Cope with Residual Anger Toward a SociopathRead More

Editor's note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, reminds you that inner strength isn't automatic — you develop inner strength because you need to. Read more about Liberty. By Liberty Forrest There's a big difference between intelligence and ability, and knowledge and experience. Intelligence and ability speak about your potential; knowledge and experience speak about how far you've come in reaching it. Both ability and experience help you develop inner strength — especially difficult experiences. It's a gradual process. When you were born, you couldn't understand a word. You couldn't lift your head. You had no sense that you …

Broadsided by a sociopath, you develop inner strength because you mustRead More

Editor's note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, encourages you to let Spirit help you move forward in the New Year. Read more about Liberty. By Liberty Forrest Another year draws to a close. Always a mixed blessing, isn't it? It will have been a year of both good and bad times. Unfortunately, many people focus on the bad ones and minimise the good. And perhaps this is the year that you ended a toxic relationship, or have continued recovering from one that ended some time ago, and those painful memories still bubble up now and then. Thank heaven we are resilient healing beings, especially if we choose to move past whatever …

Move Forward in the New Year, from Goodbyes to Big DreamsRead More

Editor's note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, reminds you that even after your life has been blown to smithereens by a sociopath, you can choose hope and recovery. Read more about Liberty. By Liberty Forrest I'll bet you know what it is to be hopeful. And I'll bet you know what it is to feel completely hopeless, too. It's pretty miserable, to say the least. I've always said you can live a long time on just a little bit of hope. But when it's gone, it feels like life isn't worth living. You might be in that dark and painful place right now, especially if your life has just been blown to smithereens by a sociopath. But you …

Even after the sociopath, you can choose hope and recoveryRead More

Editor's note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, explains how Christmas and toxic relationships may increase the pressure others place on us, and the pressure we place on ourselves. Read more about Liberty. By Liberty Forrest This season is supposed to be about wonder and magic, about loving and giving, aspects of our lives that we're meant to be contemplating throughout the year but especially now. But somehow, it can become too easy to be swallowed up in shoulds, oughts and musts. Throughout the year, people expect us to be, do or give this or that, but at Christmas, this is all amplified. The expectations rise, and we feel …

Christmas and Toxic Relationships: Not-So-Great ExpectationsRead More

Editor's note: Lovefraud welcomes a new author, Attorney Caroline Parsons from Queensland, Australia. Today she explains how the violence — physical and emotional — of toxic relationships affects your brain. Learn more about Caroline Parsons on the Lovefraud Announcements page or in her author profile. By Caroline Parsons, Esq. In prehistoric times, when a caveman realised he had been spotted by a sabre-toothed tiger, his primitive brain flooded his body with cortisol so he could fight or escape the beast. “Freezing” (or becoming immobile) is also a response to extreme threat. When a modern brain reacts in a similar way to a traumatic event, it can result in post-traumatic stress. …

Toxic relationships are like being chased by a tigerRead More

Editor's note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, reminds you that to begin your recovery from a sociopath, start where you are. Read more about Liberty. By Liberty Forrest It is said that, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This is attributed to Lao-Tzu, a brilliant Chinese philosopher who wrote a lot about the Tao. More correctly, the proper translation from Chinese is "The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet." I love both of these statements. At first glance, they might seem to have almost identical meanings. They are thought to be interchangeable but in fact, each is quite …

Begin Recovery from a Sociopath: A Journey of a Thousand Miles…Read More