Book reviews

By Amber Ault, Ph.D., MSW In the wake of the Gay Pride Month massacre of 49 people gathered at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the world has taken notice of the violence and threats of violence lesbian gay, bisexual, and transgender people face on a regular basis.   What's less visible is that the patterns of oppression we face in the broader society sometimes trickle down into our most intimate relationships.   Lesbian and gay people need to be able to turn to partners for safety, support, care, and kindness. This is especially important as we face discrimination and invalidation in the broader culture. Unfortunately, for many people in same-sex relationships, home is not a haven but, i …

Save on ‘The Wise Lesbian Guide to Getting Free From Crazy-Making Relationships’Read More

Book Review: The Narc Decoder Understanding the language of the narcissist, by Tina Swithin. If you're involved with a sociopath, narcissist or other disordered individual, there comes a time when they attack. The love bombing has stopped maybe ages ago. They are through with you, or sense that you are through with them. They either regard you with contempt, or are furious that you figured them out and had the audacity to leave. They start sending nasty text messages and emails. Here's one that Tina Swithin, author of The Narc Decoder, received from her ex-husband while they were in the midst of a custody battle over their two daughters: Tina - The most tragic part is what you are doing …

What narcissists are really sayingRead More

  By O.N. Ward For several months, I've posted an entry here every Thursday. Some entries have been edited excerpts from my book "Husband, Liar, Sociopath: How He Lied, Why I Fell For It & The Painful Lessons Learned" (available via Amazon.com, just click on the title or book cover) while others have been inspired by things I've read both on the Lovefraud website and elsewhere. From this point forward, I'll be posting chapters from my book in order, one at a time. Forward In Disguise The book is a memoir about having my life entangled for about 20 years with someone I now believe is a sociopath. The experience was soul destroying and life altering. As my life and spirit …

Husband, Liar, SOCIOPATH–How He Lied, Why I Fell For It & The Painful Lessons LearnedRead More

If sociopaths are so common and cause so much damage, why aren't more of us forewarned? Being victimized by a sociopath doesn't just happen to a few, rare foolhardy people, it happens to lots of people—lots of everyday people who play by the rules.  I know that blaming victims of sociopaths for the harm inflicted on them or simply ignoring them is a defense mechanism for others who want to feel that they could never be victimized. Those abused must have made a stupid decision, chosen to be blind, unconsciously wanted it to happen, played a significant role in their unraveling, and so it goes.  Of course, in most cases this isn't true, but it's comforting and self-protecting for nonvictims to …

Little Red Riding Hood: A Sociopath’s Fairy TaleRead More

Editor's note To Lovefraud's Spanish-speaking readers We are giving away five copies of the new Spanish translation of 'Red Flags of Love Fraud 10 signs you're dating a sociopath.' All you have to do is promise to post a review of it on Amazon! Regalamos cinco copias de la nueva versión en español de Red Flags of Love Fraud — 10 signs you're dating a sociopath a los lectores hispanohablantes de Lovefraud. ¡Tan solo tienes que cumplir la promesa de publicar una reseña del libro en Amazon.com! Ponte en contacto con donna@lovefraud.com.  Más información: Lo que deben saber todos los que anhelan una relación sobre los depredadores sociales: Carisma, encanto, tanto en común y también seductor: ¿ …

Copia gratuita a los primeros 5 lectores de ‘Alertas Rojas de Estafa Amorosa’ en libro electrónicoRead More

Book Review: The Five Step Exit The skills you need to leave a narcissist, psychopath or other toxic partner and recover your happiness now, by Amber Ault, Ph.D. It's the New Year. Did you make a New Year's resolution to really, finally, emphatically, get out of your toxic relationship, once and for all? If your answer is yes, or even if you're still just thinking about putting an end to the madness, you need this book: The Five Step Exit The skills you need to leave a narcissist, psychopath or other toxic partner and recover your happiness now, by Amber Ault, Ph.D. In this slim, wonderful book, Dr. Ault promises to take you, step by step, through the process of disengaging from an abusive …

The 5 Step Exit – How to leave your sociopathic partnerRead More

Book Review: Divorcing a Narcissist One Mom's Battle, by Tina Swithin "The only thing more difficult than being married to a narcissist is divorcing a narcissist." This is one of the first sentences that Tina Swithin writes in her book, Divorcing a Narcissist One Mom's Battle. It's a sentiment I've heard time and time again from Lovefraud readers who have faced the same battle. When Tina met Seth, she didn't know he was a narcissist. In fact, like most of us, she didn't know what a narcissist was. But she was 25 years old and felt like she was ready to find a real relationship. Before Seth, Tina had been in relationships in which the man required "fixing." She realized that she didn't want …

Overcoming the insanity of co-parenting with an exploiterRead More

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 …

BOOK REVIEW: Husband, Liar, SociopathRead More