Editor's note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, explains how to know if a person in your life is dysfunctional or a sociopath. Read more about Liberty. By Liberty Forrest I want to look at the dynamics of a particular issue that is at the heart of relationships with sociopaths. That issue is control. It's also at the heart of many relationships that although dysfunctional, are not toxic to the point of being abusive and dangerous to one's overall wellbeing. Put it this way: All sociopaths are controllers, but not all controllers are sociopaths. So before I dive into this big topic, don't panic and immediately think that …
Sociopaths are fundamentally incapable of being supportive partners or loving parents. So what do you do, especially when there are children involved?
How To Handle Toxic Family and Friends
Editor's note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, offers suggestions on how to handle toxic family and friends. Read more about Liberty. By Liberty Forrest If you've landed here at LoveFraud, chances are that you're reeling from the pain and disruption of a toxic relationship or upbringing. Or both. Sociopaths and the fallout of abusive relationships can cause a ripple effect that's more like a tidal wave that trashes your life in too many ways to count. And it can go on for many years. Once your self-esteem and self-worth have taken a beating, your choices are adversely affected, as are your connections with people in …
Sociopathic manipulation in divorce and child support
Editor’s note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we’ll call, “Sally21.” She tells a typical story (unfortunately) of sociopathic manipulation in divorce and child support. I have been divorced for 5 years, was in relationship with N/S (narcissistic sociopath) for over 20 years and it took me at least 10 to find the courage to leave and start over. I have always been very outspoken, intellectual, and fearless. I came from a dysfunctional background but did extensive counseling to become healthy AND pursued educational degree last in both Psychology and Sociology. To no avail...I still married a N/S. I knew from the beginning something was wrong. There were 2 …
Sociopathic manipulation in divorce and child supportRead More
Malicious Parent Syndrome and sociopathic behavior
By Joanie Bentz, B.S., M.Ed., CCBP, BC I’m a mental health practitioner, and while researching family therapy journals for research on cognitive behavioral therapy approaches, I came across a concept called the "Malicious Parent Syndrome.” It described how some divorcing and already divorced parents actively work to turn their children against the other parent. It sounded very much like how sociopaths engage in parental alienation. Characteristics of malicious parent syndrome The concept of Malicious Parent Syndrome was developed between 1995 and 1999 by a psychologist named Ira Turkat, who specialized in family law disputes, false allegations and relationship poisoning. His 1999 …
What does a healthy relationship look like?
Editor's note: Caroline Parsons is an attorney from Queensland, Australia. Today she poses questions to help you determine if you have a healthy relationship — with a partner and with yourself. Learn more about Caroline Parsons on the Lovefraud Announcements page or in her author profile. By Caroline Parsons, Esq. There’s a litmus test question for determining whether you are in an abusive relationship. Have you ever asked yourself, “Is this what marriage/love/living together is supposed to be like?” We all have issues with our partners from time to time. Two independent adults living together will always cause a certain amount of friction. Most of us accept a level of give and take in …
Warn your children about people who enjoy taking from others
Editor's note: Caroline Parsons is an attorney from Queensland, Australia. Today she suggests that one way to protect your children is to warn them about people who enjoy taking from others. Learn more about Caroline Parsons on the Lovefraud Announcements page or in her author profile. By Caroline Parsons, Esq. There’s a game played by primary school children in the Middle East. Each child is given a bucket and a number of blank slips of paper. The child is encouraged to write kind descriptive words (such as “friendly”, “caring” or “smart”) on these slips of paper. They all then go around the classroom, placing these words into other children’s buckets. The teacher asks how everyone is …
Warn your children about people who enjoy taking from othersRead More
When you feel the snap, it’s time to escape the toxic relationship
Editor's note: Caroline Parsons is an attorney from Queensland, Australia. Today she explains how many family violence survivors feel the snap — they're done with the abuse and they're leaving. Learn more about Caroline Parsons on the Lovefraud Announcements page or in her author profile. By Caroline Parsons, Esq. A common but antiquated question in the family violence debate (using gendered language for historical accuracy) is “why didn’t she leave?” Answers include that he convinced her the problems were her fault and he promised to change. Clearly the more important question then is, “why did he abuse her?” But that is the topic of another post. In my view, the better question to be …
When you feel the snap, it’s time to escape the toxic relationshipRead More
How the movie ‘Frozen’ helps you teach your children about predators
Editor's note: Caroline Parsons is an attorney from Queensland, Australia. Today explains that the movie 'Frozen' can be a powerful tool for teaching your children about the sociopaths who live among us. Learn more about Caroline Parsons on the Lovefraud Announcements page or in her author profile. By Caroline Parsons, Esq. Spoiler alert: if you’re one of the few who haven’t seen the original Disney movie “Frozen,” you may wish to remedy that before reading on. For those of us who have seen the movie 'Frozen' a thousand times, please call to mind Anna’s primary love interest, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. He is the youngest of thirteen sons, burdened with the inability to ascend his …
How the movie ‘Frozen’ helps you teach your children about predatorsRead More
Pseudomutuality in the narcissistic family
By Joanie Bentz, B.S., M.Ed., BC Pseudomutuality describes a relationship between two people in which conflicts are solved by ignoring them. Following is a case study of how pseudomutuality in the narcissistic family plays out. Names are changed. Heather’s memory of her mother Ever since Heather can remember, her family was the center of her world. Every special event was spent with immediate and extended family members. Holiday gatherings were commonplace and Sunday dinners were mandatory. Heather never entertained the idea of having something else to do, like going on a trip or exploring alternate plans. Her mother established a “tradition” of having everyone together. Her …
Traumatized again by family court cross-examination
Editor's note: Caroline Parsons is an attorney from Queensland, Australia. Today she explains how abusive family court cross-examination affects people who are already traumatized. Learn more about Caroline Parsons on the Lovefraud Announcements page or in her author profile. By Caroline Parsons, Esq. In 2019 the Australian family law act was amended so that perpetrators of family violence can no longer cross-examine their ex-partners in court. Instead cross-examination must now be conducted by a legal representative of the party. This is a great step forward in the fight to protect family violence survivors from being re-traumatised. But does it go far enough? Family violence and the …
Traumatized again by family court cross-examinationRead More
When divorcing a sociopath, can we learn from ostriches?
Editor's note: Lovefraud welcomes a new author, Attorney Caroline Parsons from Queensland, Australia. Today she explains that when divorcing a sociopath, putting your head in the sand may not be the best idea. Learn more about Caroline Parsons on the Lovefraud Announcements page or in her author profile. By Caroline Parsons, Esq. Divorce is traumatic, even when it’s amicable. If you're divorcing a sociopath and the marriage was abusive, the impact is even more damaging to the psyche. There are a number of ways our brains adapt to trauma. We may numb the pain with alcohol or drugs, bury ourselves in work, dissociate, dissolve in anger or withdraw deep within to protect ourselves. Another …
When divorcing a sociopath, can we learn from ostriches?Read More