10 steps to go from emotional abuse recovery to building healthy relationships
My relationship started out great, but it didn’t take long before he was treating me terribly. After the shock of realizing what was happening, I broke free, but the healing process took a while to accomplish. If you’re in a toxic relationship and thinking about leaving or have already left your partner, this book is for you. I have put together this workbook to help you overcome the Complex PTSD that is typical after being involved in an emotionally abusive relationship.
The first thing you have to do is identify your situation. Are you in a relationship where your partner has started to treat you badly after at first treating you like a queen? Are you wondering if it’s just temporary, or are you definitely in a toxic relationship? Do you think you’re going a little bit crazy? Are you considering leaving him but aren’t sure what to do? If any of this rings a bell, the first thing to know is that you’re not alone. The second thing to know is that you’re not imagining things. You don’t deserve any of the poor treatment you were subjected to! The third thing to recognize is how the trauma from emotional abuse is taking its toll.
You might be surprised, but you don’t have to be a combat veteran to suffer from PTSD. In fact, consistent emotional abuse — and even physical abuse — can leave you just as emotionally wounded as actual combat would. You might be suffering from symptoms like depression, anxiety, insomnia, and many others as a result of the unpredictable and denigrating treatment you received from being in a relationship with a narcissistic man.
You might also be wondering how you will ever get your life back together, and maybe even how you can possibly go on without him. All those feelings are valid, and they’re exactly why I wanted to write this book: to help you heal from the trauma you have suffered. I’ve been there, and so have many other women. You can read my story in my first book, My Toxic Husband: Loving and Breaking Up with a Narcissistic Man — Start Your Psychopath-free Life Now! But this book is meant to help you heal. I not only lived through what you’re going through now, but it inspired me to learn more about the condition. That’s why I decided to get a degree in psychology and learn as much as I could about the relationship that left me questioning myself, doubting my abilities, and fearful of getting involved with another man. I wanted to know, so I could help myself and others.
One of the most important things I learned is that there is a way out of the darkness. The trauma you have suffered is real, and you must work to heal yourself, but it is worth the effort. You can do this — you can get your confidence back, will smile again, and will even get to a point where you will want to meet someone new and start over. This book will take you through ten steps that will help you do just that. You’ll learn about the reasons behind why your former partner treated you the way he did, if it’s even possible to remain in a relationship with a narcissistic man, why he chose you, why it seems to hurt so bad, how to break it off, and steps to take to start healing yourself and creating the life that’s right for you.
I understand how difficult that all might seem right now, but there is light at the end of this tunnel. You can emerge from the ashes of your toxic relationship, and make the choices that will cause your life to blossom into the beautiful flower it was always meant to be. I’ll show you how to reimagine your life and become the best version of yourself. You can do it, and what’s more, you deserve to have everything you’ve always dreamed of for your life. You don’t have to stay trapped in a relationship with a psychopath, and you don’t have to live the rest of your life as a celibate hermit either. I know it can seem like there’s no way out or that you’ll never want another relationship, but let me show you the way.
If you’re reading this book, you’re already looking for a better way. I know I was desperate to find that better path for myself. It’s not always an easy road, but when you free yourself from the abuse you’re suffering and begin to heal those wounds, you’ll wonder why you ever doubted your own strength and determination. You’ll discover just how strong you are, and you’ll never fear striking out on your own again. You’ll cultivate a deep understanding of your own self-worth as you realize you have the power to heal even the deepest of wounds. From there, you’ll make the dreams you have for your life a lived reality, and yes, you’ll find love again, and it will be sweeter still because you will know the value of self-love.
This is your time, the moment for you to reach for your star, your brass ring. To do that, you have to make the decisions that are best for you. You have to choose to become the best version of yourself and to do that, you have to free yourself from the prison that narcissism built. My goal with this book is to help you start that journey by healing the wounds left behind by your toxic relationship. Come with me as we journey toward a better way. As Lao Tzu wrote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Take that step with me as we first seek to understand what creates a narcissist.
