Partner Development

We’ve all been around those people who can leave us feeling drained after an encounter with them. Some people can leave us feeling agitated or annoyed or even just feeling really bad about ourselves. The most important thing you need to understand when dealing with someone like this is that their behavior toward you has nothing to do with you, and more often reflects their inner mental and emotional state. Identifying their harmful behavior is the first step to minimizing their impact. You might not be able to change what they do, but you can change what you do with it.

Narcissistic abuse recovery is hard, but it doesn’t have to feel impossible anymore. This guide will help you identify the signs of narcissism, disarm them, and deal with them head-on. This guide was written by someone who's been there, done that, and knows how hard it is to get back on your feet. Find a comprehensive look at narcissism and all its forms so you can start to heal. Understand what happened and why, so that you can heal and move forward into the life of your dreams, whether you are just starting out on this journey or have already experienced some success at healing.

In order to overcome a narcissistic relationship, there are two ways out: Be discarded for the final time from the narcissist, or go no contact and cut yourself away from your abuser. Neither option is pretty, and I can’t deny that both are painful. However, when you claim back your power by making the decision to go no contact, you give yourself the ability to leave the relationship with dignity, newfound self-respect, and the makings of a solid foundation to build your future on.

In 2016, Dr. Angela Mailis, a world-renowned expert on chronic pain management, was brought face-to-face with domestic violence, when an accomplished colleague was murdered by her equally accomplished husband. It was familiar territory for Dr. Mailis, who herself had been involved in an emotionally abusive relationship for 27 years.

The Romeo & Juliet Delusion provides inspiration to anyone whose life has been touched by addiction or domestic violence. Abbott relies on raw and uninhibited storytelling to convey the methods she used to explore healing and freedom from trauma. Abbott's hope is that by authentically sharing her story, she can help to change the lives of people in similar situations and inspire others to view addiction and domestic abuse with compassion and curiosity.

Using this workbook, you'll learn practical skills grounded in proven-effective dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you heal and move forward after narcissistic abuse. You'll find targeted exercises for specific trauma symptoms to help you rebuild your shattered self-esteem and confidence, learn how to trust again, and make certain you can recognize red flags in the future. You'll also discover essential and easy-to-apply mindfulness skills for developing self-compassion, setting healthy boundaries, and managing negative thoughts.

How will I survive this loss? When her life shifted from fairytale to nightmare due to her husband’s death by suicide, Michelle Ann Collins found herself in the darkest place imaginable, reaching for answers to questions like: How am I going to eat, sleep, get out of bed, and do all the things? As a yoga therapist and wellness coach, she had more tools than many suicide loss survivors do, and yet escaping the dark grief cave required the most excruciating work of her life. It may feel like it now, but your life did not end with theirs.

When bipolar disorder afflicts the person you love, you suffer too. How have other couples learned to manage the relationship strains caused by this illness? What can you do to provide your partner with truly helpful nurturance and support? No one cares more deeply about these questions than Dr. Cynthia Last, a highly regarded therapist/researcher who also has bipolar disorder.

In psychology, attachment theory explains adult relationships through the lens of parent-child relationships. According to this theory, we develop attachment patterns with parents and caregivers in early childhood that influence how we relate to others as adults. Your attachment styles can also determine the type of person you gravitate to in relationships, since you are looking to have your needs met in a certain way. This can sometimes result in destructive relationships if partners are unable to have their needs met in the way they prefer.

The Gaslighting Effect is a book that delivers a powerful, yet easy-to-understand, compact read covering the whole scope of narcissistic abuse, as told from a survivor's perspective. Reva Steenbergen accomplishes this by combining her own personal experiences with thousands of other survivors, as well as psychiatrists, psychologists, scientists, professors, relationship experts, therapists, and so many more to validate a person's experience with any narcissist.

In the beginning, marriage doesn't seem as though it should be all that difficult. But it doesn't take long for trouble to seep in and for bad habits to become entrenched. Before long, many married couples may be wondering when the "worse" part ends and the "better" part starts. Pastor and author Kevin A. Thompson has good news for couples: The "better" part is always within reach when they practice eight specific commitments to each other. These commitments have the power to solve almost any problem a marriage faces, and to prevent new ones from occurring.

Imagine welcoming new love into your life without the crippling weight of grief—even if it feels impossible right now. Have you ever felt trapped in overwhelming grief, questioning how you’ll ever find love again? Do you long to honor your lost partner while opening your heart to new possibilities, yet feel paralyzed by guilt and uncertainty? If this resonates with you, know that you are not alone. Many who have experienced deep loss share this emotional journey. But here’s the empowering truth: It is entirely possible to find love and purpose again, step by step, at your own pace.

This easy-to-understand book explains the standard process from start to finish - through being completely bowled over and convinced that one has found their true soul mate to the games and tests narcissists play once the partner has been successfully seduced. This is a form of narcissistic handbook, essential to keep close at hand when our head is saying one thing but our heart is saying another.

Therapist Beverly Berg offers powerful tools for the partners of recovering addicts. Based in mindfulness, attachment theory, and neurobiology, this book will help listeners sustain emotional stability in their relationships, increase effective communication, establish boundaries, and take real steps toward reigniting intimacy. With more than 25 years in the field, she has developed a unique set of exercises that address the issues faced by couples in recovery.

In colorful and moving details, this audiobook explores how polyamorous relationships come to be, how they grow and change, how they manage the ins and outs of daily family life, and how they cope with the challenges they face both within their families and from society. Using polyamorists own words, Dr. Elisabeth Sheff examines polyamorous households and reveals their advantages, disadvantages, and the daily lives of those living in them.

When someone leaves an abusive marriage, life isn't instantly fixed. Women who have experienced domestic violence feel shattered. Because of the trauma they've been through, a bond with their abuser has formed that keeps them tied together long after they've physically left. Karen DeArmond Gardner understands these difficulties all too well. And she intimately knows what women in this situation need in order to gain freedom from the lies of abuse - to be reborn as the people God longs for them to be.

On May 2, 1963, Robert Killins, a former United Church minister, slaughtered every woman in his family but one. She (and her brother) lived to tell the story of what motivated a talented man who had been widely admired, a scholar and graduate from Queen's University, to stalk and terrorize the women in his family for almost twenty years and then murder them. Through extensive oral histories, Cook and Carson painstakingly trace the causes of a femicide in which four women and two unborn babies were murdered over the course of one bloody evening.

Feeling overwhelmed by the dad transition is more common than you think. Many new dads feel unprepared and wonder whether they can be the father their child needs. From confusing pregnancy terminology to worrying about finances and supporting your partner, I can tell you that you’re NOT ALONE. If this life-changing milestone is keeping you up at night and you want to thrive as a supportive partner, we’re here to help! With proper guidance and a fellow dad’s experience, you’ll become an expert on all things “bump to baby.”

Meghan Keane spent most of her adult life without being in a serious, long-term relationship, and for much of that time, being single wasn’t something she celebrated or particularly enjoyed. Sick of feeling anxious or sad when she received yet another wedding invitation without a plus one she decided she was going to mindfully shift her perspective. Luckily, Meghan is the founder of NPR’s self-improvement brand, Life Kit, so she consulted the experts and what she learned changed her mindset—and changed her life. Party of One is the self-help book Meghan wished she’d had from the start.

If you are in the midst of depression, you may worry that you aren't good enough for your partner, or become irritable around them. You may even push them away when you feel like your emotions are beyond your control. In addition, your sense of intimacy may diminish, and your sex life may fizzle as a result of fatigue, medications and feeling disconnected from your partner. The hard truth is that feelings of isolation, worthlessness, and tiredness can all take a hefty toll on your love life. But you don't have to let depression be the demise of your relationship.