In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Xena shares her story of reconnecting with an old boyfriend whose attention and promises of family drew her into his web. From there, the abuser further ingratiated himself by embracing Xena's daughters. This series of events led to a marriage and then another baby. However, then the abuse really began to show itself and Xena found herself apologizing for things that shouldn't need an apology. And the abuse only got worse from there. It’s a story of love bombing, gaslighting, blame shifting, isolation, physical abuse, guilt, victim playing, coercive control, narcissistic abuse, domestic violence, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, projection, manipulation, intimidation, threats of suicide, weaponized guilt, fear of abandonment, fear of judgment, obligation, self-doubt, self-blame, shame, confusion, walking on eggshells, hypervigilance, self-silencing, emotional invalidation, emotional neglect, unpredictable anger, double standards, moving goalposts, conditional affection, intermittent reinforcement, cycle of abuse, avoidance of accountability, isolation, pregnancy and abuse, firearm intimidation, financial exploitation, sleep deprivation, being vouched for, smear campaigns, alcoholism, addiction, scapegoating, custody, and post-separation abuse. CONTENT WARNING - THIS EPISODE DISCUSSES PHYSICAL ABUSE & SUICIDE THREATS *This is an old episode with sound issues. We did our best to fix the little pops throughout the episode due to the connection. It's not perfect. Also, I cut off the guest a lot in this episode. I have learned since these early days.* This episode is sponsored by Rebound Health. Learn more, check your insurance coverage, or schedule a free 15-minute call at hellorebound.com/na If you want to be a guest on our survivor story podcast, please send us an email at narcissistapocalypse@pm.me Click on the title to read about Coercive Control as Care: Signs & Patterns Sign up to our Domestic Violence Newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
