72 thoughts on “Recovery and healing!”

1. I do not know where to even begin with my story as it is so long and so many details up till now.I read “Dating a Sociopath”. and there are a few things I feel does not pertain to him……but……for the most part most of the article does seem to fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to my story…..the one thing I need now is not to talk to this man…..I need the strength to resist any contact he may try to do as he is in Egypt and is on “Skype”. and Facebook. I feel like a “Death: has happened to me after reading your article. Most of my friends (when I had them) did not like this man but I must say that he did not talk bad to my friends about me. He is a professional dancer and musician like myself……so…..the twin aspect surely I can relate to. My story is VERY LONG and VERY PAINFUL and there were too many SAD times more than HAPPY times for me. I was with him for 7 years and more here in the US although I was CRAZY enough to go to Cairo to live with him when he got deported. The deportation story is also a LONG one (there was not any crime committed because of the deportation either) as I was also going thru a divorce when I was contacted by him over the phone in my dance studio where I was living out of at the time and then we finally did meet each other in person……from there that is when this “NIGHTMARE” started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been such a STUPID AND DUMB WOMAN for doing SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH for this man the whole time I was with him and even up until now helping him out……OMG…..OMG…..OMG!!!!!!! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO VERY TIRED emotionally, phyisically…..very drained and “USED UP” beyond anyones imagination!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You so much for the articles and everyones comments…..I need a LONG HEALING time NOW……even contiplated suicide!!!!!!!!!!

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   1. Not everyone’s story is the same but if you can recall you will relate to alot of the woman and see yourself there. I did try suicide and believe me it was not pretty he just used that to hook me even more.Read all you can and keep an open mind in doing so, and things will come to you. Denial sets in and you will question yourself because it is alot to swallow. To think how much you loved this man and that you were just a someone he could use is real hard to grip but in time everything will make sense. READ all you can and then reach out to your true friends and this site it has helped me alot. Everyday I read something I can identify to,. Til then please know you are not alone and remember you are not STUPID they are monsters and know how to perfect manipulation where know one can see it coming. Pray

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2. I’m still married to a sociopath . I’m from india. Society here expects me to bear all de abusing n still continue to live with him. I cant stand him anymore. I hav 2 kids of whom he has never bothered. They r also detached with him. As of now I sleep with my kids n keep contact with him very minimal. But dat short period is enough for him to emotionally drain me.wat can I do?

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   1. Hi Lakshmi, I am unsure what support systems are available to women in India, or what the cultural expectations are for women in marriage? Do you have support from friends/family? Somebody that you can talk to? I am in the UK, here we have special places that women can escape to with their children, but I am unsure if that is available in India. I am wary about giving you advice, if there are not the support services available in your area to support you. I wouldn’t like to place you at risk.

      Please write here whenever you like – there are warm friendly people here. I am in the UK and this is a good page that gives advice on what to do when you are about to leave (sociopaths can turn very nasty when you go to leave them) – so be warned it is the most dangerous time. It is best to try to get away in a safe way. I hope that this can offer some useful advice for you? http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-survivors-handbook.asp?section=000100010008000100310005

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   2. @Lakshmi,
      Do you have a close, trusted family member with whom you have shared this? I know Indian families often live with extended relatives so it can be precarious to bring up such a sensitive topic among anyone you couldn’t fully rely on for support. Cultural norms in India are shifting though and it is possible you could gain support if you could educate your closest of family. But, if you don’t feel safe in that notion, perhaps you can find at least one close to you that you can share with. If that is out of the question, we are here as a group to at least hear you and you may or may not be able to find resources somewhere in your community, as positivagirl mentions.

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      1. @jusagurl
         Thanks for your support.my parents n close friends know.more dan culture people dont hav knowledge about sociopath n wat dey can do to u.u r right in saying I hav to educate dem first..I consider myself well read but I couldn’t identity him myself n jus stumbled on dat in net..feeling stupid….

3. Its therapatic sharing with someone who had gone through the same as me .firstly ur blog is wonderful in explaining things dat I had faced but never understood fully.thank u for dat
   .I also dont know about women welfare here . should research it…my parents and my close friends know about my situation.im planning to leave soon. I think others don’t understand well.ur blog will come handy explaining things to dem.let u know.thanks for ur support. ..

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   1. Thank you Lakshmi!! 🙂 Try to make plans when you plan to leave. As sociopaths can suddenly change into the nice charming person just as you are about to leave (or if they are violent the risk to you is increased) – sociopaths hate losing control so when you go to leave – the bad behaviour escalates. Stay in contact with us.

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   2. Hi Laxmi, I am from India too. N now today after almost 2 yrs frm when u wrote this am going through the same thing. I think my husband is a sociopath Although I am on early stages n definitely hav a bit of denial 😦 I want to knw ur story. Have u left him??
      Kripa

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      1. am from India now in the united states.. I was dating this indian sociopath moron for like 3 years.. he is a soulless piece of shit.. he took this so called indian system to his advantage wherein men are allowed to do whatever they want to whilst women must be patient and bearing.. i came to the US all the way for him.. i gave him everything he could ask for.. i made sure he was so taken care of and i was nothing but loyal to him even though i had much smarter men coming my way (which he later used to make me feel deeply guilty so that i avoided every one of em).. i would run to him even during the times he deeply hurt me (but treated other women right) he had multiple extra marital affairs and hid half the stuff from me.. the half truth he told me, he would boast that he was truthful to me.. we were once all set to marry each other and i broke it up due to some discomfort in my head.. but shortly thereafter i had been running to him.. thank God i had a chance to look into his mobile on one day where i was pursuing him to get back to me.. a piece of shit! he has all the way been sleeping with a married sri lankan lady (she has a kid) and he also had affairs with another married woman.. i guess two more elderly women.. even after that, i gave him a chance and gave him all my love.. he played the shit out of me as though acting out of “true love” for 4 weeks before he ditched me and discarded me like i were a piece of shit.. i dont know who does that to a girl who gave all that she could.. not only me.. he loves to destroy families.. he was so drawn to me when i told him am currently seeing someone so that he could make me his doll when i have another helpless guy compared to whom he can feel superior..

         he has no remorse, no feelings.. thinks he’s somehow better than everyone else.. funny part is he looks ugly looking.. he’s poor.. he’s dumb as fk.. he can’t speak english properly.. he is from a lower family background.. i had a huge edge over him in all aspects.. i can’t go into every detail (trust me i have left so many uglier stuff out) but its funny because i consider myself intellectual am smart enough to play him three folds over (although emotionally vulnerable)..he has made me lick his feet so many times making me beg for him to come back fully knowing my addiction for him..

         he’s cancerous and i have been avoiding him like plague.. my fate, he’s moved to the same city where i am in.. i want to desperately move out even though i dont want him to be of any impact to me.. even if he becomes neighbor, i should care less.. i used to be so jealous of his acquaintances due to the manipulative hold he had on me.. now i can see clear that he has no feelings and he can’t make any girl truly happy with any holistic intent.. he just acts his lungs out.. i can only see a lonely life ahead for him even if he has these ignorant girls by his side..

         i wanted to take revenge on him so much but now i can see clear what he is.. am not angry on him anymore.. he’s cursed no matter how much money he has or how much he gets laid or how many women to play around with or how much he tries to come off as a happy person to me thinking he will have me drooling at him in jealousy.. he can never be happy.. never be content.. never love anyone.. never receive love.. never feel intensity of any emotion.. he doesn’t know what it is like to hear the sounds of a free flowing river and feel peaceful.. he doesn’t know what it feels like to hug a loved one and unload all the stress.. he doesn’t know the satisfaction that comes out of fending for love.. all that he loves is himself.. even that i doubt, because in that case he wouldn’t wanna re establish himself by destroying others or making people worship him.. Ted Bundy may have killed so many women but i can bet he wasn’t an happy person.. remember.. PLEASURE and HAPPINESS are two different things.. he is just capable of pleasures out of thrills..

         to be frank i regret none of the lessons i learnt.. instead am glad i was able to learn from the experience.. but one must exercise caution not to let another of their kind to get in way.. i would love to write a detailed book on this or talk to any women who are undergoing the same problem.. i exactly know what to do.. i have been extremely obsessive and totally lost track.. i used to cross streets with eyes closed hoping a truck would hit me.. i know how painful it is.. i fully know.. i never thought i would live to see the days.. i can help any woman who is trying to recover from the torturous experience.. my heart goes out to the woman he’s set to marry.. all i hope and pray is she is fine..

         and for those who are staying in the relationship for some reason (kids, family, friends, money whatever) – RUN.. run for your dear life.. this is the best advice i can give you.. i know its difficult in India but know what.. you are more important to yourself.. read blogs, educate yourselves.. you are better off alone penniless (you will find your way better than you did when you were with them).. this is coming from a person who has so many dreams about love life.. am alone and single now and am sure as hell my quality of life is way better than the 3 years i had with him.. and am surely living a life way better than that destructive asshole does who sucks the life out of other people trying to operate his life.. if i were him, i would die in shame.. but guess what, he wont.. because he’s shameless..

      2. Hi Kripa/lakshmi, I have been married since 2002 and have recently started legal proceedings to end my marriage. Like you, I have also stumbled across various forums and sites and, the knowledge that the man I have been married to could most probably be a sociopath damn near killed me. Th lawyer I approached has kind of made it clear that I don’t have “sufficient grounds” to file and it is almost like he is doing be a favour in spite of knowing that I don’t stand a chance 🙂 I do not know anyone who can direct me to a good lawyer nor are there any online resources for this kind of situation. have either of you been able to get anywhere with your situations?

         I wish you all strength and peace and much love and hope that 2017 will be a year of results. Aparna.

4. @Lakshmi,
   I did the same in stumbling across the information on the internet. I think those who are meant to know are made aware. Otherwise, it seems to be an undetected illness that is more prevalent than anyone without knowledge would suspect. It has opened my eyes to a whole other world I didn’t know existed.

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5. Like Judith my lovely sociopath didn’t say bad things about me to my friends and family, he would say outrageous or offensive comments to them or be massively unsociable, like sitting in another room at a party.i felt embarrassed and so stopped seeing people to stop him doing it.
   I am lucky my important friends have stuck around, I think they are finding it hard to understand why I feel so sad though, he has been caught red handed seeing me and someone else and some of his dreadful lies have been exposed, for a long time I suspected lies but he always made me doubt myself, I felt like a crazy, mad woman. Now it’s all out though my friends are saying “forget him, move on, he’s not worth it” and I am trying but I miss him, well the illusion!! And am finding that very hard.
   This website is a fantastic help but I wish it was as easy as sever all ties and heal yourself, our lives are entwined, I am unpicking it as fast as I can and he is now busy grooming his next victim (who I SO want to tell!! But won’t , I’ve read that bit lol!!)
   I guess it will take time but I feel like he has stolen my spirit. I feel like a weak, pathetic person who isn’t strong enough to firstly, have stopped him and secondly just think sod (insert much stronger word) him and forget the lying, weasely little douche.
   He owes me quite allot of money (surprise) and put a fraction of that into my account yesterday and says he’ll paymore next month leaving me thinking (again) maybe I’m wrong, maybe he does care etc etc. actually I think it’s a further game, he can in his world say “welI was decent, I paid her back” and then feel ok about himself.
   I want to have my brain cleaned!!!!

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   1. My ex has some sociopath traits but not all either, he covered his tracks well but i had bad gut feeling about him & he did drain my energy, emotionally & was very jealous, dont worry we will emerge from this stronger but i know what u mean, we feel drawn to them, even like they hypnotized us, he had intense eye contact, lovers gaze, had charima, exciting at first, but then was preaching at me his christianity but he was judgmetal, negative & twisted scripture to suit his ideals, beliefs, was dogmatic. He said funny things to my family & preached to them about World govt, Globalisation, got very negative & angry as he preached, i said i cant take it anymore. I felt very uneasy the last few wks of rship & he was going off intimacy & i suspect seeing another woman & he got very angry when i mentioned a womans name that was a friend of his but he said she was married, reconciled to husband, but he got into a rage about it a few days earlier & he wouldnt answer 2 phone calls in front of me, in the same wk or two, so warning signs to me, plus my persistant bad feeling. As hes anti smart meter activist, one of my friends cannot contact him about that, he seems to have gone off the face of the earth,maybe moved to be with the other woman, anyway I letting him go, his loss not mine, even though this is hard. So i empathise with you all, its hard what we going thru at least we all still here. He never stole money off me, he was brought up by good christians, but said he was controlled up to the eyeballs by his dad, he had a lot of anger, resentment on the surface, was getting sarcastic, more angry at me towards the end. Hypnotherapy may help? i am trying it tonight

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      1. I know what you mean everything with me happen so fast too. I’m going to divorce court this Wednesday and I am very nervous. Because he has a criminal charge ( assault of a family member) I can get my divorce Wednesday I don’t have to wait for the 60 days! But, I think he will have some tricks up his sleeve. I have to be honest with you, he has taken up with his ex girlfriend and if it wasn’t for her he would have made my life more miserable. I remember I tried to break up with him one time before, there were several times and each time I went back, I felt like I was in a Lifetime movie. He drove up on the side of me angry and mad making it like he was doing me a favor. I am so glad to be rid of him and I can’t wait until Wednesday so I can really move on with my life without him. Those who are still with there Sociopath I will pray for you! That is a hard way to live your life!!!!! You have to get out, however the opportunity come! Because as the relationship goes on they do get angry and when you think things can’t get worse it do!!!!!! I can’t put anything past him!!!! Don’t trust them!!!!!

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7. For those who are spiritual, biblical or otherwise I found this article and it really opened my eyes as to the evilness involved with these Socs.

   http://www.gotquestions.org/sociopath-psychopath.html

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   1. Interesting Judah. I am not a huge fan of religion, but when I was researching trying to find explainations and answers last year, I did come across this quote which is from the bible. Interesting?

      The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles that go deep into the body; they go deep into the subconscious mind. Fervent lips with a wicked heart are like clay pots covered with a cheap silver coating, he deceives himself by disguising with his lips who he hates. When he says kind things, do not believe him, because there are seven abominations in his heart; Though his hatred is concealed by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

      Proverbs 26

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      1. Wow, this hits home with my experience this week. My approach to dealing with the soc has been a little different. I don’t talk about it here because, I’m sure it’s not for everybody. But I know who I am and have felt convicted as far as what I believed I should do with respect to him.

         What I have learned mostly lately is his hidden contempt for me. It has come out three times recently, unexpectedly, in his behaviors. Before, I only noticed brief (I mean, just a couple seconds) actions. Like he would put his thumb to my eye as though he would press it out. (I know, bizarre, right?) Or, he would pinch me. What made this odd was it was totally out of context and not in the midst of any relevant conversation. It was like a light switch flipped—just for a minute.

         I’ve also just really confirmed recently that he lies even to himself. This probably shouldn’t really have been a surprise to me since he has seemed pathological with it to everyone else, but for whatever reason, I had just assumed that, to himself, he would be genuine. This discovery enlightened me.

         I have been distancing, not consciously, but my person is learning what to reject and to cling to higher values. Throughout this process, I’ve felt healing of my internal self. I’ve learned I’ve really been blaming me for a lot undeservedly and trying to run from things that have to be confronted. Merging new me with old me is still a little up and down, but I’m mostly happy. What a crazy journey…and I know you know what I mean.

      2. Yes – I do know what you mean:)

      3. Hello everyone, Yes i see that too  in my ex’s behaviour towards me. He would pretend someone was waving to him, as a joke, a private joke between us. If i looked to see who he was waving to, he would brush the back of my head, i think he thought i was a bit slow, he knew i have aspergers. He did a lot of jokes like that, at time i thought it was funny, kind of cute, but now being apart, well we see things differently once we’re distanced from, ended relationship.

         Love & light & peace, hope, joy to us all, we are strong for having broken away from our ex spaths.

8. Me too. I being strong, no contact from me or my ex, for 6 weeks now! I do feel tempted sometimes to tho & feel tempted to contact write to his parents or send tho, to send them photos, but i have not. Thanks to everyone, for inspiring me. Love & light to all, keep our faith & stay strong, its not easy but it does get easier over time. Hypnotherapy is very healing, I highly recommend that. 🙂 xx

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   1. As of the latest, I finished the divorce papers and he is getting served today. I am still struggling and haven’t done so well with No contact. I have texted over the past week, he responded a couple times still expressing “if I only knew how much he really loved me, etc.” However, I know the reality of what has happened and that when people honestly love you, they don’t do the things he did…I still have a hard time, missing him, missing the way it was, and I even stupidly sometimes wonder if we will ever be back together again…this is when I stop listening to my gut and I need to remember that! Is it normal to have all these range of emotions? From day to day, I go through sadness, missing him, hating him, knowing the truth, and then back to questioning myself. I can tell he is definitely trying to cut the contact, he either doesn’t reply or is very cold and short. I REALLY need to stick to the NO CONTACT! I don’t understand why I am putting myself through this hell! It only hurts me! Thanks to all for your support! Ready to have him and us erased from my mind!

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      1. “Normal” is a subjective term in relation to this subject! Ha ha ha But, that said, “normal” or not, I go through the same thing. I think it is normal to question ourselves because, due to the lies, we have unresolved questions about what is the real truth. Unfortunately, we’ve learned early on that the one person who could fill in those answers for us won’t do so because it would incriminate them. So, with this abuser, that we have learned is a liar—whether we have the real, full truth or not—we feel interchangeably warm and cold towards, because we don’t know which times we are wrong or right about them. It is the very definition and consequence of emotional and mental abuse in action. And, when you think of it in those terms, while it should be easy to “put down the addiction”, it isn’t because of some of the reasons I just illustrated.

         If you have a heart for light and truth, you want to reconcile ambiguities. The soc is the last personality type on earth who will help you with this. I’ve thought about this a lot. I believe it is us trying to be true to our own natures. That’s what makes it a very vicious abusive cycle. Many come on here saying they were the type to be critical of someone who “fell” for these type people. They viewed themselves as skeptics and therefore safe. Until you’ve seen something this crazy, you have no idea what someone else is capable of doing to you through mind manipulations. Over half my life is over and I had never seen this before. And the element of surprise is just one advantage they have.

      2. I’m hoping those ranges of emotions are normal, I too experience them. It has been a full year since I had any contact with my ex, and trust me it was very hard initially, but recently this week I testified in court against him (dating violence-which ultimately resulted in a year of jail time for him)… Throughout this past year I was happy and moving on. I no longer thought about him or our past, though seeing him in court made me feel sorry for him and even missed what we use to have. I also found myself wondering if I had done something different or tried harder during our relationship would we be together and happy.? (The first year of our relationship he made me feel special and loved- He made me feel like I was his everything). I’m a relatively educated person, a BA in Biology and starting Medical School next year, I’d like to consider myself reasonable and rationale. Though, for some reason I am having some ridiculous thoughts… I want to believe so badly that he loved me, and that he really didn’t mean to hurt me, that he was acting the only way he knew how (he grew up in a bad family environment) and didn’t want to lose me or us. I know that’s not the truth now, but then why am I so conflicted with these contradicting thoughts and emotions? Because of this week, and seeing him, I am back to being an emotional wreck. It is without a doubt very comforting, though each of our situations are different to some extent, to know that I am not the only one who has these feelings and/or thoughts. I’m laying in bed right now, at 4:30 AM unable to sleep because of this. A total of 3 yrs post meeting him and I am back to being miserable and questioning so much. I’m currently thinking about looking into a psychiatrist, I want this behind me, I need to rid myself of the idea that I may and/or still love him. I still have fears that affect my future because of the damage that he has caused. These posts have definitely made me feel better, and even getting to share my story without judgement has helped too. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

      3. Hi Sara, you could drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what he feels. How he felt about you and if this was real……

         Take yourself out of this thinking. You see it does not matter how he felt. What is important is how he made YOU FEEL!!!. If your mind wanders back to this please take down on a piece of paper a list

         How he made YOU feel.
         Bad things he did to you.
         Long and short term effects on your life.

         This should help you. It will take away (in your mind) the power ands control of him over you. It should help you to get your own power for you.

         You are what you think. If you are struggling use lists to remind you. Change your thinking change your world.

9. Hi, Sara I truly can feel all that you are going thru because I myself am dealing with the same emotions. My spath left me almost 10 months ago for another woman and in the time frame he ust to text and came to San Jose 2 times and both times wanted to see me. Now during our relationship he had many affairs and lied about them. Even when he came down he lied and said he was living with a bunch of guys.Now, why in the hell would I believe him that he was telling the truth and why would I believe that he had changed and doing good with this other woman when he was just doing to her what he did to me. I also, said many times maybe if I had done things different he would still be here but NO he is what he is a Spath and there is nothing that can change him and nothing I did would ever please him because these kind of people don’t look for meaningful relationships it’s about what they can get and they could care less of what you need or want and they will fake their whole existence to win. I know what works for me when I start to go down that road of thinking what or why it didn’t work and then I remember all the beatings, cheating, lieing and cold hear ted person he is and that takes me back to sanity.I too wanted to believe he loved me but he would have replaced me sooner or later. It’s not that he stayed to make things work its because he couldn’t find a new victim that had the source of supply that I did but once he found her he was gone.Like postivagirl says this new one will be in my shoes one day and I do feel sorry for her.So, just try and remember what he is and how things really were and those feelings will probably make you angry. inward hurt but it will get better. God Bless you and pray

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10. The sociopath I was dating has blocked me totally out of his life, partly, I suspect, to reassure the woman he is with (he was with both both of us, she found out, he left me, she took him back.) Does this seem sociopathic behaviour? Everything else he did and was is exactly as you describe in this site though.

    I reacted to his lies (when I realised they were lies) very strongly
    Telling everyone what he was like. Hopefully that means he will never contact me again.

    Thanks for this site. It’s a nice life-saver.

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    1. Hi oneredflower, welcome to the site. Yes this is typical sociopathic behaviour. He wouldn’t want you saying anything about him. If it seems cold, it really is. He was hoping that you would react strongly to his lies…. as then he could say you were crazy. I am sorry that you have been through this. It is not very nice to go through, but if he is a sociopath…. he will do the same to her. Am sure that right now he has his new mask on.

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11. The irony is I helped him with his new mask, having given him encouragement to become a writer. He and that woman are now writing columns on an online paper. This really annoys me but I’m trying to be thankful that he’s no longer stinking up my life. I don’t care if he says I’m crazy – those who believe him mean nothing to me, and are really beneath my notice. However, I’m rather looking forward to his current relationship breaking down … probably not too charitable of me but I don’t care. If they can gloat and act superior towards me, they deserve every evil in this world.

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12. Hi everyone, I’m so confused to say the least. I had been with this man for 7 years until July of this year. I don’t even know where to begin. From the moment I met him I was literally blown away, he said everything I wanted to hear and then some. I was married at the time with 3 children. I needed up leaving my marriage. pretty much from the get go he was everything I thought I ever wanted, he knew just what to say, what to do to make me feel special. I was literally mesmerized, it was like I was in a trance. Then all of a sudden bamm!!! He started cheating, lying, and abusing me mentally and physically. but no matter how much I knew, even if I pretty much caught him red handed, it was simply not true, according to him or my fault. He was so good at manulipating I was just baffled and so stupid, I forgave every time. he lied so much about everything it just came so natural to him, it was mind blowing. He never isolated me from friends or family, so I can’t relate to that part of it. He was very private with his life, secret social sites, hidden cell phones, you name it he had it.but all the while telling me he loved me and couldn’t live without me. the whole relationship I justified everything by saying he’s young and just confused. He had a horrific childhood and I just figured he was also dealing with that. Pretty much everyone we came across could see that he was so fake as far as his words. He tried to tell everyone he came across how perfect his life was, lying right through his teeth like it was nothing. I know I’m rambling and I’m so sorry, there’s just so much more to the story I could talk for days. anyway he broke my nose and beat the shit out of me so bad in July I packed what I could and left. within 2 weeks he had someone else living with him and pregnant, didn’t hear from him in 3 months then all of a sudden he called and now loves me more than anything in the world and wants me back in his life, while still with her. I don’t understand any of this and so thankful to god that I came across this website, it explains so much. even though I still doubt myself thinking its all my fault, could he really be a sociopath or am I just looking for excuses as to why I wasn’t good enough to be treated normally. Please help, hurt confused and simply broken:(

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13. Hi, this is just a short reply, maybe another time I will write more.
    I just wanted to sat that I was with my ex for 3 years, and I finally got him to leave dec 2012, but it took until july 2013 for him to give me anyspace…….he still managed to use me for what he needed, and to mess with my head, my emotions and my mental state……..by this time I had understood that he did have BPD, but he had refused to continue with the Psychiatric and GP input last year. Then as he continued a little more up till this new year 2014, and I realised that he is actually a sociopath…….I had always thought he wasn’t because I believed he had a conscience and felt guilt and remorse for a lot of what has happened over the last 18 months….which hasn’t just affected me, but others, including a women who he got pregnant while he was with me………..long story. Short version, he was using her for sex and as a way of making himself feel good…..and a baby followed, which was quite ironic as we had had a few miscarriages while we were together. I finally understand that the conscience, remorse and guilt and the tears I’ve seen him shed…..have all been for himself and for the situation he feels he is in, and because nothing ever seems to go right for him……which is usually anyone elses fault but his own. It’s a terrible feeling realising that the 3 years I was with him, and everything else that has followed over the last twelve months has all been a lie, a means to an ends….I know you get over heart break…been there done that before, and that it takes time………but this is one that I’m struggling with. I have times where I feel fine, and then it hits like a wave and I’m engulfed in what feels like a little child lost in the fog……..I’m even questioning if I may be a sociopath, or if I have some mental health issue to be feeling the way I am….does that make sense?, I only wish that I am wrong and he isn’t a sociopath, and then at least it wasn’t all lies, deciet, control and manipulation and it did count, I did count,lol, it has been 2 weeks now, and I told him to not contact me again, and I did call him a thoughtless, selfish arrogant tw*t, which he responded with he didn’t need me to make him feel any worse than he does. He’s talked to me about all different things, and he is doing all the things he did to me to another person now…..and I know he has smeared me to her and anyone who will listern so I’m not able to say anything. She knows a lot of what he has done, so she has gone into it with her eyes open to a certain extent…..she left her 10 year old daughter up here with her estranged husband to move away to be with him down south where he wanted to be…….so again he is affecting other peoples lifes…….I hope that maybe he has learned a lesson or two and can change and start to treat people how they should be treated……….but I know if he is the true sociopath that he appears to be he wont change and will continue to leave destruction wherever he has been, x

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    1. Hi Michelle, Welcome to the site. I think it is normal, for the experience to leave you questioning whether you are a sociopath. I think that this happens, because to cope, you either allow the hurt and pain to destroy you, or you have to fight back, or become cold and indifferent to not allow this to affect you. Also, they WILL turn it around on you, and accuse YOU of being a psycho… This is a common sociopathic behaviour. And it can lead you to believe that this is true.

       He won’t learn any lessons though. Sociopaths don’t learn lessons. Instead they repeat patterns of behaviour over and over….. go easy on yourself, and remember that when any relationship ends, there is a grieving process to go through. At first is the fog of confusion, just stunned, amazement and confusion…. how this could happen. I hope that you receive good support on this site. Welcome 🙂

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       1. Hi, thankyou for your reply…….as much as I would never wish any of how this feels on anyone else…not even my ex…….it helps to know that other people have and are going through this experience, and that I’m not alone, and that I’m not going crazy, waiting for the self doubt and confusion in emotions to calm down a bit…..one of the things I keep thinking is how can anyone do this knowingly to another person. It’s been a bad 18 months, on top of the ex, we found out our senior at work was/is also a sociopath, who has duped and conned and stolen from us her work collegues and me her closest friend aswelll as family and work itself……..she manged to con so many people, so I’m not in that one alone…….it’s hard to believe that there are so many sociopaths out there amongst us…..and until it gets to the end of what they are up to, or until they mess up enough to make it apparent to others we don’t appear to be aware of the fact that these people are not who we believe them to be and that the person we knew never really existed……….it’s an awful reality that not everyone has inner morals that would prevent them from being so callous, manipulative and deceitful, without giving a second thought to what they are doing and the affect it will have on other people………I’m trying not to let it change who I am, because I am normally a strong caring thoughtful loyal person who trys to treat others how I would want to be treated…..and that’s not me being niaeve…….there are decent people and I am one of them……….hoping I can learn to trust people again, I have learned a lot and I am reflecting loads and learning more about myself aswell as others and the type of person I do and don’t want to be…..so if nothing else it is helping me evlove, hopefully to be a better person, x

14. I.too, am half way through my life and never ever encountered a SP. This was all new to me. It is walking into a brick wall as the sp would wind me up and I would continuously walk into the wall and then turn around and he would wind me up ….I would walk into a wall. That is the way I describe it. Many of you have spent many years with the SP. I have not. I spent 5 months. It has left me dazed and confused. I have written here before. SP had just gotten out of jail. Yes, I know. How did I get mixed up in that? I do not know or understand how many of you stayed in the relationship as long as you did. The hurt that is projected onto you is unbelievable to me. I could not have done it. I would have commited suicide. This is all so confusing to me. I try not to think about it…..but it is the only thing I think about. During this time I made notes on what he said to me. I do not know why I did that. As the relationship (if that is what you want to call it) I continuously wrote the horrible things he said to me down. After he left I spent a lot of time reading that list over and over. Even though he said those things to me……I could not feel anything but love for him. How did he woo me into something like this? I am still trying to figure that out. Even though he moved in with someone within two weeks….they had a relationship for many years. I think it was maybe off and on. Some folks on here tell me I am the OW . I don’t know if I am….was or whatever. There is something about their relationship I do not get. I wont ever get but I do remember him saying she could take care of him. I did not understand it a first and I am still not understanding how she could stay. In my eyes I see a big lasso and she pulled him in. It seems to me she has some power over him….kinda like I was feeling. I try not to think about but I must admit I do. Everything that is said here on these pages of post are all true. I never experienced this kind of relationship so it has been hard to cut ties. He last words he texted me was he was now in a relationship but he thought about me and he cared about me……blah blah blah. They had already moved in together by this time. With their relationship she checked his phone he said so for me not to text him….he would text me. I love you. Now I know he was setting me up not to text him because his was now with her now. Hell, I don’t know. I know one thing…I write. I love to write. During these past months….I have not written because all of this sh$t was evolving all around me and I could not even write I was so desparate I could do something I enjoy because I spent every minute trying to figure this stuff out. I can’t. I guess he and the other person will live happily ever after since she can keep some type of tight reins on him. I have a lot of questions…I cant figure their relationship out . In put would be great. I do want to say I did delete the stuff he said to me because I found myself reading it over and over and over. I made myself delete it. It was just like cutting myself every time I would read it. I am NC for two months. I could go on and on but will stop now. Thank you for reading and I hopeful for some feedback. I thought he would see me as kind and caring. In my mind I could fix him….H ll, I cant even fix myself.

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15. Pingback: Seeking knowledge of a sociopath - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

16. I do career coaching and am working on certification as a life coach. I came across this article that I felt was good advice for healing from the sociopathic experience as well. It’s about sealing your mind leaks, but really it’s about energy leaks. And, as we all know, sociopaths are maybe the best energy drain for stopping us from reaching our goals and potential. Sometimes, it’s good sense to protect formative thoughts from everyone, unless you can count on support: http://www.nightingale.com/newsletters/matt-furey-achieving-goals-by-sealing-your-mind-leaks/?promo=inla608#continue

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17. I dated a sociopath for 3 years, we were in a long distance relationship. I met him online and started talking everyday, oh how i love our conversation, hes kinda perfect guy for me. He told me how hes family treated him shit when he was younger and how he ex girlfriends cheated and used him. After 3 weeks he asked me to be his girlfriend and i accepted it. After 2 months of continuously communicating he already told me hes real FACE, hes real AGE and BIRTHDAY. And told me he was ready to leave and instantly changed his numbers and that he was hospitalised by what happened of him telling me the truth that hes in pain in hurting me. I was completely shattered by it but i forgave him because he was there talking to me, calming me down, accepting and hearing all my questions and feelings, hes was such an angel. So i recovered fast from that painful truth he just divulged that hes not a bad person. That he was just afraid that i wouldnt like him if he let me see hes real face or body. But i told him that im not a superficial person, i like hes brain and how good and caring person he was.Then theres a trouble that lost his postpaid line that for 2 and half years he told me that he can no longer have a phone line because its too expensive and no telephone company will provide him, even if im doubtful so i blindly take it. He told me he hates people, he love being alone all the time and also an ATHEIST, he told me as long as he not doing anything against the constitutional law hes a good person. When i pushed him regarding his friends, co workers and specially family, he always get MAD and shouted so loud that hes trying to protect me from hes insane family, i should accept that hes not a people person, he believes in humanistic approach rather than believing in GOD. After a year he visited me in my place for 2 weeks, we go on a vacation together. I feel like hes not so overly romantic from what im hearing from him on the phone or on skype.I just accepted the fact that he was being abuse when he was a child so there were times when our togetherness was feeling empty. i still loved him very much. Hes intelligent and when we fight it feels like its me who has this mental issues, sometimes i stand my ground but it was exhausting. He insist in supporting support me financially monthly the past 2 years, gave me cellphone and laptop, telling me that i can never find a guy like him. I had a vehicular accident this year that tore my left face and right elbow fracture that lead us into deep debt with different people from my hosptalization. So he knew what im going through because i sue the driver and the owner of the vehicle for no being responsible for my accident. All this emotional pain im going through and the financial problems thats arising from from my previous accident.
    I am not fully aware that he has this mental illness until this December 1, 2014 i asked him if we can cut the long distance between us, he started yelling and saying negative words upon me, on how i should asked him when hes no longer sick. A lot of hurtful words has been said so i breakup with him, then more hurtful words in making me feel how worst my life is, keep threatening me and my family in the other country. I am feeling completely insane and from now into depression and fighting it. He told me hes going to sue me for being financially abuse him and will release something that humiliate me with my coworkers and friends that i will live in hell. This completely put me in pieces like i never knew this side of him.

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18. I had been doing well and have made no attempt to contact him but then I get the urge to reach out because I still think he’s the charming caring guy I met when I know its not true.The worst part is the isolation he has always kept a distance between me and his family he controls everyone like puppets and drags them into a web of lies he has told me it is. My fault yet I have no control my son is missing out on his family while my ex sits and paints a picture and uses my son to exploit people for money .It actually makes me sick because there is nothing I can do I feel so helpless.

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19. Omg. All these sound like my story. I have just knwn my husband for a year and a half and married for 8 mths. honestly issues of his anger and temper related to alcohol had already happened before marriage but because he always promised to change and had literally swept me off my feet during our courting phase I kept forgiving n hoping for a change. He has signed promise letters, declarations the works! I used to think he was jus not good with alcohol. So went crazy trying to make alcohol limits for him.. on his request of course. Which he wud never adhere to. He is 7 yrs older than me, financially not too great, a divorcee and a father and has a problematic mother.needless to say he was never my type until he squeezed his way into my life by sayin and doin the right thing. So for the last 8 months its been a total rollercoaster. So many love notes and promises. So many fights mostly related to alcohol. So many verbal abuses n emotional torture. Not to forget hos horrible n mean mom who shouts at anyone n everyone jus for any small reason and who has a definite tantrum once every 3-4 days.so many apologies. I felt sometimes he was deliberately tryin to age me by stressin me. Btw when we met I was a model..quite skinny and now m 10 kgs heavier. He had even joked that one day he wud make me chubby so no guy wud look at me! Well thats wat he did.. anyways I come frm a culture where divorce is a no no unless its really a pathetic situation. So I managed nvowed to make things better. By praising him, supporting him at work, less nagging while he drank etc. Still didn’t seem to work for a long span. Recently I saw something that shattered me. Now in retrospect I feel it was God tryin to save me frm this man. His exwife had a nasty habit of reaching out to him for some work or another since our courtin days. N I cudnt understand why he entertained her since he said he hated her..was a bitch..cheated on him etc. He also was not giving any child support or alimony and had decided not to see his son as the exwife is crazy. So I went thru his emails tryin to discover their complicated history and instead wat I found shocked me to the core. I found a threatening mail frm her to him citing all the times that she had done favors for him. .meaning they had been having an affair continuously while he was dating me and discussing marriage with my family . Also he had very convenienttly told her lots of lies about me and had said he was not happy etc! While of coursr he had been whispering sweet nothings to me. He denied it all n one by one his lies started comin apart. He is so disgusting he even went to her place a week before our wedding to complain about me and mayb to have sex. She is the one who declined as she was tired of being used in the name of love. Yes the same lady that he called psycho n bitch. .he was claimin to love her too and kept hinting they might work out one day..I moved out to my mom and one by one got confessions out of him. I started researching on his personality n he totally fits the bill Of a sociopath. Of course now he is constantly begging me to forgive and wants me to come bac. Its so obvious he is not sorry for wat he has done but for getting caught n leavin that mail around. Of course the hopeful part of me wants to believe he is not a sociopath and will actually change. Although my mind is clearly saying no dont give him a chance. Once I go bac will trap me in pregnancy etc.. which he has tried before btw. Really wanna be sure im making the right decision. Help!

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20. i have actually told him no since last few days n he has tried all tactics to bring me back..screaming, crying, reasoning, cajoling, abusing, blaming my nature, threatening, n lastly silent treatment.we r both on each others watsapp but never reach out since quite a few days. Its like he is punishing me for leaving him.I am not discussin my confusion with him n keep sayin I cant forgive or forget. Of course to u all I must admit I m v v heartbroken n keep praying for a miracle to resolve all this. N every time I think of a good time with him I get tears in my eyes.
    Im really feeling very confused about the situation :
    1. He has been so bad to me. Cheated on me during our golden months. Has abused n mistreated me after drinking in public. Even trapped me into this marriage on false info!
    Why then do I miss him so much 😦 every waking moment I miss him n the possibility of a bright loving future with him
    2. although all above seems to be socio traits..I need to be more convinced he is a sociopath. Shall I take him to a testing centre?. Will it help if I tell him hes a sociopath n try n find solutions to overcome this. If a sociopath is willing to change then can they??
    3. I am on less contact but wat to do about my fragile mind that misses him so much. Goin through a complete roller coaster of emotions. Hurt, pain, sadness, love, numbness
    4. I knw rebounds r not recommended but I havr tried to recover through rebounds in previous relationshipps n it seemed to have worked. Really tempted to do it this time. .at least if I hav someone new on my mind will have less time to think of this one..
    5. I have 3 months before I can file for divorce due to legal laws in India. Is it worth trying for these few months as a last ditch effort. To see if he changes. I really hav no trust left on him so dunno how that wud even work 😦

    Pls help with ur suggestions. Really need them 😦

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21. Listen up girls. Let me share a Karma moment with you all. It’s almost 20 years since I dumped him,he made me so unwell it took me years to recover. I’m now on the sane side of the madness. I have lately discovered that now he is retired and has posted his ‘photo on his facebook profile, he looks exactly on the outside as he is on the inside, and for someone who relied totally on his looks to attract women ( he had zero personality) he is now so ugly,and looks so miserable that I can’t help but laugh my head off. He has posted ‘photos that are years old,when he was with two other women in the honeymoon stage, yet he hasn’t posted any of any current woman he might or might not be involved with.Methinks he has become the sad,lonely ,old man that I predicted he would,and all I have to say is ‘Serves him right’ Believe me you will recover and may eventually get to see his downfall like I have.

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    1. Love this 🙂

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22. I’m 50 I’m not sure if I have time to recover .oh my god

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23. Hi everyone, I am reading through the comments as I’m desperately trying to get answers/justification or some sort of validation that my ex partner of 8 years is a sociopath. I broke up with him a year ago but have had contact with him on and off since and the whole situation, the constant wondering if he is with someone else, if he is really a sociopath, why he did what he did, the list goes on (pretty much the same questions and wonderings as all the other victims above) just won’t leave my head. I guess I’m writing to get validation, which I think will help me. Reading this site so far is really helping. So ill sum up the last 8 years and hopefully you guys can help me with some sort of reasons to why and who this person is!???

    8 years ago I met him at work. He had a girlfriend at the time so I knew he was off limits, however I remember often thinking that he was quite flirty with other girls-good looking or not. He was so nice and everybody thought he was a really great guy. The people I worked with used to talk about him really highly and said that he and his girlfriend were really tight and spent heaps of time together. I developed a major crush on him, which is quite strange as I never really knew him very well, I just found him really attractive (great body) and he was soooooo nice. Anyway, he left the job to start a teaching career and moved away. I remember being devastated about not being able to see him anymore and I gave him my number so that we could possibly catch up as friends in the future. He also gave me his number. A few weeks later it was Christmas and I sent him a text saying Happy Xmas, to which he replied, “who is this?” obviously my heart broke. He seemed to have this spell over me. But from what I knew he had a girlfriend and I wasn’t going there! However I think after a few texts back and forth and me asking what he got for Xmas he actually wrote, “I didn’t get everything I wanted. I wanted to see you in heels and a G”. I don’t recall wondering if he still had a girlfriend after I got this text, but I was shocked by it as it pretty much came from left field (this event could have happened the following xmas as he did stuff me around for a year, but at the time we hadn’t slept together and I remember thinking it was a real shock to get that msg-so who knows!) I don’t think I had contact with him much after that…..memory isn’t all that good as it was so long ago and sooooo much has happened since.

    Then one day, I think a fair few months later I text him to ask how he was going. He replied that he would be in Melbourne and that we should catch up. He also said that he had broken up with his girlfriend. All my dreams had come true! From then on we caught up a few times for dinner/movies etc. But there was no intimacy at this point. From then on, it didn’t take long before we were sleeping together. He met me in a hotel in Melbourne (he lived in Geelong) and he initiated the first kiss and the sex. Thinking back I realize how quickly he moved in on me, despite not knowing much about each other at all. For months we just caught up and had sex and dates. Eventually I started asking where I stood and he couldn’t give me any answers and said he wasn’t ready to commit. I was infatuated so I hung in there. Then he started going cold on me and said that he didn’t want to do ‘this’ anymore. I fought for him to stay with me but he held strong. A few weeks later, after not much contact at all I text him and asked if he wanted to see a movie. He said yes and came over. That night we had sex again and the whole sex/dating thing started again. This time this whole process lasted longer and I met some of his mates etc. I moved closer to Geelong and the day I moved into my new place I got a text saying he needed to talk with me. I knew in my gut that it was going to be bad! He said he would come and see me on the weekend but never did. I pretty much had to nag him to come and see me and talk to me. When he came over he explained that he didn’t want to see me anymore. In my head I was thinking Holy Shit…. your kidding me…this is happening again! But externally I was weak and just sat and took what he said. I even asked him “if you do eventually want a girlfriend would you chose me? To which he replied, “I don’t know, I haven’t found anyone else yet!” (Can you believe it!)? After an 8-year relationship with this guy this comment sticks in my head. When he left (he stayed for about 15 mins and did didn’t even sit down to talk to me!) I sent him a massive text spilling my heart to him. He never replied. He reckons he never got it but he did.

    I was sad for a long time. I couldn’t believe what I had done (moved and paying a crap load of rent) and what he had done after I thought that finally this was it! I had no choice but to accept and try and get on with my life. A few months later I was slowly getting over him and I got a text out of the blue saying “hey gorgeous, how are you, what have you been doing?” Sounds stupid but I was over the moon! And again, it was back on! This time it lasted longer and he ended up asking me to be his girlfriend. Actually he asked me and I said no as I couldn’t trust him completely after he had stuffed me around twice. He said okay and we kept on sleeping together for a few more weeks. Then I asked him to ask me out formally again. He replied, “I only ask once!” (I was shocked by this comment) but wanted to be with him soooo much I just pushed my own feelings aside and pretty much begged him to ask me, to which he did and our relationship officially started. A few weeks later we were in the supermarket and he was being really weird with his phone. Walking off for long periods of time down the aisles. I saw him down one of the aisles looking at his phone and I though that was a little odd. So that evening I went through his phone and saw porn pictures, He said his mate had ben sending them to him. I said, that’s fair enough but why be so sneaky and secretive. He replied it was because he though id find it disgusting!!! Another time I also looked at a text that came through as he was sleeping one morning and it was from a girl called lara staying that she would be traveling through Geelong soon. I thought this was odd also as I had never heard him speak of a friend called Lara. When I confronted him he said he didn’t know who she was…. I must have just brushed this whole situation off because I can’t remember how this conversation was resolved but it didn’t at all end up in me thinking he was cheating. For some reason I thought he could never be capable of that as he was such a nice solid guy, a leading teacher, captain of a football club, great parents etc. As I had finished my degree I found work in Geelong and moved in with him a few months later. And this is when the real shit started to happen…

    I remember finding condoms in his jeans one day and he told me (after some questioning) hat he had been sleeping really briefly with a girl from his work that had left now and moved away. This was actually true and it clicked as to why he had broken it off with me so many times. He said that the condom must have been an old one from then (this wasn’t true of course) .I asked why he hadn’t stayed with her and he said one because she kept asking him to commit and 2 because she was moving away anyway. However he said that it was nothing and he had chosen to be with me and so that was enough for me, as I felt happy that he had chosen to be with me and that finally he was ready to commit and that he was committing with me (I must have been better and special)! However I kept on happy that he had chosen me and thankful that she had moved away (this didn’t stop me from Facebook stalking her though as it did make me feel insecure!)
    One night, in the middle of the night he woke me up to tell me something (the fact that he had woken me up in the middle of the night was strange enough for me as he was always a solid sleeper that hated being woken up). He told me that he had been getting strange texts from girls and he didn’t know what they were or who they were from. I questioned what they said and he just shrugged it off saying it was sexual stuff. I asked to see some and he said he had been deleting them (again odd, especially if they are suspicious and you may need evidence for phone company/police etc.). Anyway I said that next time he got one he should phone the police or go to phone company. This guy was quite a serious guy and ultra sensible (never drank/smoked/ went to gym everyday, anal about not spending money and saving, liked routine etc.) and so I thought it was odd that he hadn’t put a stop to this sooner or questioned the matter more. By that morning I had sort of forgotten the conversation, I assumed he would let me know if anything weird happened again. A few days later I saw on his bank statement that $70 had been taken out for a dating website. I raced to him and said “look, Lavalife, its a dating site, someone must have signed you up (one of idiot footy mates) as a joke and that’s why the text msgs are coming up! (I never thought about how his mates could have got his credit card details to sign him up!). Immediately his reply was “don’t tell my dad!” I thought “what the??” For someone who is so serious and money tight how can he not be furious that 70 bucks is coming out of his account each month and why is he not racing to the bank to stop it! His reaction was the complete opposite to what I expected and very strange. This reaction is what started me snooping further and further…

    One night when he was sleeping I went through his phone. I found msgs from random girls that were sexual and sleazy. Their names had been put in as friend’s names or code names. I remember my heart racing, I felt sick and I was shaking and couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it was the same guy. I can’t describe how polar opposite this behavior was of what the public and I saw. I took down the girl’s number and I rang her the next day. I said nothing to him. She told me that for the past 12 months he had been visiting her. She came to the conclusion it was just for sex as he never stayed long and always had some excuse to leave after and hour or 2. He had given himself a different name and job. She also couldn’t believe it-she was actually really helpful and nice to me! She was speaking the truth. He never took her on dates either. It seemed to be just sex. However she did say that he did invite her to come and stay weekends in Geelong –but that obviously never happened because his housemates and I were there! When I confronted him the next day he completely denied it. He said it was a psych ex girlfriend. It took him 2 days and fighting through the day and night to admit it! When he admitted it I called his parents and my parents. I thought that he needed help. I wanted to help him. I thought that it be easy to fix and that I could help him.

    Anyway, his parents didn’t do too much. He cried a lot. I think they actually acted a bit desensitized. They certainly didn’t get cross with him. Maybe they were shocked too? I think I wanted them to be utterly disappointed in him and think he was an idiot for hurting such a lovely girlfriend but they didn’t do either. More tried to support him and sucked up I guess. When I asked why he was crying he would say “because I might lose you” or because this might be the last time we hug”. I felt sorry for him. I told those that were close to him but they didn’t seem to care (however I never told them about the stuff over the next 7 years which probably also enabled him)! I was angry and so hurt. I went overseas with my friend. I had to get away. We cut off the Internet to the house as this helped me to think that he couldn’t talk to people online. I didn’t trust him alone and I made sure I rang him all the time when I was there. Then I went to a country where my phone didn’t work and I felt majorly paranoid at first but then I felt relieved and free because I couldn’t check up anymore (and that was pretty draining). When I got back to the UK I dreaded it because it meant that I was able to check up again because my phone worked. It was like a weight had been put back onto my shoulders. I got a text from him straight away and my heart sunk. Even still I couldn’t leave him. Whilst in Europe he sent me a photo. In the background was an Internet chord going to the Internet modem. He hadn’t realized it was in the background! Maybe he did and he was still testing me?? I questioned whether he had turned the Internet back and he gave me some bullshit story that was completely irrational and again not logical! For someone that seemed so smart he gave silly reasons and excuses, which always gave him away! Over the 8 years that followed every 6 months at most I would find stuff on his phone or computer. He had different online dating accounts and different names. He said he never met any of them but he would have met a few. There were times when he would tell me that he thought he had a problem with the online cheating stuff and that at one time he had been ‘pretty obsessed’. He always used the same lines with the girls “I hope you are smiling”…that’s how I knew it was he writing when I saw the texts or emails on his phone. He even had a different sims for his phone. I smashed his phone multiple times in anger to which made him furious. Of course I questioned everything and this made him angry. He was unhappy because I was forever questioning where he was, what he was doing, why this, why that, ananylsing everything. He thought it was ridiculous. He went to see a therapist after I nagged him, but only went to the 5 free ones and when I asked what he had spoken to the therapist about he would tell me that they spoke about stuff other than his problem???? What???

    In the 8 years though we had great times together and I thought he genuinely did love me despite his issues. One reason for this was that he never actually left me. I think that he did have some respect for me in his own way. Not to blow my own trumpet but I think I am attractive, fit, enjoy exercising, love surfing, travelling, I am a leading teacher and am really social. Id says I’m a great catch! We also travelled to different countries together heaps, he made me a kayak, we went hiking together, kayaking, he made me presents and I bought a house which he helped me renovate (however looking back he complained about the work, never said how proud he was off me for the achievement and everything was made into a fight). However we did do great stuff together and I enjoyed his company most of the time when we were ‘good’. Of course I was happy when we were travelling, as I didn’t have to worry about him going online or cheating, as we were together 24/7. Although I was paranoid about him taking his phone to the bathroom which he used to get angry about. That reminds me, after probably the 5th time I found out stuff I stopped having sex with him. Although he didn’t even ask me for it. Sometimes when I initiated he would say no anyway-although this could have been a control thing. We got into a habit and comfortable and we probably didn’t have sex for nearly a year. However we had had great sex in the beginning and he was still cheating on me then anyway so it was that we weren’t having sex that caused him to cheat!

    Throughout the relationship I used to say, “can you say something nice to me?” (I think I needed the reassurance that he loved me) he used to reply “Like what? I don’t know what to say!” I never understood how he could just say something like “I think you are beautiful” or “I love you” He used to say that me asking this question made him feel uncomfortable.

    Over the 8 years I threatened to move out heaps, even looked for new places. He did too, but neither of use ever left. If after a fight, which usually ended with him packing his bags and driving off for a few hours, I would always beg for him to come back and he always did. However he was good at holding a grudge and outing it back onto me being angry with him all the time (doh! What do you expect?).

    He used to say that he stayed because he wanted us to work. When I asked if he would cheat again, the first few times (sounds crazy typing this now!) he would say no and that he would never do it again. Then the next time he would say that he had ‘urges’ to do it at certain times and couldn’t control them. Towards the end and after many more times of finding the latest shenanigans he would day that he didn’t know if he could stop or if he would do it again, but he hoped not.

    It’s been a year since I finally moved out. I moved out in August 2014. I couldn’t do it to myself anymore. I was miserable, couldn’t trust him, was realizing that I was letting myself down and I think I was finally just bored of it all and over it. I never wanted to give up on him but I realized that I had to because things were not getting better. I think my inner strength finally came through. My pride and my sense of worth hadn’t completely been destroyed after 8 years of shit. I couldn’t completely walk away though. I had to distance myself to protect myself to some extent but I couldn’t let go of him. We stayed in contact and caught up for dinners etc. but no sex. We decided just to see if we could work again but if there were any signs of us fighting etc. then we should end it totally (this was his idea). Come to think of it he used to say that if he had an argument with a girlfriend then that would out him back another year in proposing to them! What’s that about?

    In November 2014, I asked him to come to Europe with me, I thought this would finally make us stronger. He could see where I was from in the UK, we could have a great time together etc. It would heal us. He said no to start with and pretty much had to twist his arm to come then he said yes because he wanted us to work etc etc. It started off okay but he kept texting his married friend every other day, which I thought was weird as if we were supposed to be working on potentially sorting things out then why wouldn’t he focus his attention on me. Why did he need to text her about things all the time? He said he was being friendly to her because she was collecting his mail! Ha! I have best friends who have been through everything with me who I didn’t need to text each day!!!! He even had to text her to tell her when he had landed and was in the ‘stop over’ country. Even though she knew he was with me, he never mentioned me in any of the texts. At one point I text her back to see her reaction to me responding but she didn’t seem phased. I genuinely think she is happily married but this didn’t stop him texting her or vice versa. I don’t understand this! was His texting her made me feel really uncomfortable so I asked him to stop to which he thought was ridiculous. I wasn’t too threatened as she was married (she really was) but I dint like how he always had to have attention from her. Why wasn’t he texting his best male friends?

    Halfway onto the trip I found old msgs on his phone from 2 months before. He had sent pics of his semen to a girl, again he called himself a different name and he called her mistress!!! I couldn’t hit him hard enough. We had come on this trip and two months before he had been doing that shit again. In fact, he was probably texting whilst there as one day I opened viber to text my friend and accidently pressed ‘paste’. Part of a msg came up with him asking ‘where about in Melbourne are you? I hope you are smiling, Chris (his real name is Steve!). When i finally calmed down I asked him how I could help him….you wouldn’t believe this but he turned to me and said “I think the only thing that could help, is for you to move back in!!” I turned to him and laughs and said “you have got to be kidding, how the #$@% can you say that?” I think from this point I knew that he was not a normal human being. I asked him later on when we got back what would have happened if I had agreed and made plans to move back in. He said that he would have not let it happen and he would have told me not to move back in. Hmmmmmm I wonder when????

    He rationalized me finding the pictures from October saying that it was in October and that he thought he better stop before coming on the trip and he hadn’t done it since!!!! OMG!

    Following this, our last country of the trip was the UK. He randomly out of the blue told me that he loved me. I was so surprised as he rarely ever dais it even when we were properly together. I was shocked and it made me feel good. Even on the plane trip back he was talking about us potentially moving to QLD and he even started looking at places to buy with me at the airport.

    When we got back to Australia we had a few more catch ups and decided to give it until May this year to see how we go. I asked how I could help him to not go online again. He reckons that he had to set up an environment in the house where he was only allowed to use the internet for work and work only and that would help him. I thought to myself….that wouldn’t work and also do I really want to be with a guy that can’t sit infront of the tv with his laptop without cheating!
    I also still felt uncomfortable about him texting his married female friend and we had a few more arguments over this. He thought I was being ridiculous. I was the one instigating most of the dates and catch-ups and there was no sex however sometimes he would instigate calls and texts and dates with me. Sometimes he would ask to have a hug before I left. We got to May and as we had had a few arguments about the married chick and we hadn’t seen each other very much (I had a few social things on and I guess was starting to subconsciously move on out of fear of him-maybe my actions were actually testing him???). He said that ‘we’ didn’t feel right and that he had nothing else to give. I kept questioning why but he said he had nothing left to say and got angry. It’s been a month now without contact. A month ago I sent him a long text saying that our relationship wasn’t real, that he wasn’t real, that he was evil and that he had broken my heart. I didn’t get a reply. Although on my birthday on the 30th of August he sent a one liner email (yes email, not a text, very impersonal and cold) saying happy birthday. He even signed out with his work formal signature, not even a person from…). It broke my heart again. I had to send him a text the other day about getting our bond money back. It killed me that I had to send it, as I had had no contact for a record number of times. It took him 24 hrs. to reply and it killed me waiting for his response. Why didn’t he text back straight away? Is it because he was with someone else already? I know I’m stupid for questioning this but I need some answers from someone! I also don’t know why I should care as he was sleeping around when I was with him but I do!

    I haven’t heard anything else. He is doing the silent treatment. I don’t expect to hear from him again. After 8 years of loyalty, fun times, experiences, buying a house, travel, births, deaths and marriages he has dropped me like a piece of rubbish.

    In my head I am thinking:
    I am paranoid that he has already moved on after everything we did and had and that he has forgotten me.
    Is his behavior just the natural break up process?
    He has a good family, great leading teacher job, captain of a football team, great friends so why is he like this?
    Did he do this to his ex?
    Will he do it again-I hope he does because then it wasn’t just me
    What happens if he doesn’t do it again-what does that mean?
    Is he a sociopath or do I just need an excuse for what he has done?

    Sorry for how long this post is, but I had to write down everything to get an accurate picture out there so that I could get the best response. What do you guys think?????

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    1. WOW!! I am sorry about your experience. Many aspects of it sound similar to mine. I hope you are on the road to recovery and healing

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24. I wish more guys would share but I relate to most of what everyone does share in fact.

    I truly am blown away by this woman who has fooled me for four years. I do not like who I have become….I looked at her email and texting and found what I suspected.

    One man who she professes as just a friend at work..(she is executive assistant to owner of high tech firm), she wrote the same lines to him as she used on me…”your a gem” “i can see you fitting into my life seamlessly” and so on….a script in fact.

    As my dad went through end sate cancer and succumbed she complained I wasn’t there for her. So so so many more things to share but you all know the score.

    It has been only two days with no contact by either after another blowout. The night prior we had bbq and had nice evening in all aspects. Following day she said going away for Friday night with woman from work to fair. So i said let me know by 10:30 am if you would like to have lunch. I will be in area. I got text saying just have time to run n grab something so no to lunch. So i called twice..no answer. she admitted as I had been stressing for months to just be honest, that the guy from work ran into her as she walked out so they had lunch. I later that evening reminded her I had asked…”i forgot” was her reply. Blank look. Major blowout. She said if i dont want her to have her friend she will comply. (doubt it) I said no…..dont you get it? It isnt for me to dictate your behavior” I did say..ok then let me read your correspondence with him..then i will be satisifed its not sexual like you say” She said ok…..i walked over and as she began to search her messages with him she thought….i saw this……then said…”no…im not letting you see” i smiled…”classic” i said…..she not knowing i had been reading up on socios. I said good bye…you made your choice…..i am done. And i mean it….hurts so so much but truth is i felt alone with her last 8 months and discovered at least three sexual online relationship and suspect much more in real life. good riddance but my pain is just beginning. Thanks for all of your input folks

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    1. Hi stunned look up the page mask of charisma a very long comment has just come in from someone called todd who has been and still is stuck last 10 years and seems like he is living in he’ll.

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    2. Hello there. Just learning about all this and recently left by a soc I have been with for nearly 8 years. It has been a hell of a shock and learning experience. I stumbled on to sites that gave me info on this behavior and this site explained things to a tee (as others have said) it all seems like a dream at some points. So harsh and unrealistic. I did not know people were like this. I was so in love with her and she walked and immediately got with another man like it was nothing. Of course she lied about him for weeks till I uncovered the truth and then she was so cold and uncaring and lied more. Saying things like I don’t sleep with him I just kiss him and hang out. Luckly no children and we never got married. I think that was god looking out for me. She definitely used the sex thing in the relationship and even after all this to try and keep me around. I found the info on the female soc to be exactly how she is and very informative. It’s all so painful and I feel like I was so blinded.

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       1. I am sorry you are hurting. Try to focus on the positive, you didn’t marry her and do not have children with her. You can heal and recover and go on to build a much better life for yourself. Revenge, is living a good life – despite meeting her.

       2. Thank you. I keep finding more out not. So much comes to light and now I thing about all the guys she has been seeing while I was so in love and blinded. It’s so painful. I know it happens to people all the time but it just hurts so deep inside. I found out about old friends of mine she hunted down and got with. It’s so decitful. It makes me sick.

25. I dated a SP for 4 years off and on. It was a nightmare and I could not get away from him. It finally came to an end in Jan of 2012 when I was able to fully sever ties. I was a total wreck!! But, I learned a lot about myself (and him) and eventually got over it. Something like that would not happen to me again.
    I enjoyed being single for 3 years. Had hobbies and interests and a few really close friends. After a while I decided I was ready to pursue love.
    I met someone from an online dating site. He had a lot of the same interests as me posted on his page. After talking online for about 2 weeks we took it offline and talked on the phone. Then we decided to have a first date. I tell you what…that first date was magical. The chemistry was there! He was so interesting, charming, and seemed so in to me. We hit it off beautifully. We had a lot in common.
    I told him about my past a bit. He told me his. (This is where the mirroring started)
    He knew I was guarded and still getting a read on him. He actually told me “It’s ok. Let me in.” And would remind me he is not my ex and not everyone out there is like my ex. After a while, I let my guard down more and let him in. For a while things were amazing. He bragged about me to his family and friends. Everyone knew about me. He was head over heels in love with me. I met his family and they loved me. I loved them all too! It was going so perfectly. I thought I had found The One. I thought wow, you exist!
    But…deep down inside I saw warning signs. I made a mental catalog of them and still went forward in the relationship, giving him the benefit of the doubt.
    At the time he was 33 years old, and living at home with mom and dad. He had moved back to this state after his marriage ended. It had been about 6 months since the divorce was finalized. (Of course, it was all her fault. He was the victim) I asked him if he was sure he was ready to be in a relationship, and of course he said he was. I figured, well…who am I to judge. I had to start over before too. I understood where he was at in life and trying to get on his feet. He’s also a combat veteran.
    Over several months, I saw the sweet, funny, charismatic person downspiral into depression. He was not having luck getting a job. He became moody. Like Jeckyl and Hyde. I tolerated it and encouraged him anyway. He spent a LOT of time at the bar, getting drunk, driving home drunk, showing up at my house in the middle of the night drunk, calling me for a ride, sleeping at a friends place. I had a problem with this. He knew it too, but kept on going out.
    We went on a hiking trip in the spring and that is where I saw the real him come out. He straight turned on me. It was UGLY! That was when he first called me a b*tch. That hurt. He said mean things and told me something he had done in the past so horrible that any normal person would RUN.
    When we got back home, we talked and talked for hours and smoothed everything over. And everything was perfect again. For a while
    But as the months went by he got meaner. He did get a job,a good job. but after 3 weeks he got fired. (It was their fault and his boss was intimidated by him) And still got drunk a lot. After the job loss, the downward spiral seemed to go faster and faster.
    He got more verbally abusive and physically aggressive with me. I called the cops on him and filed a report. You’d think that’d be a wake up call? Nope
    Everything was always MY fault. He never did any wrong. Never took responsibility for the things he said and how it affected me (or anyone for that matter).
    As time went by we were on and off. He always came back and I took him back…..hoping the man I had fallen for would come back. If he just got a job, things would be better. If he didn’t drink so much, things would be better.

    He attacked my physically, mentally, verbally, even attacked my faith (that’s a BIG no no).

    Fast forward to now. I see it. All of it. There’s so much more details that I don’t have the time to write about right now. But it’s all there. He lied all the time (didn’t think I noticed). He hated being questioned and was very evasive and secretive. Always blamed me and everyone else for his lot in life.

    It’s been almost 2 weeks no contact since I ended it. And oh man….it’s hell. Here I am AGAIN in the one place I swore I’d never be in. I’m embarrassed about it. I saw it all along, but I stayed because I hoped he’d change. I absolutely loved him. But the realization of who he really is hit me a few days ago. It all clicked. Doesn’t make it a whole lot easier to digest, but it helps. This website is soooo helpful. I hate that others have dealt and are dealing with this same thing. But it’s nice to know that there are others out there who understand what I’m dealing with.

    I’m going to talk to a professional about it. I have a lot more healing to do. And hopefully I can get this invisible sign above my head that says “easy target” to go away.

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26. I decided to goggle compulsive lying and found this website. I’m not sure if the person in my life is a sociopath, but I must say some of this seems to fit. I however have seen right thru the lies from the beginning. I knew something was off with his behavior, just couldn’t put my finger on the problem. He is such a sweet and caring person that you would never know he has these issues. I just recently found out that he has received mental health treatment in the past and been on medications. This alone does not make him a sociopath, as many people suffer from mental illness. The one thing I did not see addressed on this website is what if any treatment is there for a sociopath and can their behavior be changed with medication? Does anyone out there know if this is a treatable condition?

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    1. Also look at borderline personality disorder or bpd. There is no treatment for a sociopath that works there is treatment for bpd

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27. Hi Positivagirl and all hope your all well. I wrote here before and you have helped so much just wondering if you could help again .
    I do believe my ex is a sociopath I cut all contact with him 10 months ago then when I activated my whatsapp account again this unblocked him , so the messages started coming all lovely and how sorry he was blah blah, I ignored him for a few months it felt good (me ignoring him for a change) but just before Xmas I felt I started missing him more (I wouldn’t go back tho) and wanting him, he contacted again saying …hey you ready to talk yet ? this really got my back up his attitude but guess he knew it would and would lead me to getting back to him I never asked him anything just told him what I thought of him he contacted again twice I replied just letting him no how he disgusts me and I wanted nothing to do with him , he got back saying oh right I will leave you be then , glad your happy, I never replied (thus was 6 weeks ago now )
    I’ve not heard anything since and since then he’s gone of all social media now am curious and am mad I never asked him all I wanted to ask , I know probably whatever he said I wouldn’t believe but I feel now I still need to do this to move on cos now I find myself wondering again racking my brain wanting to know what he’s Up to. The girl he left me for was over 3 months later he had done then what he wanted to achieve with her but now am thinking is he back with her as I mentioned her in my message to him and he was baiting me , am sure he would be doing the same to her as he’s alone in a foreign country now and probably in short supply and also she has come off fb I feel am paranoid all over again . 10 months later I know my heart is still trying to catch up with my mind as I know in my mind he’s a truly disgusting horrible person who I never want anything to do with again but my heart is still having difficulty getting to grips with this as am still missing and wanting this person in my life , then at the same time I just want him to contact to rant at him . Guess I just wanted to know is this normal ? I thought I was getting back to me again and now my head is spinning constantly again , I can’t sleep , I don’t want to get out of bed or do anything if I do and am mad at myself for still feeling this way .
    Any advice, help please x

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28. literally the best way to get a crazy motherfucker like this back is not to get even, get better. Stop letting the gas lighting and bullshit control that he had over you, still continue. Be thankful that he has left your life and is somewhere else missing up his life and someone else. No matter how much maulipation someone does, it will catch up with them. Either with jail or someone seriously hurting them. What you would not do and have a conscience not do , someone else will fuck them up. Life and God has a funny way of allowing justice. Im sure of the fact that one-day he will run up on someone just as crazy as he is. Not everyone is going to overlook what he does, remember that. For some crazy reason, they enjoy watching your pain and sweat do not let anything he does, effect you. Have the biggest smile and contentment on your face, He will hate it. Become as much peace within that no ones actions can fuck with you. Show him that he hasn’t won with your silence and pick yourself off and remember who you were before him because you are still the same person just stronger and deep down he knows it. I came back to school after the “discard” and that he was openly with his new girl and I had the biggest smile and contemned on my face even though I cried laying on the bathroom floor for two weeks during Christmas break. It was like he could not fathom the idea of me being okay lol. He’s a sick freak. I am so not attracted to him anymore. Just to know that he’s crazy and weird under all of that , he really is. Like he needs some serious help

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    1. THat is easier said than done though Chas. While I do agree with you. Absolutely and think that don’t get even get better is a good thinking and action process. When someone has been broken down (bearing in mind that they already target those who are already weak, vulnerable or broken) those people don’t always have the strength. When someone who is that broken, when the damage is relentless you might not have the time to get better….. you might want to stop further damage to you NOW> RIGHT NOW.

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       1. I had no idea you were going to actually reply to me! Hi, I love your site and it is an amazing thing what you are doing for people like us. I have a question, even though I have been establishing no contact.. Prom is coming up in April. I know how he operates and he will use his latest girl to try and hurt me. Looking back he did the same thing with me and his ex a year and half ago at homecoming. I was once in love with this kid, I had no idea on how he was, and I am appalled that I even was entertaining his hurtful tactics that he used on his ex. A-lot of my friends, keep telling me to go to prom because it is a once and life time chance and I deserve and have always wanted to go, and I know I should. But honestly I don’t know if i want to go, everyday is a struggle for me and I know I am struggling with PTSD. Somedays I am living in fear, knowing that the last year and half of my life was lie and I was sleeping with Judas basically. What would you do? I really want to go to prom and I know I have a whole month times to continue to heal and it is a once and life time event but honestly I do not know.

       2. This is a tough one Chas, Prom is a big event in your life. Think how would you feel in 5 years time, when you look back…. if you didn’t go? How would you feel in the future, helping your children plan for prom, knowing you didn’t attend yours, for a guy that one day in the future, will be nothing to you. (and he will one day) …. I would imagine that you would have good friends there at the prom anyway?

       3. Yes I would have good friends there. One my of guy friends offered to take me too, I just know “J’s” tactics, and I know his motives would only be to hurt me, in-front of everyone. He’s done some messed up things in the past to people (now I’ve heard the full stories) since I knew him a year pier to our relationship. However I know this kid is hell bent on destroying me because of the of things he tried so hard to mirror back was my confidence. He did everything he could to destroy my self esteem. I know in my mind and heart that He will only be using her to hurt me and it is only a game to him, but after a year and half of brain washing and feeling I am not good enough, I still even doubt my own knowledge. I even hear the last words he’s said to me about her being different and better than me. He’s already started his bs with her, I can tell looking from the outside in and even though she did a lot of things to hurt me just for him. I have compassion for her and I did what you advised and I forgive them both, I forgive her because she doesn’t even know the real him but honestly I feel as if I am going to be scarred for ever and I don’t deserve that because I had it really bad growing up and he knows it too. But I’ve accepted that he doesn’t care and its nothing personal.. He just has issues, which explains so much. I would love to go to prom, Ive been planning it since forever and I deserve to go.. I just do not want to get there and feel like shit.. What do you advice?

       4. I would go with your friend. You know this is a safer bet than going with a ‘date’ as he will have no power to sabotage, particularly if your friend is aware of the psycho behaviour towards you…. But, really you must do what feels right to you. I am sure that you won’t be scarred forever, but try to get some professional help too to support you. How do you get on with your parents also, can you talk to them?

       5. If you have been planning it forever, and you know you deserve to go, then you go, and you look AMAZING….. absolutely stunning, then you go there, and you visualise a bubble all around you, a bubble of pink, get dressed, look amazing, and then visualise a pink bubble all around you. When you get there, try to block him out. If he is there and starts, remember the saying RISE ABOVE IT….. at that moment, visualise yourself rising above the floor, up high, he cannot bring you down. HE DOES NOT HAVE THAT POWER… Unless you give it to him! 🙂

       6. Funniest thing, I mention it to my mom and grandmother and they met him before and they were not supprised at all. My grandmother worked as a nurse in psych ward & she knows the dangers of people, and saw through his behavior. I never experienced anything like this , let alone knew people were capable of such evil until him. I couldn’t fathom someone could do what he did but when I say it explains the way he acts and handles every situations, it does.. He has no conscience at all. Everything was calculated from the beginning , and that just creeps me out. I always knew something wasn’t right but I brushed it off. Deep down I know he hated me because he did everything to crush my spirt , and when he’s mask came off, the devil came out to play.( I guess I trusted him more than I trusted myself) he covered everything up so well that If I even be began fo try and tell people how he really is no one would believe me. only my closet friends did because at times, I showed them our conversations when he got into a rage ( he hated when I did that) But to answer your question… yes the know but they do not understand the effects of what I’m going through. Everyday is uphill battle , I’ve never experienced something like this before, it feels like someone set me on fire to watch me burn , I wanted to die . It hurt to my soul. They just consider it as a normal break up but no , what I faced was evil.

29. I have a pretty long and horrible story. A sociopath found my husband and initiated an affair. She is/was married to another woman and I guess was “done” with her and wanted to move on with her life. My husband and I had a very good and strong marriage, but she penetrated that. There was a lot of back and forth (she got him to start drinking and using drugs). We finally got him away from her and to a rehab, but it was too late. She was already pregnant. So, she broke him out of rehab. He asked her to abort the baby or give it up for adoption but she wouldn’t agree. He ended all contact with her and we were going to work on things and try to be a family again. She was relentess and found him and lured him back with his responsibility to their baby. Meanwhile, she smoked, drank, and used drugs throughout her pregnancy. He stopped all drugs and alcohol, but lost his job, gained a bunch of weight, stopped exercising and basically let himself go to crap. From the very beginning I suspected she was a sociopath and warned him and tried to reason with him. She isolated him from everyone. Now all he has left are the people who were never really ever there for him. He has continually hurt me and our children. The baby was born (I see facial deformities from FAS) and he is now “staying” with her to help with the baby. He tells me he feels like he doesn’t know how to get away, that this is self imprisonment, he doesn’t deserve to be happy after all he’s done, he’s at his rock bottom now but yet he doesn’t know how to stop this, he’s in denial as to who she really is, he doesn’t know what sort of relationship he wants with this child he never wanted, that he can see why I would think he’s choosing her and that life over me and our family but that’s not true. That he does want his family back, but he just doesn’t know how on earth that is possible after all of this. We are both in therapy but stopped marriage counseling as it doesn’t work when there is a third party. Both of the therapists have told me not to enable him or engage with him or make things any easier for him because he has to do all the work himself in order to get away from her. But, it’s so sad. As much as I want to hate him and walk away, I still love him and miss him terribly and want my family back. From what he has told me about her and what I’ve seen, she fits the mold of a sociopath to a t. And he is certainly not her first victim. Her wife and ex husband and older son have all been victims along with numerous other people I’m sure. My husband is smart, but he’s impulsive, a pleaser, has an addictive personality (mostly with food), and has low self esteem so he was prime for the picking. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

    Reply

    1. Hi Never, I had another person that I spoke to whose husband was lured away by a Sociopath. He was a successful businessman, so it can happen to anybody.

       The truth is, no matter what she is or isn’t. The choice is his, and his alone whether he stays with her. He doesn’t have to. I think that he is making excuses, I am unsure if i am right in my thinking, but do you want him back? Or do you just want to ‘save’ him?

       I am thinking about you, and you healing from this. The first step would be to set boundaries that work for YOU. It isn’t acceptable for him to be coming and going and burdening you, he isn’t the victim here. He wasn’t LURED away, he was unfaithful and had an affair, he is playing victim here. The victim in this that I can see, is you (and possibly the new child). And your children.

       You know that you cannot fix him right? You can only fix you.

       Reply

    2. That’s terrible and I’m sorry to hear.

       My advice might not be easy to hear, and is certainly nothing more than what I would do if I were you.

       Get a divorce. Do it for you. Doing what’s best for you is good for your kids. It’s the difference between losing both parents or just one. If he is gone and you are hurt, the kids are too. You will have to get past this, why delay it. The quicker you can bounce back is what could be best for your kids.

       The reality is that your husband is choosing not to get past it. Dealing with this woman is not that hard – the judge lays out his responsibilities. Otherwise, this woman will demand his life for it. With you sticking by his side, I wouldn’t call him trapped – the key is no support on the outside.

       You offered all the help he needed for this not to happen. But now that it did, should you be expected to now that he is a mess? Hell no. You did not sign up for this.

       The time is now for you to consider dodging a bullet. Until and if he gets back together, how can he be good for you and the kids? How can you add that to your financial burden? Why should you? You tried everything.

       What about you? That’s what I want you to consider.

       Reply

30. Thanks Pos for your response. Yes, he is responsible for his actions and it was his choice and he continues to make choices even though he claims he feels as if he has a gun to his head. He is absolutely making excuses and playing victim. I would love to save my marriage but don’t know how that is possible at this point. I married him for life. My heart is still with him and I don’t see that changing regardless of knowing I’m an idiot for thinking that and my friends and family want me to divorce him. My therapist says if and when I’m ready for that, I will know. But, since we are living as if we are separated right now, there is no reason to rush the divorce. I have been working on setting boundaries and not enabling him. It’s not been easy, but I feel I’m getting better every day. Today I overstepped that a bit when we were discussing our kids. They were away visiting my parents for the past 9 days and I was going to the airport to pick them up. He texted asking if I was excited to see them and I said more than he could imagine and he tried to say he knew how it felt. So, that opened up the door and I went off on him saying that he should be seeing them daily. He’s engaged when he’s with them but that’s probably 10% of the time and texting doesn’t really mean much. I told him the kids want him around more and they deserve it whether he’s living at the house or at an apartment close by. The sociopath lives over an hour away with no traffic. When he was at an apartment near the house, he could see them regularly. So, I let him know it’s not okay and the kids see it and suffer. I couldn’t help myself but I’m trying to let him know he isn’t getting a pass. He was such an engaged and active dad before the sociopath so the kids are really suffering. He makes promises he doesn’t keep. They have little trust or faith in him.

    I am trying to fix myself. I have been in therapy for about a year now and she has been so helpful. I am trying to do things for myself and fake being happy until I actually start to feel it. He needs to fix himself and he has a long road ahead of him. I can’t see this as his forever life. He once mentioned that he would be so happy if she would cut him off because he would be free. He just wants someone else to make the choices for him and I am not going to do that for him anymore. It breaks my heart, but I know this is what I need to do for myself and for him. I’m doing both of us a disservice if I continue to make things easier for him and focus on him instead of me and our kids.

    Reply

31. I honestly felt freed when I read this sight but I for cocky and told her I knew what she was and I tools other people I finally called the police and have no contact I’m scared PhD what she might do but good had giving me piece and had out people inn my life that understand for 15 years I know it’s going to get worse but I owe it to my kids to go hard for them and do everything I can for them I want to call my kids but don’t know if I can handle talking to her I’m so angry the people of this sight I feel what you guys have been through she is telling people I touched my kids but I trust god will take care of everything it seems so hopeless but for some reason I’m not afraid and I want to speak out because men are victims too and we are to embaresd to admit it well I will admit it this woman got me at a young age and had been killing me softly almost my entire life thank you positive girl because if I didn’t stumble on this sight I would be in the home with her right now please don’t stop posting I am also fascinated with them and feel like I want to help people in this situation

    Reply

32. Hello all. I was wondering if some more people could share about surviving and stories of after they got the soc out of there life. To see how it is and the light on the other side of all this darkness.

    Reply

33. Still trying to let go and keep NC.

    Reply

34. Hi. Let me start by saying I am recovering of a break up from a sociopathic woman.
    She reached out to me in an e-mail 2 months after getting married. I was thrilled because my marriage had gone to shit. Hadn’t had sex in 10 years and here this “old flame” wanted to see me.
    From the first minute the lies started. I didn’t know. She was a fantastic manipulator. A teacher, she was deaf, and she played the victim card to a T.
    So I felt sorry she had NO winter jacket, took back my fav tennis shoes to LL Bean to get her a jacket to stay warm. This lead to a coach purse, new tires, a laptop. Telling me she’s ready for family kids. Weekend rondavous sex falling in love.
    Fast forward 8 months and we had a tiff. She was a master at disconnected emotions but I was upset. I drove to her ratty apartment to have her husband answer. I’m a cop by the way, and he almost shit himself. Called me a liar I almost beat his ass but I felt sorry for him. So I showed him pictures of us making out. He brought them into her and she was so upset. Only because she got caught. She was texting me the next day still. I had bought her a mattress before I knew she was married because her appointment flooded. Little did I know she was banging her husband on it.
    The final straw. We were going to divorce get married together. We loved each other. I spent $8000 on a cruise to start a new life together. Of course she went. We had sex twice a day trying to have a baby. But I’m positive she lied about being off birth control. The moment we arrived back in the states she was texting her husband hiding in bathroom stalls in rest areas calling him. Next day changed her number never heard from her again.
    So this was a woman was supposed to be my soulmate have kids get married. 10 hours after cruise. Didn’t know my name.
    Like I said I’m a cop. She stole and racked up thousand of dollars on my credit cards so I thought it was fair to press charges for theft by deception against her have her lose teaching license. Sent letters to her in laws and her parents and her superintendent of schools and theft made public news that she was a thief.
    I still feel bad because I have feelings but she needed to be exposed and stood up too.
    Guys please be ware of her.

    Reply

    1. Hi, thank you for your comment. I have amended your comment to remove your surname, and to remove the name of the women. Please do not name anyone in person on this site. Thank you.

       Reply

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