Dating and Relationships Advice for Women

Pathological gambling is a common disorder with severe consequences for patients and their families. This case study describes cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for pathological gambling and its general principles and provides an example of a modification of CBT techniques in the treatment of a 51-year-old immigrant Afro-Caribbean woman. The case depicts the contribution of beliefs, especially those that are part of a cultural system, to the...  

by Sandra Brown, MA We started to talk about the very REAL issue of trance in relationship with pathologicals. Women feel 'under his spell,' 'spell bound,' 'mesmerized,' 'hypnotized,' 'spaced out,' 'not in control of their own thoughts....' All of these are ways of saying that various levels of covert and subtle mind-control have been happening with the pathological. And why wouldn't it be happening? These are power-hungry people who live to...  

by Sandra Brown, MA We started to talk about the very REAL issue of trance in relationship with pathologicals. Women feel ‘under his spell,’ ’spell bound,’ ‘mesmerized,’ ‘hypnotized,’ ’spaced out,’ ‘not in control of their own thoughts….’ All of these are ways of saying that various levels of covert and subtle mind-control have been happening with the [...]  

(excerpted article) Modes of Pathological Deception and Manipulation by Jennifer Copley Targeting the Vulnerable Pathologicals are good at spotting exploitable vulnerabilities in others. Many pathological scam artists seek lonely individuals and promise them a lifetime of love and partnership. Others target the grief-stricken or those who have suffered a recent setback or breakup and are therefore less apt to look closely at what appears to be...  

by Sandra Brown, MA Here's an email I got: "I am concerned about some of the things someone I am dating said... 1. He told me that his ex-wife accused him of being abusive. He said he was telling me this because he wants to be honest and does not want me to find this out from other people and get only her side of the story. 2. He told me that he can be a lot more "moody" than he presents. 3. He told me that the end of his...  

IT'S OFFICIAL: NET ABUSERS ARE PATHOLOGICALBy Evan Schuman, TechWire Another yardstick of success will be achieved by the Internet community: It will be awarded its first official mental health disorder.The newly identified disorder will be dubbed Pathological Internet Use (PIU) and will be christened during the presentation of a major medical paper at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in Chicago.The term is being...  

Since I have reinvigorated this site to use it as a teaching example to educate others about Pathology, I’d be remiss to not use this comment (CLICK HERE) recieved on this blog to talk more about the blame pathologicals use on their victims to silence, embarrass and discredit them. I don’t care if people don’t believe [...]  

by Sandra Brown, MA Is it Fear Or Is it Anxiety? Women who have been in pathological relationships come away from the relationships with problems associated with fear, worry, and anxiety. This is often related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or what we call 'High Harm Avoidance'-- being on high alert looking for ways she might get harmed now or in the future. read more  

by Anna Valerious The NPD illusion of superiority is a facet of a generalized disdain for reality. These individuals feel unconstrained by rules, customs, limits, and discipline. Their world is filled with self-fiction in which conflicts are dismissed, failures redeemed, and self-pride is effortlessly maintained. They easily devise plausible reasons to justify self-centered and inconsiderate behavior. Their memories of past relationships are...  

by Sandra Brown, MA (excerpts) The other type of emotionally unavailable man is unavailable due to his relationship (or relationships) with another woman (or women). These guys are never really committed to a woman. They don’t see any relationship as necessarily permanent, including marriage – even if they give lip service to being “deeply committed” to the woman they are with at the moment. read more  

by Dr. Mike Fox Emotional rape has many similarities to physical rape, particularly date rape. Date rape involves the sexual use of someone's body without consent. In a like manner, emotional rape is the use of someone's higher emotions, such as love, without consent. However, in the case of emotional rape the lack of consent is contained in what the perpetrator doesn't say... his or her hidden agenda. Emotional rape can happen to both men and...  

By Sandra L. Brown, MA We live in an instant society: instant messaging, drive - through food, microwaves, text messaging, IPods, IPhones — just about anything we want NOW we can have. No wonder we have confused technology speed with relational speed. After all, isn’t this the decade of 'speed dating'? read more  

by Sandra Brown, MA Time and again women allude to the mystical aspects of the pathological they are involved with. They describe it as "being under his spell," "entranced with him" or "hypnotized by him" even "spell bound" or "mind controlled." Women aren't exactly able to define what they are 'experiencing' or even accurately describe what they think is occurring but they do unanimously conclude that 'something' is happening that feels like...