My Inner Torch
My Inner Torch offers direct and personal insight with help for those of us in a relationship with someone who is undiagnosed/diagnosed with a Cluster B Personality Disorder. This is a safe place to come for words of inspiration that draw from my personal experiences and is produced to gain understanding and to find direction as we navigate through the often difficult relationships with those we love who suffer with a Cluster B personality disorder that includes BPD and NPD. PLEASE NOTE: This podcast is NOT for those who suffer with these disorders. This podcast is for survivors of these challenging and difficult relationships.
Episodes
Today we take a "Look Back Listen" to the Emotional Con Game, originally uploaded three years ago in 2022. Unfortunately, this is something that remains relevant in Cluster B relationships today and was one of my downloaded episodes. Enjoy!
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I’ve learned that Cluster B personality disorders involve manipulative behaviors and emotional abuse. As a victim, I often felt respon...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
I’ve experienced how Cluster B abuse leaves me grieving lost relationships, identities, and futures.
I often blamed myself, feeling trapped in the abuser’s delusional reality.
My healing involved recognizing the abuser’s inability to love and their manipulative tactics.
Self-reflection was crucial for breaking free from the cycle of abuse.
Seeking support and ...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
I’ve learned that intimacy with a Cluster B personality is often distorted or nonexistent due to their inability to be vulnerable.
I’ve realized that Cluster B individuals may mimic intimacy but lack genuine emotional empathy, hindering true connection.
I experienced sex with my Cluster B partner as manipulative, transactional, or used as punishment.
I felt emotio...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I recognize the difference between the idealized fantasy of a relationship with a Cluster B personality and the harsh reality of abuse.
- I understand that the initial “love bombing” phase is a manipulative tactic, not genuine affection.
- I accept that the person I fell in love with likely never truly existed. This is crucial for my healing journey.
- I’m breaking the trauma bond by journaling ...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I know staying in a relationship with a Cluster B personality is incredibly challenging, and I understand that leaving isn’t always an immediate option for me.
- I’m learning to build a “mental fortress” by practicing emotional detachment, reframing my expectations, and journaling my interactions to recognize patterns.
- I’ll employ communication tactics like the Gray Rock method and BIFF res...
🎯 Key Takeaways from this week's Podcast:
Core Points:
- I’ve learned that cognitive dissonance deeply hinders escaping abusive relationships. As a victim, I constantly questioned my experiences, blaming myself.
- I now understand that Cluster B personality disorders involve subtle abuse: passive aggression, gaslighting, and silent treatment.
- I can now recognize manipulation tactics like “That never happened,” “You’...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- In my experience with Cluster B relationships, I’ve learned they involve a false initial identity, often including love bombing and idealized portrayals.
- I’ve come to expect significant drama, including gaslighting, silent treatment, and cyclical devaluation.
- I’ve witnessed verbal, emotional, and potentially physical or financial abuse as common occurrences.
- I’ve felt the prevalence of neg...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I know I must expect a false initial persona from a Cluster B individual, involving love bombing and idealized presentations. This is not who they truly are long-term.
- I need to prepare for significant relationship drama, including gaslighting, silent treatment, and constant conflict.
- I must anticipate various forms of abuse: verbal, emotional, physical, and financial neglect. My needs wi...
I’ve come to understand my relationship through the metaphor of the sinking Titantic. Just as the Titanic’s unsinkable reputation proved false, the initial charm of my relationship masked its ultimately destructive nature. I entered the relationship believing in its potential, but the reality was a predetermined failure. It was like I was a passenger boarding a ship, unaware of its impending doom.
Denial and ...
I’ve learned through painful personal experience how challenging it can be to maintain a relationship with someone who exhibits Cluster B personality traits. My journey has been filled with emotional turmoil, constantly investing love and energy into a connection that never truly reciprocated genuine affection. I found myself trapped in a cycle of hope and disappointment, particularly with a partner I now recognize as...
Relationships with individuals who have Cluster B traits feel like hitting the jackpot initially. When I first met my wife, the love bombing stage was intoxicating - it was as if I’d won an emotional lottery. The intense affection and attention made me feel special, chosen, and completely swept off my feet. But just like a rigged casino game, the odds were always stacked against me.
What started as passionate devotion ...
It's Valentine's Day. In reflecting on my own experiences, I often find myself grappling with the emotional challenges of being in a relationship with someone who exhibits Cluster B personality traits, especially during moments that should be filled with love, like Valentine’s Day. I can recall times when I poured my heart into expressing my love, only to be met with indifference.
As I look back, particular...
In today's podcast, I delve into the emotional challenges I’ve faced in relationships with partners who exhibit Cluster B personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, narcissism, and psychopathy. I know firsthand how easy it is to stay in these unhealthy dynamics, fueled by the hope that things might change through our own efforts, even when we recognize how detrimental they truly are. Drawing ...
In today's podcast, I share insights from my four years of discussing relationships with individuals who exhibit Cluster B personality traits, such as borderline, narcissistic, and psychopathic behaviors. I’ve realized that true love requires emotional intimacy and vulnerability—qualities that these personalities often struggle to provide. Instead, I’ve seen how they can use personal information as weapons, which...
In my journey through relationships, I’ve found myself navigating the complexities and emotional turmoil that come with being involved with covert narcissists or individuals exhibiting borderline personality traits. It’s a painful experience that often leaves me confused, full of self-blame, and questioning my worth. I’ve endured extreme psychological abuse, marked by manipulation, control, and unresolved conflicts th...
In my journey toward finding personal peace while interacting with individuals who exhibit Cluster B personality disorders—such as borderline, narcissistic, or psychopathic traits—I’ve learned some valuable strategies. I’ve realized there are five key behaviors I need to avoid: engaging in arguments, pouring my energy into one-sided relationships, trying to “fix” others, hiding my true feelings, and overthinking past ...
In this podcast, I want to share my difficult journey of coming to terms with the reality of relationships involving individuals with Cluster B personality disorders, such as narcissism and borderline personality disorder. After nearly two decades of marriage to a covert narcissist, I felt a deep pain in realizing that a normal, loving relationship was unattainable. The emotional turmoil I experienced included trauma ...
As a New Year dawns, I find myself reflecting on the disorientation that can linger after the holiday season, especially for those of us who have navigated challenging relationships with individuals exhibiting Cluster B personality disorders. It’s so easy to confuse trauma bonds with true love. I’ve seen how love bombing—an overwhelming affection often displayed by narcissists or those with borderline traits—can feel ...
In my journey through relationships with individuals who exhibit Cluster B personality disorders, particularly those with narcissistic and borderline traits, I’ve encountered a whirlwind of emotional challenges and complexities. Drawing on insights from Annie about narcissistic abuse, I’ve identified 13 specific difficulties that resonate deeply with my experiences. For instance, I often find myself confused about wha...
It has been my experience that navigating relationships with individuals who have Cluster B personality disorders can be particularly challenging, especially during the holiday season when expectations for family connections tend to rise. That's why it is imperative to approach these interactions with care and understanding.
I remind myself to avoid sharing personal details that might be used against me and to ste...
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.