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
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I recognize that Cluster B personalities often create narratives where they are the victims.
- I won’t get drawn into arguments; I’ll maintain a neutral stance.
- I’m reclaiming my identity; I’m stopping prioritizing their emotional needs above my own.
- I understand that Cluster B individuals may lack the capacity for genuine care.
- Healing is crucial before leaving a relationship; it prevents me...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I’ve learned that emotional abuse from Cluster B personalities is insidious and often goes unnoticed, causing internal damage like anxiety and self-doubt.
- I now recognize how subtle undermining, through seemingly innocent comments, erodes confidence and manipulates perception.
- I understand how conditional love can create dependence, leaving me feeling like I'm performing for affectio...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I’ve learned that Cluster B personalities often engage in a long-term emotional con, slowly eroding their partner’s emotional well-being.
- I understand the initial phase involves intense love-bombing, creating a false sense of connection and dependence.
- I’ve witnessed how once the victim is hooked, the abuser’s mask slips, revealing criticism, coldness, and neglect.
- I recognize that publicl...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I acknowledge that it’s okay to admit “I’m not okay” when facing emotional abuse. Ignoring the problem leads to my self-erasure.
- I recognize the signs of emotional abuse: gaslighting, silent treatment, control disguised as affection.
- I understand that minimizing or rationalizing abuse is not self-protection; it’s self-destruction.
- I give myself permission to grieve, be angry, and feel the ...
Let's look back to January 2022 and one of my most downloaded podcasts. This resonated with many listeners. I hope it will with you too!
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I cannot fix someone with Cluster B personality disorders. Their issues predate my relationship.
- Accepting this limitation is crucial for my well-being. I must avoid the codependent role of trying to “fix” them.
- I need to recognize manipulative behav...
🎯 Key Takeaways
Core Points:
- I recognize the pain caused by relationships with cluster B personalities. It’s okay for me to feel hurt.
- I understand that these relationships are often doomed from the start due to the inherent dysfunction.
- I will stop trying to fix them; I’ll focus on self-love and self-respect. My worth is not dependent on their love.
- I accept that these individuals are unlikely to change, and it’s not...
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...
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
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
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.