Narcissists in Divorce: The Narcissist Trap

Narcissists in Divorce: The Narcissist Trap

Narcissism expert Dr Supriya McKenna tackles head on the issues that occur when divorcing a narcissistic personality type. In this podcast she is often joined by veteran UK solicitor Karin Walker. In this podcast Dr Supriya offers up her years of experience working in this field, whilst interviewing a variety of allied professionals to also bring you their advice and expertise. A former family doctor, Supriya is a best selling author in the field of narcissism. Her new 2024 book, the first of her 'Narcissists in Divorce' series, is now available from Audible as an audiobook, as well as in paperback and Kindle formats. It's called Narcissists in Divorce: From Love-Locked to Leaving, and it will teach you how to assess whether your partner is a true narcissist. With easy-to-read case histories and in-depth questionnaires, you’ll learn about narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), and how to deconstruct narcissistic behaviours. You'll discover the predictable divorce and separation behaviours to expect from a narcissist, and their impact on you and your children. You’ll also learn why these relationships are so difficult to break free from, and why you may be struggling. With guidance to help you decide whether or not to leave your relationship, you’ll also learn essential strategies to build your resilience – regardless of what choice you ultimately make. The second book in the series - Narcissists in Divorce: From Leaving to Liberty – The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth is also out now. Supriya felt compelled to write it after becoming aware of the many important legal and post-separation issues that had not been dealt with in her 2021 book, Divorcing a Narcissist: The Lure, The Loss and the Law. Exposing the dangerous inadequacies of family justice systems across the world, From Leaving to Liberty is an in depth, holistic, no nonsense guide to navigating child-related and financial issues that occur during divorce. It details how to minimize and deal with post separation abuse, how to parent alongside a narcissist, and how to make up for the deficiencies of the narcissistic parent to protect your children. Legal strategies for both the finances and children issues are covered in detail, as are physiological hacks to help you cope with the divorce process, which, sadly, is abusive in itself. Dr Supriya even covers how to recognize and deal with narcissistic divorce lawyers; how exactly to find a lawyer who can help you; court ordered psychological evaluations; and much much more. Supriya has trained thousands of family law professionals in how to manage narcissistic divorces. For online courses, including 'Is my Partner a Narcissist?' and 'Demystifying The Narcissist' online courses, visit DoctorSupriya.com. And for more resources, and to contact Dr Supriya, please do visit TheLifeDoctor.org. If you've found the podcast helpful please do considering supporting the show with a small monthly donation, so that we are better able to bring you and others the information you need, here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1635478/support

Episodes

March 17, 2025 20 mins

In this episode Narcissism expert Dr Supriya McKenna explains how crucial it is for a spouse separating from a narcissistic individual to find a divorce lawyer who understands the specifics of narcissistic personality disorder. She also gives specific tips to help you to find the right lawyer for your divorce. 
Dr Supriya is an Amazon no 1 bestselling author in the subject of narcissism. Her most up-to-date books are: 

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In this episode, leading consultant clinical forensic psychologists Professor Cooke and Dr Logan speak with Dr Supriya about the importance of the expert witness psychologist (who is being asked to look for personality disorders for the court)  being provided with evidence relevant to the case. 

They talk about how they triangulate evidence from different people, the importance of speaking with people who know the  suspect...

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In this episode, top forensic psychologists Professor David Cooke and Dr Caroline Logan discuss with Dr Supriya what to look for on a resumé if looking for a competent psychologist to assess your narcissistic ex for the family court. They discuss the common error made by the courts in instructing psychiatrists to carry out personality assessments, and the potential issues that result. They also delve into the different presentation...

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This podcast was brought to you in association with Stowe Family Law, the largest family law firm in the UK,  as part of their Stowe talks series. 

The Stowe talks podcast and video series are designed to help people go through a relationship breakdown and all the challenges this brings, covering topics including narcissism, domestic abuse, supporting children, finances and navigating the family court. 

Follow the link for Stowe talk...

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In this episode, in which she was interviewed by Stowe Family Law, Dr Supriya McKenna gives some pointers to help you prepare for leaving a narcissist, with family lawyers Liza Gatrell and Matthew Taylor. This is the first episode of two on this subject.

Dr Supriya is an Amazon no 1 bestselling author in the subject of narcissism, and the author of the new books Narcissists in Divorce: From Love-Locked to Leaving, and Nar...

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August 11, 2024 22 mins

In this episode Narcissism expert, Dr Supriya McKenna describes the difficult to spot Closet Narcissist, using a character from her book. 

Dr Supriya is an Amazon no 1 bestselling author in the subject of narcissism. Her most up-to-date books are: 

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In this episode, in which she was interviewed by Stowe Family Law, Dr Supriya McKenna gives some pointers to help you identify whether you are in a relationship with a narcissist, with family lawyers Liza Gatrell and Matthew Taylor. They discuss the reasons why it is so important to know whether your partner is a narcissist before you consider divorcing them, and highlight some interesting legal tips that might be of use during you...

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May 22, 2024 18 mins

In this episode Dr Supriya describes a lesser known outward presentation of narcissism – that of the Communal (or 'altruistic') Narcissist. 

Support the show

If you've found the podcast helpful please do consider supporting the show with a small monthly donation here.

Supriya's new book, the second in the Narcissists in Divorce series, From Leaving to Liberty – The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But...

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In this episode, in which she was interviewed by Stowe Family Law, Dr Supriya McKenna  explains how to communicate with a narcissistic co-parent to reduce the narcissistic supply. She explains the concept of parallel parenting, and how to deal with being  triggered by communications from the narcissist. She also gives her top tips for building evidence for court in your communication with the narcissist, explains how to stick to yo...

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In this episode, in which she was interviewed by Stowe Family Law, Dr Supriya McKenna  explains the underlying drivers which lead to Narcissists being unable to cooperatively coparent with you. She explains what behaviours you can expect from the narcissist, and how they use the children as weapons of post separation abuse. She continues in Part Two. 

Dr Supriya is an Amazon no 1 bestselling author in the subject of narci...

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October 24, 2023 11 mins

Bill Buckley interviews Dr Supriya McKenna about narcissistic personality disorder, live on BBC Radio Berkshire. 

Dr Supriya is an Amazon no 1 bestselling author in the subject of narcissism, and the author of the new books

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In this episode, in which she was interviewed by Stowe Family Law, Dr Supriya McKenna  gives some strategies to help you to rebuild your life after a relationship with a narcissist.

Dr Supriya is an Amazon no 1 bestselling author in the subject of narcissism, and the author of the new books Narcissists in Divorce: From Love-Locked to Leaving and The Narcissist Trap :The Mind-Bending Pull of the Great Pretenders.

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In this episode personality disorder psychologist and psychotherapist,  Dr Elinor Greenberg, chats with  Dr Supriya McKenna (author of 'The Narcissist Trap - The Mind-Bending Pull of the Great Pretenders) about easy ways to spot a toxic date. Dr Greenberg's tips are particularly useful for anyone worried about being back in the dating arena after a narcissistic relationship. She describes a simple method involving countin...

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In this episode internationally renowned clinical psychologist Dr Elinor Greenberg talks with  Dr Supriya McKenna about the various ways that Narcissists can convincingly present as being genuine when dating.  She gives the tip offs for each of her archetypes - the Detective, the Hunter, the Narcissistic Love Script, The Romantic, The Casanova and the Recycler. They talk about the idea of 'I-Thou' versus 'I-It' ...

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In this episode Dr Craig Malkin discusses his role in the NY times bestselling book "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump", in which he broke down the behaviours  of pathological narcissism as exhibited by Mr Trump. We discuss how it is actually simpler for the spouse of a narcissist to recognise narcissism in their partner than for a clinician (who has very limited information). We also talk about mutual abuse and reactive...

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In this episode Harvard psychologist and narcissism expert and author Dr Craig Malkin talks with Dr Supriya McKenna and Karin Walker about how one can protect their children from becoming narcissistic, even when they have a narcissistic parent. They also discuss the difficulties encountered in dating when one has had a previous narcissistic relationship, to do with attraction, chemistry, trust and relating in new ways.

Dr...

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November 19, 2022 31 mins

In this episode Dr Craig Malkin, psychology lecturer at Harvard Medical School and narcissism expert and psychologist explains the concept of the 'spectrum of narcissism', which he describes in his book, Rethinking Narcissism. He talks about 'healthy narcissism', and about those people who do not have enough of it (the 'Echoists'). We talk about the overlaps of this type with co-dependents, highly sens...

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In this episode, Dr Craig Malkin, Psychology lecturer at Harvard Medical School and narcissism expert, discusses with us how ageing can affect narcissists. We talk about narcissistic collapses, and how  in older narcissists whose relationships have broken down they use projection (blaming others of what they themselves are thinking, feeling or doing) as a defence. Dr Malkin talks about the concept of the psychotic spiral, and how d...

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In the final episode of this mini series with Dr Elinor Greenburg, we ask Elinor whether it is possible to 'cure' a narcissist. Elinor explains how previously therapy would take 5-10 years to have an effect on a minority of narcissists, but how she has recently been working on a new therapy, which has much faster effects. She explains which specific type of narcissist is able to respond to this type of therapy, and the st...

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In this episode Dr Supriya McKenna and Karin Walker continue their conversation with  world renowned psychotherapist and educator Dr Elinor Greenberg.  Elinor explains how to manage a narcissist using her 'narcissistic sandwich' technique. Karin describes how she uses this technique herself in her role as a family lawyer and a mediator, and highlights why it is so important for family law practitioners to understand that ...

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