The Self-Love Recovery Podcast

On Dianna Romanov's Divorced Like a Boss podcast, psychotherapist Ross Rosenberg, M.Ed., explains his Human Magnet Syndrome theory, that givers are reflexively drawn to narcissistic takers, and why the outdated term "codependency" should be replaced by Self-Love Deficit Disorder. His pyramid model traces the problem from childhood attachment trauma to core shame, pathological loneliness, and an addiction-like compulsion to stay in ...

Ross Rosenberg talks with podcaster and author Luke Storey (The Life Stylist) about his journey from addiction to nearly 30 years of sobriety, and his upcoming memoir, A Horse Named Lonesome. Luke shares how childhood trauma and loneliness fueled his addictions, and how a mushroom ceremony revealed that writing the book was really about helping others heal. He and Ross connect Luke's idea of "disconnection" to Ross's theory of self...

Psychotherapist Ross Rosenberg explains why simply understanding a narcissist's behavior won't set you free — real change comes from recognizing your own role in the "human magnet syndrome," the opposite-attraction dynamic that draws codependents and narcissists together like a tango of leader and follower. 

Drawing on 37 years of clinical work and his own history with narcissists, Ross traces how childhood attach...

 In this episode of the Self-Love Recovery Podcast, host Ross Rosenberg — psychotherapist and author of The Human Magnet Syndrome — makes the case that leaving a pathological narcissist isn't just a breakup; it's an addiction recovery process, complete with cravings, bargaining, and relapse. 

Drawing on both his clinical work and his own lived experience, he explains why the urge to return is driven by "patholo...

NEW FORMAT: Written and produced by Ross — from script to screen.

Why does leaving a toxic relationship sometimes hurt more than staying? In this video, we explore "healing pain" — the intense wave of loneliness, self-doubt, and grief that often follows escaping a dysfunctional relationship or family. 

Like recovering from surgery, the pain that comes after leaving isn't proof you made the wrong choic...

In his first live presentation in over six years, author and psychotherapist Ross Rosenberg (The Human Magnet Syndrome, The Codependency Revolution) delivers "The Healing Power of Self-Love" — a deeply personal keynote at Pensacola's Unitarian Universalist Church on why caring, generous people repeatedly end up in relationships that leave them depleted, invisible, and emotionally starving. 

Drawing on 40 years as ...

Are you in a relationship, or are you in a "cult of one"? 🚩

In this special full-length interview, Ross Rosenberg sits down with Chris Shelton—an author, cult recovery expert, and former Scientologist who spent 25 years inside the organization. Together, they break down the terrifying similarities between cult indoctrination and narcissistic abuse.

You will discover how pathological narcissists use the exact same deceptive tac...

This is a podcast conversation between Ross Rosenberg and Dr. Steven Ross about how to choose a therapist. They advise prospective clients to ask upfront about a therapist's orientation, licensure, years in practice, and experience with their specific issue, and to reflect on any gender or age preferences while committing to a session or two to gauge fit. 

Ross and Steven explain the differences between psychologists an...

Therapist and bestselling author Ross Rosenberg challenges a common belief: that the narcissist is the one ruining your life. He explains why lasting healing comes not from studying narcissists but from understanding your own role in the relationship. Using his "human magnet syndrome" and tango-dance metaphors, Ross shows how narcissists and codependents — those with what he calls Self-Love Deficit Disorder — are drawn ...

In this podcastt, psychotherapist Ross Rosenberg breaks down the nine habits that quietly run the lives of codependents — or, as he calls them, people with Self-Love Deficit Disorder (SLDD). These aren't personality flaws. They're survival patterns installed in childhood by a narcissistic parent, and they're what keeps you stuck in adult relationships with the same kind of person over and over. 

Ross walks through...

Have you promised yourself "never again" — only to find yourself falling for the same kind of partner with a different face? In this episode, Ross Rosenberg explains why willpower, checklists, and even years of research on narcissism aren't enough to stop the cycle. The culprit is what Ross calls the "broken picker" — an unconscious force shaped by childhood attachment trauma that overrides your conscious mind and steer...

In this conversation, Ross Rosenberg speaks with Dr. Tina Paone, a licensed counselor and play therapist, about the psychological impact of divorce on children. They explore how kids process separation without the language to express it, why behavior often reflects hidden distress, and how play therapy helps children navigate confusion, fear, and loss. The discussion also touches on attachment disruptions, trauma responses, and key...

What does it take to truly heal from a narcissistic relationship?

In this episode, Ross Rosenberg sits down with psychotherapist and author Chelsey Brooke Cole to discuss the complexities of narcissistic abuse and the journey toward recovery.

Chelsey Brooke Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, Certified Partner Trauma Therapist, and best-selling author of If Only I'd Known! She specializes in narcissistic abuse and complex trauma, and...

In this podcast, therapist and author Ross Rosenberg — with 37 years of experience — explains why working harder, being kinder, or trying to "figure out" your partner will never get you the love you crave. The real problem? Self-Love Deficit Disorder (SLDD).

Ross breaks down how core shame, pathological loneliness, and childhood attachment trauma keep you trapped in cycles with narcissists — and why no amou...

What really happens inside a narcissist's mind the moment they explode in rage?

Dr. Anthony Mazzella, Ph.D., is a New York City-based psychotherapist and psychoanalyst with nearly two decades of expertise helping individuals navigate complex emotional landscapes. He runs a private practice on Manhattan's Upper East Side, working with clients across the United States on personality disorders, depression, and social anxiety, while als...

In this powerful video, Ross Rosenberg explores what it feels like to live inside the mind of a codependent, or someone with Self-Love Deficit Disorder (SLDD). He describes the constant inner noise—an unrelenting inner critic, chronic self-doubt, and exhausting overthinking—that keeps many stuck in anxiety and emotional depletion.

Ross explains how core shame, pathological loneliness, and childhood attachment tra...

What if the very thoughts keeping you trapped in a toxic relationship aren't your own? In this powerful video, Ross Rosenberg, M.Ed., founder of the Self-Love Recovery Institute and originator of the Human Magnet Syndrome theory — exposes one of the most dangerous and invisible tactics used by covert and sociopathic narcissists: the silent trap of gaslighting.

Ross explains how pathological narcissists systematically distort y...

In this eye-opening conversation, Ross Rosenberg is joined by psychotherapist and author Chelsey Cole to explore why traditional codependency frameworks — including Codependency Anonymous — may actually be doing more harm than good. 

Together they unpack the crucial difference between grandiose and vulnerable narcissists, how childhood experiences with narcissistic parents create the Relationship Template th...

Narcissists trap their partners through gaslighting and psychological manipulation, causing victims to doubt themselves and believe they are the problem. The relationship often begins with intense attraction that feels like meeting a soulmate, but over time the narcissist reveals manipulative behavior that isolates and controls the victim. Many victims are vulnerable because of childhood experiences with narcissistic parents, which...