Disclaimer & Sources

This is not a professional website, nor is it something I thought many people would gravitate towards. If it starts getting more attention I will make major adjustments that go beyond citing sources through links. The only sections written by me are the ones regarding my personal experience with an abusive partner and my recovery.

There is an abundance of information out there, but I felt compiling it all in one location would be beneficial to others learning about this form of abuse for the first time. -It's a lot to take in.

I spent several months doing in-depth research in an attempt to learn as much as I could to make sense of something that seemed completely illogical.

I read mainstream psychology websites, official documentation from scientific studies, biographical accounts, diagnostic manuals involving cluster B personality disorders, and sifted through countless databases. I sought out information regarding abuse dynamics, as well as the complex psychological profiles of both abusers and the individuals they victimize.

The original sources are cited on this page, as well as at the bottom of all the pages and/or sections throughout this site. I do not get paid to run this webpage, nor claim to have written any of the articles explaining the intricacies of Narcissistic/Psychopathic Abuse.

This imperfect creation is a passion project intended to help me learn and heal as I support others in similar circumstances. Enduring abuse is absolute hell. Making sense of it and grasping the full scope of consequential damage isn't much better. It’s painfully destabilizing.

I want the manner in which I've organized the content on this webpage to help others navigate through their own experience and recovery process. Nobody should have to face this alone.

I know saying "Hang in there" is a bit overused, so what I will say to you is this— 

Please don't give up. Whether you are still stuck, have left, been left, or if you are choosing to stay with your abuser.. you deserve support. You deserve to understand what you are going through. You deserve to validate yourself and not let an unwell partner destroy everything beautiful that makes you yourself. No matter your situation, please don't forget that you deserve kindness, acceptance, and respect. You are worth loving. You deserve stability and peace; I hope you find it.

Useful Links & Sources

CPTSD Workbook, Arielle Schwartz PhD/ CPTSD Treatment Manual

CPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, Pete Walker

www.verywellmind.com/what-is-complex-ptsd

psychcentral.com/ptsd/complex-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-symptoms#common-triggers

goodtherapy.org/dissociation-c-ptsd-role-of-detachment-in-complex-trauma

crappychilhoodfairy.com/cptsd-behaviors-like-narcissism

Crittenden, P. M., Heller, M. B. (2017). The roots of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: Childhood trauma, information processing, and self-protective strategies. Chronic Stress, 1, 1-13 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2470547016682965

Kessler, R. C., & Bromet, E. J. (2013). The epidemiology of depression across cultures. Annual Review of Public Health, 34, 119–138. 

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031912-114409

Lawson, D. M. Treating adults with complex trauma: An evidence-based case study. Journal of Counseling and Development, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcad.12143 Sar, V. (2011, March 7)

Developmental trauma, complex PTSD, and the current proposal of DSM-5

European Journal of Psychotraumatology, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/ejpt.v2i0.5622

Tarocchi, A., Aschieri, F., Fantini, F., & Smith, J. D. Therapeutic assessment of complex trauma: A single-case time-series study. Clinical Case Studies, 12, 228–245. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1534650113479442

https://www.verywellmind.com/agoraphobia-101-2584235

Avoidance Behavior, Written by Silvi Saxena MBA, MSW, LSW, CCTP, OSW-C/Reviewed by Raiy Abulhosn MD

 https://psychcentral.com/pro/complex-ptsd-and-the-realm-of-dissociation

Cloitre, M., Garvert, D. W., Brewin, C. R., Bryant, R. A., & Maercker, A. (2013). Evidence for proposed ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD: A latent profile analysis. 

European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 4(1), 20706. .Fontenelle, L. F., Cocchi, L., Harrison, B. J., Shavitt, R. G., do Rosário, M. C., Ferrão, Y. A., … & Torres, A. R. (2018). 

Towards a post-traumatic subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 55, 21-28.Huppert, J. D., Moser, J. S., Gershuny, B. S., Riggs, D. S., Spokas, M., Filip, J., … & Foa, E. B. (2005). 

The relationship between obsessive-_compulsive and posttraumatic stress symptoms in clinical and non-clinical samples. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 19(1), 127-136.4.Lanius, R. A., Vermetten, E., & Pain, C. (Eds.). (2010). 

The impact of early life trauma on health and disease: The hidden epidemic. Cambridge University Press.Mathews, C. A., Kaur, N., & Stein, M. B. (2008). 

Childhood trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Depression and Anxiety, 25(9), 742-751..National Institute of Mental Health. (2019). 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtmlPitman, R. K. (1993). 

Posttraumatic obsessive-compulsive disorder: A case study. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 34(2), 102-107.Shalev, A. Y., Gevonden, M., Ratanatharathorn, A., Laska, E., van der Mei, W. F., Qi, W., … & Koenen, K. C. (2019). 

Estimating the risk of PTSD in recent trauma survivors: results of the International Consortium to Predict PTSD (ICPP). World Psychiatry, 18(1), 77-87.Van der Kolk, B. A. (2015). 

The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books./ World Health Organization. (2018). 

International classification of diseases for mortality and morbidity statistics (11th Revision). https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/

Int. Partner Abuse Assessment
Personal Examples—Narc. Abuse
Personal Examples—CPTSD