A survivor's story
If you were to think back over the years of your life, when was it that you felt most happy in your own skin? Who were you when you were the most confident? The most joyful? When was it that you were the best version of you? I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about …
The house had finally sold. After months of showings and negotiations, we closed, accepting the offer of a mean spirited woman who wanted the house so she could live closer to her daughter––I often wondered how her daughter felt about those plans. We would later find out that the buyer, whose name I believe was …
So, you’ve been dating this new guy and think to yourself, this person is pretty wonderful. He seems really sweet, compassionate, and responsible. He dresses well and smells great. He’s supportive of everything you do, he likes many (if not all) the same hobbies you like, and the chemistry between the two of you is …
The boy sitting at the back of the bus was maybe ten or twelve years old. Dark haired and dark eyed, he leaned against the foggy window, hunkered down in the last seat to the right. His hoodie covered most of his face and music filtered from his mobile serenading those of us who also …
It was New Year’s Eve afternoon, two years ago, when I did the bravest thing I’ve ever done. I told my fiancé, “I’ve had enough”, called the police, and escaped four and a half years of narcissistic abuse. Four and a half years. It seems like such a long time. Why did I stay so …
People wonder how it is that we might become entangled with a narcissistic personality that is not only abusive but is hell-bent on destroying us. How could this possibly happen? I too was ignorant of how victims get caught up in abusive relationships. Until I learned. “There must have been signs,” friends say. “How could …
I’m not sure when the idea of writing a memoir first occurred to me. Perhaps it was a fleeting thought while I was still living in Sweden. It was certainly a working idea once I moved back to the US. Early in 2017, I was talking to a friend and mentioned to him the idea …
In the beginning, I was confused. I had been in Gothenburg for only a few months but something seemed amiss. Something other than just attempting to accumulate to a new country. My fiancé seemed to have another very different personality from the one he had shown me over the course of our relationship. For all …