The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Christine Hammond LMHC The second Stacey walked into the office, she could feel the tension. Usually it took hours for the tension to mount but this morning, something was already amiss. As she turned on the lights for the floor, she checked the other offices for signs of life and finding none, she retreated to her desk. Out of nowhere her boss appeared with the intensity of lion. With no one there to witness the surprise attack, her boss ripped her to shreds like a tiger with its prey. Abusive behavior is not reserved for just the home. It can happen at work were the stakes of employment, position, benefits, and financial commitments prevent a person from leaving. Abuse is also not just physical. There are many other forms of abuse such as sexual, financial, emotional, mental, spiritual, and verbal. While some of the other forms of abuse are obvious, mental abuse by a narcissist can be difficult to spot. It’s even more difficult when the narcissist is a person’...

By: Christine Hammond Has sex become something you just do rather than enjoy? Do you feel pressured into having sex? Is it possible to be sexually abused in a marital relationship? Sexual abuse can happen to both men and women in and out of a marital relationship. In a relationship with a narcissist, however, that abuse becomes magnified. For the narcissist, sexual abuse is used to control your behavior, elevate their feelings of superiority, reenact their fantasies (not yours), and paralyze you. Not all narcissists use sexual abuse as a means of domination. But if you are in a relationship with one, knowing even the subtle forms of sexual abuse can be freeing. 1.        The Early Stage. A narcissist begins the abuse by grooming you. They do a mildly abusive act to see if you acquiesce. For instance, they might fondle you in front of your mother or demand sexting while you are at work. These unwanted or embarrassing sexual acts are designed t...

By Christine Hammond Have you experienced intentional exploitation by your spouse? Regularly endured insults mixed with rejection and alternating with affirmation? Feel manipulated into doing or saying something out of character? Then you might be experiencing abuse. But is it really abuse without bruising?   Abuse is not just physical. There are many other forms of abuse such as sexual, financial, emotional, mental, and verbal. While some of the other forms of abuse are obvious, mental abuse by a narcissist can be difficult to spot. It starts simply with a casual comment about anything: color of the wall, dishes in the sink, or the car needing maintenance. The remark is taken out of context by the narcissist to mean that you disapprove of them in some way. You try to explain that wasn’t your intention but they are off on a tirade which ends in you feeling like you are losing your mind. How did this happen? Here are several favorite narcissistic mental abuse tactics...