The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

 By: Brian Murray, LMHC, NCC Relationships are meant to be one of life’s greatest joys. Yet, these same relationships can bring a source of pain and discomfort. Developing a relationship with someone new happens when we are drawn to them for various reasons. It’s typical to not know that there may be some sinister personality underneath all of that charm. This superficial charm and seemingly confidence can make us feel like we have met someone who we want to be a part of. Confident, funny, possibly good looking, after all, what could go wrong, right? There are many reasons for thinking someone is ideal. It could be the subconscious survival mate selection part of the brain getting activated. It could be that the person fits our bias’s and worldviews of who we think we should be associated with. This is more than romance, we can find ideal people with friends, a boss or other family members who seem to have it all together. Only to find out later they are a real piece of dysfu...

By Christine Hammond, MS, LMHC Sally was on high alert. Her husband called earlier in the day to let her know that he lost a large account at work. While he seemed flip about it then, she was preparing herself for a meltdown later that night. In anticipation of his arrival, she got the kids ready for bed, fed them, helped them with their homework, and let them watch a movie upstairs. She frantically straightened up the house, made dinner for just them, and put her phone on silent so they won’t be interrupted. Then she waited. He came home in a good mood. Kissed her and the kids made small talk and then went to change his clothes. Sally was shocked by his calm behavior and began to rest. But then the smoke alarm went off and she realized that dinner was burning in the oven. She leaped into action taking out the burned meal, turning on the exhaust fan, and opening the windows. As the alarm went off, she breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she had avoided another crisis....

By: Christine Hammond LMHC A man obsessed with stealing valuable jewels murders one woman and attempts to drive the other one (his wife) crazy. His single-mindedness, driven by selfish motives, caused him to deceive and manipulate in order to obtain what he wanted regardless of the cost to others. Fortunately he is discovered just before he tries to commit his wife to an insane asylum. While this is the dramatic plot of the 1944 movie Gaslight (starring Ingrid Bergman) it could easily be applied to everyday. A person with narcissistic tendencies takes advantage of others to get what they want, resorting to deceptive tactics like twisting the truth. Any slight exposure of reality causes them to claim that other’s perceptions are inaccurate and possibly crazy. They even go to the extreme of hiding things and then saying the other person lost the items. The name of the movie has become a psychological term called gaslighting. It describes the process of grooming someone i...