Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse
Confused by your relationship? Do you catch yourself second-guessing, walking on eggshells, or feeling emotionally drained? Whether you’re still in the chaos or trying to rebuild after leaving, this podcast is your lifeline.
Join retired psychologist Dr. Kerry McAvoy as she exposes the hidden dynamics of toxic relationships. You’ll learn how destructive personalities operate, the manipulative tactics they use, and the stages of abuse—plus the practical steps to heal and reclaim your life.
If you’re ready to break free, rebuild your self-worth, and find lasting emotional freedom, hit play and start your recovery journey today.
Episodes
200 episodes
Can You Really Heal a Trauma Bond? + Why Do Narcissists Cheat? Answering Your Fan Mail
Can you really heal a trauma bond—or is the damage permanent? This week’s Fan Mail features two powerful questions. The first comes from a YouTube listener who asks: “Is it really possible to break a trauma bond? E...
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Season 4
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Episode 129
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11:22
When Your Mother Hurts Instead of Loves You: Understanding The Controlling Mom
Can you ever be “good enough” for a difficult mother? In this episode, psychotherapist Katherine Fabrizio, author of The Good Daughter Syndrome, reveals why empathic daughters feel trapped in cycles of guilt, exhau...
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Season 4
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Episode 128
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27:45
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Why Do We REALLY Stay? Answering Your Fan Mail
This week’s fan mail dives into two powerful questions about surviving emotional abuse.First, Dr. Kerry explores what it means when you stop crying—and why emotional shutdown can be a survival mechanism in toxic relationships. The...
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Season 4
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Episode 127
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6:27
How to Outsmart a Narcissist in Court: Family Law Secrets from Michele Locke
Going through a custody battle or divorce with a narcissist? The you know the legal system can feel stacked against you.This week, former family law judge and attorney Michele Locke reveals exactly how narcissists twist t...
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Season 4
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Episode 126
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27:43
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Practical Steps to Stopping the Crazy Confusion: Answering Your Fan Mail
What do you do when you can’t just cut off a toxic person?This week’s Fan Mail question comes from a YouTube listener who asks: “How do I stop the cognitive dissonance and self-doubt when I can’t go no-contact with a toxic per...
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Season 4
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Episode 125
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6:58
Why We Miss the Abuse — And How to Break Free from the Confusion
Why do so many survivors miss they’re being abuse?In this Labor Day Special, I’m revisiting three powerful interviews that follow the journey from denial to freedom.First, we explore how abuse often hides in plain sight<...
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Season 4
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Episode 124
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26:57
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Why the Narcissist’s Mask Slips: Answering Your Fan Mail
Is my daughter-in-law a malignant narcissist? How did she hide her worst qualities for so long?Today, Dr. Kerry answers 2 listeners’ questions. The first is from New York, New York about narcissists’ public and private person...
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Season 4
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Episode 123
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8:55
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Exposing Love Bombing: Insights from The Wolf of Wall Street’s Ex-Wife
What if the person you fell in love with never really existed?In this episode, Dr. Nae — psychologist, author of Run Like Hell, and former wife of the real “Wolf of Wall Street” — exposes how master manipulators use lo...
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Season 4
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Episode 122
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28:30
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He Has Successfully Destroyed Me! Answering Your Fan Mail (Bonus)
Welcome to our new podcast segment called Fan Mail! This is where Dr. Kerry answers your questions. To kick off our weekly bonus episode, Dr. Kerry is responding to a listener who writes, “He has destroyed me and my world after 16 y...
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Season 4
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Episode 121
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6:44
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Dr. Les Carter on the #1 Sign Someone Lacks Emotional Maturity in Conflict
What’s the single biggest giveaway that someone lacks emotional maturity — especially when the pressure’s on?In this episode, Dr. Les Carter, psychologist, best-selling author, and expert on narcissism and emotional health, reveal...
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Season 4
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Episode 120
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27:45
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The Part No One Talks About: What It Really Takes to Heal from Narcissistic Abuse
This week, I’m pulling back the curtain on something few of us talk about—the emotional toll of surviving narcissistic abuse after the relationship ends. Healing is hard. Helping others heal while still navigating your own recovery? Even harder...
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Season 3
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Episode 119
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9:02
What’s Wrong With Me? Why Abuse Victims Believe They're the Narcissist
This US holiday weekend, let’s revisit three of your favorite podcast episodes. Interestingly, they all have the same theme: why narcissistic abuse survivors initially think they’re the problem.Clip 1 is from Season 3 Episode 64: "How ma...
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Season 3
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Episode 118
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24:36
Have Bad Taste in Partners? The Red Flags We Often Miss
Why do we pick bad partners? Is purely because of deception or are we missing early warning signs of a toxicity?This week, author and clinician, Mary Crocker Cook joins us to discuss the problems of early socialization and different expe...
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Season 3
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Episode 117
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24:57
How Your Relationship Changes When Your Partner Has Narcissism and ADHD
Can someone be both narcissistic and neurodivergent?This week, ADHD coach and neurodiversity educator Sheila Henson joins Dr. Kerry to explore the nuanced overlap between narcissistic traits and ADHD. Together, they unpack how t...
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Season 3
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Episode 116
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26:15
When Is It Really Over? The Top Signs a Dying Relationship
Is your relationship displaying signs that it’s over? Maybe it’s on its last legs, and you wonder if it can be saved?In this episode, Dr. Becky Whetstone delves into the complexities of relationships, particularly focusing on the challen...
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Season 3
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Episode 115
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29:43
Are You an Over-Functioner? The Problem of Doing Too Much
Are you living with a narcissist or a stressfully demanding person? These types of relationships often require us to step up with extra emotional labor without us even realizing it. This week, psychotherapist and author Terri Cole j...
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Season 3
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Episode 114
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23:34
When Your Best Friend is a Narcissist: Cost of Toxic Female Relationships
Are female friendships just as damaging as pathological love relationships?This week, Sabrina Kirberg, author of We Used to be Best Friends, joins us to discuss the harmful consequences of toxic women friendships. Learn why we o...
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Season 3
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Episode 113
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24:02
The Shocking Psychological Cost of Living with a Narcissist: Interview with Lynn Strathdee
Living with a narcissistic or emotionally toxic person will wreak havoc on your personality or sense of self. This week, Lynn Strathdee, mental health therapist and expert, joins us today to discuss the effects of chronic exposure ...
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Season 3
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29:18
Why Betrayal Keeps Abuse Survivors Trapped in a Victim Mindset: Interview with Dr. Debi Silber
Are you trying to heal from a betrayal? If you have survived a narcissistic relationship then you have experienced betrayal. Often repetitive, devastating breaches of trust.This week, Dr. Debi Silber joins us to discuss how t...
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Season 3
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Episode 111
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25:36
Why Sex Goes Wrong in a Narcissistic Relationship: An Interview with Dr. Lisha Antiqua
Toxic relationships tremendously impact our emotional selves, but what about our sexual selves? Dr. Lisha Antiqua, an expert in sexual intimacy and soul psychology, joins us to discuss how common toxic dynamics in narcissistic relat...
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Season 3
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Episode 110
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26:07
Is It Narcissism or Autism? When Neurodivergence Is Used as an Excuse
Is it autism or narcissism? It’s become trendy lately to excuse toxic/abusive behavior as neurodivergence.Today, Erica Little-Herron, an expert/advocate on autism, joins us to discuss the key differences between narcissism and autism.
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Season 3
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Episode 109
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26:29
When It’s Necessary to Go No Contact With a Narcissistic Mother: A Conversation with Alex Anderson, FOG Movie
Going no contact with a parent, particularly when it’s your mother, is a gut-wrenching decision.Alex Anderson, an independent film-maker and writer joins me to discuss his timely movie, FOG, which explores a toxic mother-daughter dynamic...
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Season 3
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Episode 108
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23:45
The Disturbing Reasons Why Men Justify Violence Against Women: Interview with Chuck Derry, Co-Founder of Gender Violence Institute
Why do men abuse? How does this behavior benefit them?Today, Chuck Derry, the co-founder of the Gender Violence Institute, joins us to discuss the disturbing reasons for male violence and what community responses are needed to curb these...
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Season 3
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Episode 107
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22:02
When Your Ex’s New Life Looks Like a Dream After They Shattered Yours
You’re barely picking up the pieces, and your ex has already moved on—posting picture-perfect snapshots of their new, fabulous life. Meanwhile, you're left wondering: Were they always this happy, or is this just for show? I...
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Season 3
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Episode 106
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24:29
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Could Your Partner Be Sadistic? Why We Excuse Cruelty in Relationships
Ever wondered if your partner’s cruelty is intentional? Do they know they’re being hurtful, or is it just thoughtlessness?This week, Dr. Kerry and Lisa Sonni expose a chilling but often-overlooked dynamic in toxic relationships:...
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Season 3
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Episode 105
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25:34
