Marriage Rehab: Exposing Narcissistic & Emotional Abuse

What if the reason you cannot heal from your partner's affair is not you — but the ongoing drip of partial truths keeping you at ground zero? In this powerful episode of Marriage Rehab, Dr. David Hawkins welcomes Rick Reynolds, founder of Affair Recovery, to unpack one of the most damaging patterns in betrayal recovery: trickle truth. Together they explore why slowly releasing information after an...

Episode 73: Dr. David Hawkins is joined by Chuck and Ashley Elliott for a practical, hope-filled conversation about emotional immaturity, emotional shutdown, and the skills couples need to rebuild connection. Many struggling marriages are not stuck because one partner lacks feelings. They are stuck because one or both partners do not know how to name, process, and communicate what they are feeling...

In this episode of Marriage Rehab, Dr. David Hawkins interviews Dr. Stephanie Holmes about neurodiversity, autism spectrum disorder, rejection sensitivity, emotional immaturity, and relationship challenges. Learn how autism differs from narcissism, why feedback becomes conflict in neurodiverse marriages, and how couples can build emotional awareness, resilience, and a healthier connection.

What if your anxiety, confusion, hypervigilance, exhaustion, or emotional shutdown after betrayal is not weakness—but trauma? In this powerful episode of Marriage Rehab, Dr. David Hawkins and betrayal trauma specialist Katie Wenger unpack the devastating effects of betrayal trauma—including emotional abuse, infidelity, dishonesty, emotional invalidation, financial secrecy, broken trust, and repeat...

What happens when faith is used to control instead of heal? In this Marriage Rehab episode, Dr. David Hawkins and Dr. John Hudson unpack spiritual abuse in marriage—how scripture can be twisted into power, how gaslighting becomes “biblical,” and why many victims are dismissed by well-meaning church leaders. You’ll learn how partial-scripture manipulation works, why spiritual maturity and emotional...

Is your partner truly narcissistic—or could it be emotional immaturity? In this powerful episode of  Marriage Rehab , Dr. David Hawkins sits down with Dr. Eddie Capparucci to challenge one of the most common—and potentially harmful—labels in relationships today. Drawing from years of clinical experience and assessment data, Dr. Capparucci reveals a surprising truth:  only a small percentage of men...

What if the real issue isn’t narcissism—but entitlement, control, and emotional abuse? In this Marriage Rehab episode, Dr. David Hawkins sits down with Lundy Bancroft, author of Why Does He Do That?, to unpack one of the most confusing questions women ask: Why does he act this way—and why doesn’t he change? They explore the difference between narcissism, emotional immaturity, and abusive behavior;...

Betrayal trauma after infidelity can feel overwhelming—especially when apologies don’t bring real healing. In this episode of Marriage Rehab: Exposing Narcissistic and Emotional Abuse, Dr. David Hawkins sits down with Rick Reynolds, founder of Affair Recovery, to explore why betrayal trauma runs so deep—and why saying “I’m sorry” rarely restores trust after an affair. If you’re struggling with inf...

Why does a man say he loves you—yet still leave you feeling alone, unheard, and emotionally unsafe? In this Clarity After the Conversation episode of Marriage Rehab, Dr. David Hawkins unpacks one of the most painful questions women ask: How can he say he loves me and still hurt me the same way over and over again? Building on the conversation with Dr. Eddie Capparucci, Dr. Hawkins explains why man...

Why do we get so defensive in relationships—and can narcissistic or emotionally abusive patterns really change? In this episode of Marriage Rehab, Dr. David Hawkins sits down with psychologist Dr. Tori Olds to explain Internal Family Systems (IFS), also called parts work, and how protective “parts” can drive defensiveness, domination, dismissiveness, shutdown, and painful conflict cycles. They exp...

Why do Christian couples drift apart—even when they love God and want their marriage to work? What do you do when emotional abuse, defensiveness, or disconnection quietly take over a Christian marriage? In this episode of  Marriage Rehab: Exposing Narcissistic and Emotional Abuse , Dr. David Hawkins sits down with  Bob Paul of Focus on the Family’s Hope Restored  to talk about why even faith-based...

Growing up with an emotionally abusive or narcissistic parent doesn’t stop impacting you when you turn 18—it often shows up as guilt, anxiety, people‑pleasing, and painful family estrangement. In this episode of Marriage Rehab, Dr. David Hawkins is joined by Ernest Hart (family interventionist) to unpack what happens to adult children inside a family culture built on denial, image management, and...

Why do so many men believe they love their partner—yet she feels emotionally alone? In this Marriage Rehab episode, Dr. David Hawkins talks with counselor and author Dr. Eddie Capparucci about the “relational blind spots” that keep men stuck in emotional immaturity, defensiveness, and shutdown. You’ll learn why fear and emotional discomfort drive avoidance, why many men connect as “doers” or throu...

Adult children of narcissistic or emotionally abusive families often learn to survive by pretending everything is fine. In this Clarity After the Conversation episode, Dr. David Hawkins explains why guilt, self-doubt, and silence take root—and the first boundary that helps you stop the cycle. This episode focuses on three core patterns many listeners recognized in their own families: - Pretending...

What happens when your spouse looks like a “good guy” at church—but at home, you’re ignored, invalidated, and left carrying the whole family? In this powerful Marriage Rehab episode, Dr. David Hawkins sits down with Angela Coblentz (nurse and lay counselor) to share a 25‑year story of covert narcissism, emotional neglect, and the slow accumulation that finally becomes “neon.” Angela describes earl...

What happens when a marriage becomes emotionally entangled—one partner over-functions, the other under-functions, and both lose their sense of self? In this episode of Marriage Rehab, Dr. David Hawkins sits down with relationship specialists Chuck & Ashley Elliott to unpack emotional enmeshment, identity loss, and the “cardboard cutout” spouse dynamic (emotionally present in name only). You’ll...

In this episode, Dr. David Hawkins sits down with counselor and author Laurel Slade-Waggoner to unpack gaslighting in everyday relationships —not only in marriage, but also in families, churches, friendships, and workplaces . Laurel shares her story, defines the “crazy cycle” (love bombing → manipulation → blow-ups → apologies → repeat), and explains why many survivors become trauma-bonded to the...

When abuse shrinks you, how do you take up space again? In this episode of Marriage Rehab: Exposing Narcissistic and Emotional Abuse , clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. David B. Hawkins sits down with Kathy Young , a trauma-informed coach and survivor of a 35-year emotionally abusive marriage. Together, they unpack the survival strategy of “playing small,” the nuances of fawning , w...

In this episode of Mad. In. Love , Dr. David Hawkins and Jonathan Glover tackle the  dynamics of therapist-client relationships in a special installment of "Dr. Hawkins’ Reacts!" With Katie Buckley as the producer, they dive into real-life Reddit stories that highlight common struggles in therapy, including clients repeatedly canceling sessions, the concept of therapist neutrality, and maintaining...

In this episode of Mad. In. Love , Dr. David Hawkins welcomes Sheila Wray Gregoire, author of The Great Sex Rescue , for an impactful conversation on challenging harmful evangelical teachings about sex and marriage. Sheila shares her journey into this work, including what inspired her to conduct the largest-ever study on evangelical women’s marital and sexual satisfaction. Together, they delve int...

In this episode of Mad. In. Love , Dr. David Hawkins is joined by Ernest Hart, a seasoned clinician at the Marriage Recovery Center, to explore the complexities of family interventions in the context of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and emotional abuse. Together, they discuss the unique challenges families face when attempting to confront destructive dynamics and the essential steps to s...

In this episode of Mad. In. Love, Dr. David Hawkins welcomes back Karla Downing, award-winning author, speaker, and founder of ChangeMyRelationship.com. In her previous episode, Karla shares powerful insights from her book 10 Lifesaving Principles for Women in Difficult Marriages, offering practical tools and wisdom for women navigating challenging relationships. In Part 2, Dr. Hawkins and Karla c...

In this episode of Mad. In. Love , Dr. David Hawkins is joined by Dr. Carol Tanksley, author of Sexpectations , and MRC clinician Jill Stenerson to discuss the intersection of sexual intimacy, emotional abuse, and narcissistic behaviors in relationships. Together, they explore what healthy intimacy looks like, how to heal from sexual harm caused by abuse, and practical steps toward sexual wholenes...

In this episode of Mad. In. Love , Dr. David Hawkins is joined by Dr. John Hudson and Ernest Hart to explore the Marriage Intensive Programs offered at the Marriage Recovery Center. These intensive sessions provide high-conflict couples with focused, in-person work over the course of three transformative days. The conversation highlights the importance of setting realistic expectations, reviewing...

In this episode of Mad. In. Love, Dr. David Hawkins welcomes Karla Downing, award-winning author, speaker, and founder of ChangeMyRelationship.com. Karla shares powerful insights from her book 10 Lifesaving Principles for Women in Difficult Marriages, offering practical tools and wisdom for women navigating challenging relationships. Together, they explore transformative principles such as "changi...