WHEN DATING HURTS

"Understanding Flying Monkeys" This episode is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. We call this: Understanding Flying Monkeys This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to love bomb you -- or some...

Content Warning & Disclaimer Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Karan told me she spent the past several months healing from a deeply harmful relational experience. She understands how stories like hers bring both awareness and healing, and so she wanted to share with us. What makes her stor...

"Financial Abuse in Abusive Relationships" This episode is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. We call this: Financial Abuse in Abusive Relationships. This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to...

Love Bombing. This episode is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. We call this: What You Need to Know About Love Bombing. This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to love bomb you -- or someone...

Content Warning & Disclaimer Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This is part two, the final episode of a two-part story with Julia. The power in this narrative comes from the fact that our survivor, Julia, is a smart person from a good family living in Canada. If she could be coercively cont...

Content Warning & Disclaimer Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This is part one of a two-part story with Julia. The power in this narrative comes from the fact that our survivor, Julia, is a smart person from a good family living in Canada. If she could be coercively controlled, anyone coul...

Gaslighting - with examples. This is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. We call this: Gaslighting: How it Sounds, Works, and Steals Your Reality. This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to gas...

Future Faking. This is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. We call this: What Future Faking Is. This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to "future fake" you in a relationship. It is a fairly sh...

Content Warning & Disclaimer Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Tricia Gray grew up as one of four children in Louisiana, raised by a single mother who was trapped in a cycle of abusive relationships. At just five years old, Tricia became her mother’s protector, shielding her through years o...

Ghosting. This is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. We call this: What Ghosting Really Is. This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to "ghost" you in a relationship. It is a fairly short episo...

Gaslighting. This is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. We call this: What Gaslighting Really Is. This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to gaslight you in a relationship. It is a fairly shor...

We decided to rerelease this story because it gathered so much attention when it first ran. This is part two of a two-part story with Anna Astwood. Anna is a survivor of teen dating violence. It happened about 25 years ago, but she has lived with it every day since. As a survivor herself of sexual assault and teenage dating violence from the ages of 12 to 18 years old, she knows the pain, the trau...

We decided to rerelease this story because it gathered so much attention when it first ran. This is part one of a two-part story with Anna Astwood. Anna is a survivor of teen dating violence. It happened about 25 years ago, but she has lived with it every day since. As a survivor herself of sexual assault and teenage dating violence from the ages of 12 to 18 years old, she knows the pain, the trau...

Coercive Control. This episode is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. We call this: What You Need to Know About Coercive Control. This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to coercively control y...

Escalation. This episode is me talking with you. It is a blend of survivor-centered education, psychology, and clear red-flag guidance. And it's all grounded in research. Let's call this: What You Need to Know About Escalation. This is not an interview with a survivor. It is not red flags wrapped into a story. It is the red flags you need to know so you will never be fooled by someone trying to es...

Content Warning & Disclaimer Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Anne offered to tell her story to us. An army veteran, Anne found herself falling for Peter, who was also an army vet. They had a lot in common, so striking up a relationship was very easy. There are many facets about Peter that...

Content Warning & Disclaimer These stories contain detailed accounts of emotional abuse, psychological abuse, and narcissistic abuse. They include descriptions of alcohol and drug misuse. Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Crystal offered to tell her story to us. The underlying point is, she...

Content Warning & Disclaimer These stories contain detailed accounts of emotional abuse, psychological abuse, and narcissistic abuse. They include descriptions of alcohol and drug misuse. Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Crystal offered to tell her story to us. The underlying point is, she...

Content Warning & Disclaimer This true story contains detailed accounts of emotional abuse, psychological abuse, and a near-fatal poisoning. It includes descriptions of prescription drug misuse. Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse, trauma, or those struggling with suicidal thoughts. Listener discretion is strongly advised. We decided to bring o...

Content Warning & Disclaimer This true story contains detailed accounts of emotional abuse, psychological abuse, and narcissistic abuse that began in childhood and continued into adulthood. It includes descriptions of prescription drug misuse, recreational drug abuse, failed suicide attempts, and completed suicides. Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors o...

Content Warning & Disclaimer This true story contains detailed accounts of emotional abuse, psychological abuse, and narcissistic abuse that began in childhood and continued into adulthood. It includes descriptions of prescription drug misuse, recreational drug abuse, failed suicide attempts, and completed suicides. Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors o...

This episode contains descriptions of emotional abuse. It's not suitable for all audiences, especially those sensitive to themes of dating violence or domestic abuse. Listener discretion is advised. The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast focuses on authentic experiences without sensationalism. Our goal is to educate on the many forms of abuse in relationships to promote safer lives. We avoid judgments and...

This episode contains descriptions of emotional abuse. It's not suitable for all audiences, especially those sensitive to themes of dating violence or domestic abuse. Listener discretion is advised. The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast focuses on authentic experiences without sensationalism. Our goal is to educate on the many forms of abuse in relationships to promote safer lives. We avoid judgments and...

Content Warning & Disclaimer These stories contain detailed accounts of emotional abuse, psychological abuse, and narcissistic abuse. They include descriptions of alcohol and drug misuse. Please proceed with caution. This episode may be highly triggering for survivors of abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is strongly advised. I offered to listeners who recorded their stories that I would put th...

We conducted this interview a few years ago. We decided to bring it back now. It is a valuable discussion on how law enforcement can be helpful years after horrible crimes have taken place. This is worth an investment of your time. J R Waltemyer is a valuable contact at the Office of Victim Advocate (OVA) in Pennsylvania. OVA is the state agency with the authority and duty to advocate for the righ...