Dr. Rhoberta Shaler has spent her career helping the partners, exes, adult children and siblings of relentlessly difficult people. In this episode, she shares a lifetime’s worth of wisdom on what she calls "hijackals" — people who hijack relationships for their own purposes and then relentlessly scavenge them for power, status and control. What distinguishes emotional abuse from normal communication differences? How do we label a problematic behavior pattern without playing armchair psychologist? How can we draw healthy boundaries that balance compassion for others with compassion for ourselves? And how can we find happiness within while also seeking it in relationships? 

The Relationship Help Doctor, Rhoberta Shaler, PhD, is the host of Save Your Sanity Podcast: Help for Toxic Relationships. She offers one-on-one consultations, e-courses, books, and the Emerging Empowered online community. You can find her at forrelationshiphelp.com.

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.

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