In this impactful episode, Laura courageously shares her healing journey after enduring a tumultuous marriage with a narcissistic partner. She emphasizes the importance of breaking societal norms by openly discussing women's stories and supporting those in challenging situations.

Laura candidly reflects on the emotional abuse, gaslighting, and manipulation she experienced, resulting in a deteriorating 33-year marriage. Despite her efforts to save the relationship through therapy and personal growth, her partner's unwillingness to change led her to consider extreme measures. Despite the difficulty of sharing her story, Laura believes in the power of speaking out to help others going through similar experiences.

Tune in, share your experiences, and connect with others to foster a community of understanding and empathy!

Timestamps

[02:05] Why it is important for Laura to share her story

[03:00] What it was like to get out of her marriage

[04:12] How the pandemic affected Laura's mental health

[06:04] How Laura sparked a relationship with her ex-husband

[08:12] How things started getting bad for Laura's marriage

[11:17] Dealing with narcissism and gaslighting in marriage

[15:15] How flirting with women in her face was part of the problem

[20:05] What Laura did to save her marriage

[23:19] How the marriage counseling went down for Laura and her ex-husband

[31:00] How the idea of separation came about

[37:05] Finding out the new relationship with a mutual friend

[47:24] Coping with the divorce

[51:03] How therapy has been instrumental l to Laura's healing

Notable Quotes

• Emotional abuse is not always visible. There are no bruises on my body. But you know, as a person, we're going to get into that, but as a person, you just start to feel devalued. And you start to feel less than others, and your self-esteem is slowly eroded. And so that's why it's hard to really share this.
• At some point, they will make you feel less than and that you don't want to be there, or you're going insane things like that.
• You shouldn't beat yourself up for what you've done or not done in how long you stayed and all those things because I know I did everything I could to save the marriage.
• When someone says they were emotionally abused, it is not our job to say, well, let me consider that, and let me look it up and see if you really were.
• You don't have to keep looking to see if your ex is a narcissist. Just know that if he was abusing you emotionally if you were being manipulated, you just need to be done.

Resources

Follow the podcast here: thatswhereimatpodcast.com.

Journals: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Laura-Richards/author/B09TX5ZW46?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://marissafayecohen.com/free-resources

https://www.thehotline.org

https://www.choosingtherapy.com/recovering-from-narcissistic-abuse/#:~:text=Learning%20how%20to%20recover%20from,comfort%2C%20validation%2C%20and%20guidance

Podcast Produced and edited by the team at ResilientVoiceMedia.com

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