A Life, Folded

72: What Porn is Doing to Your Body, Mind, and Soul

Porn is not a harmless pastime. It chips away at relationships. It damages intimacy. It destroys trust. This episode discusses what is happening in the porn user's body, mind, and soul. The news of pornography's devastating effects is troubling, but there is also great hope of healing, change, and reclamation.  #alifefolded #laineycathan #stopporn #pornography #pornkills #pornkillslove #pornaddiction #nomore #fightthenewdrug https://fightthenewdrug.org

71: Why Narcissists Leave When You Get Sick

We all have natural expectations with committed relationships--that our spouse or partner will be there for us during difficult times. After all, don't we promise in poverty and wealth, in sickness and health? Everyone knows that life brings ups and downs for all relationships. But, that person you have given so much love and support to will do the same when you need a little help. Right? Sadly, partners of narcissistic individuals often find that when they are not highly functioning they are met with disdain, impatience, and dismissal. Why can't a narcissist provide even the most basic care and compassion to those who love them? #alifefolded #laineycathan #narcissisticabuse #narcissism  #emotionalabuse #psychologicalabuse #gaslighting #healingfromabuse #narcissisticabusesurvivor #relationshiptrauma #traumahealing #selftrust #healingjourney #mentalhealthawareness #innerhealing #toxicrelationships #resiliencebeyondnarcissism #nervoussystemhealing #manipulation #manipulationtactics #manipulationawareness #narcissist #narcissisticabuseawareness #narcissisticabuserecovery #narcissistic #narcissistsaredangerous #gaslightingrecovery #gaslightingawareness #gaslightingsurvivor #gaslighting101

70: The Gratitude Trap

Have you ever had someone respond to your troubles with something like, "Well, I choose to focus on gratitude and what I do have versus what I don't." Ouch! Gratitude is an amazing, and necessary, emotion. Expressing gratitude can do much to improve our lives. However, it can also be a trap. If we constantly force ourselves to put a positive spin on anything that happens, we can repress our feelings versus processing them. We can also stagnate in our personal development because we feel guilty for wanting more in our lives. Be grateful. Be tremendously and profoundly grateful. But don't feel bad about yourself is you are both grateful and experiencing a struggle. Life is full of duality and a "but-and" attitude can help us to acknowledge difficulties, and still process our pain.  #alifefolded #laineycathan #gratitude #gratitudetrap #guiltfree #emotionsmatter #processingemotions #feelingsarevalid #feelingsarereal

69: Target-Love Bomb-Devalue-Discard

There is a somewhat predicable pattern that narcissists use when securing their next source of supply or fuel. Or, when keeping their current supply at the ready. That is targeting, love bombing, devaluing, and discarding. This cycle will continually perpetuate itself unless we become educated, aware, and boundaried. We have a right be loved and honored by healthy individuals. Only we can end the narcissistic cycle of toxicity and pain. #alifefolded #lovebombing #narcissisticdiscard #selflove #selfloved #selflovematters #selfloveera #selflovechallenage #selfcare #selfcarematters #selfcarejourney #narcissisticabuse #manipulation #manipulationtactics #manipulationawareness #narcissist #narcissisticabuseawareness #narcissisticabuserecovery #narcissisticabusesurvivor #narcissistic #narcissistsaredangerous #gaslightingrecovery #gaslighting #gaslightingawareness #gaslightingsurvivor #gaslighting101

68: The Importance of Empathy

When you hear of someone struggling, do you want to jump in and help? Solve the problem? Or tell them how you know exactly how they feel? Well, congratulations, you are just like everyone else! It is a beautiful facet of human behavior that we want to help. But, ironically, when we say things with intended empathy such as, "I know exactly how you feel," we actually aren't displaying empathy. Even in very similar circumstances, we can never know precisely how someone else feels. By saying things such as that, we are unintentionally turning the conversation to ourselves. It is counterintuitive to be sure, but in this episode, we explore some alternative ways to listen and display empathy.  #alifefolded #Empathy #Empathymatters #EmpathyInAction #EmpathyFirst #EmpathyChallenge #ihearyou #validation #listen #listeningskills