Relationship Abuse Podcasts Episodes

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Plum shares the story of growing up with a neglectful, victim-playing narcissistic mother who made her feel responsible for herself from an early age. As Plum became more independent, her mother’s behavior shifted, using guilt, illness, broken promises, and carefully manufactured crises to maintain control. Years later, Plum married a controlling man whose gaslighting, silent treatments, sexual coercion, and escalating physical abuse forced ...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Athena shares the story of a relationship with a calculated predator who entered her life when she was sick, financially vulnerable, isolated, and searching for stability. He offered Athena exactly what she was missing: family, a sense of belonging, financial support, a spiritual connection, and the feeling that she had been specially chosen. As the relationship progressed, it was a whirlwind of good and bad. Athena hardly had time to process the myri...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Anisha shares the story of an introduced marriage that quickly became emotionally and physically abusive. What began with criticism, confusing outbursts, and attacks on her identity gradually expanded into isolation, career control, threats of divorce, verbal degradation, and severe physical violence. Through it all, Anisha kept searching for an explanation. As a healer, optimist, and problem solver, she believed that if she could understand her husband'...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon examines the patterns of enmeshment, possessiveness, financial abuse, and coercive control within Selene’s survivor story. The debrief explores how Selene entered a family system where her husband’s relationship with his mother left little room for privacy, independence, or healthy boundaries. Brandon discusses how Selene was positioned as a threat, how her husband resented attention given to their children and her friendships, and how...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Selene shares the story of surviving a possessive and controlling marriage complicated by her husband’s deeply enmeshed relationship with his mother. After becoming pregnant, Selene discovered that her partner had lied about his marriage and soon found herself financially dependent, isolated, and living inside a family system where boundaries were constantly violated. Her husband resented the attention she gave their children, monitored her whenever s...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon examines the key patterns in Elly’s survivor story, including how childhood chaos taught her to function around unstable people and how caretaking became the role she carried into her marriage. He also discusses why addiction does not excuse abuse, how intimidation can be a form of physical violence, and why silence can sometimes feel like the safest way to survive. Brandon also explores the impossible position Elly faced as a mother w...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Elly shares the story of surviving an abusive marriage marked by addiction, infidelity, intimidation, and escalating physical violence. After growing up with generational trauma and learning to survive through caretaking, Elly found herself trapped inside another family system that protected the person harming her and punished her for speaking up. As the danger increased, Elly realized that leaving was the only way to keep herself alive and ...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Tally shares how the seemingly perfect man next door became controlling, intimidating, and physically dangerous. What began with jealousy, phone checking, and triangulation slowly grew into emotional neglect, family enabling, repeated promises of change, and escalating violence during pregnancy and after childbirth. Each apology gave Tally another reason to believe the future they had planned was still possible. Tally discusses the pressure to mana...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon debriefs Terry’s story and examines how relentless pursuit, emotional caretaking, isolation, threats, stalking, and physical violence kept her trapped in the relationship. The episode explores how Terry’s abuser treated her boundaries like obstacles, made her feel responsible for saving him, and created consequences that gradually separated her from friends and family. Brandon also breaks down why restraining orders did not immediately...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Terry shares the story of a relationship marked by physical violence, threats, isolation, stalking, and an intense trauma bond. What began with relentless pursuit and attention slowly became constant monitoring, public humiliation, financial sabotage, and escalating abuse. Even after Terry tried to leave, her abuser continued to threaten her children, violate restraining orders, follow her, destroy property, and appear wherever she went. Ter...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon discusses why leaving an abusive relationship can be so difficult and why survivors should never be shamed for staying. He explores the emotional attachment created through cycles of abuse, along with the fear, financial dependence, isolation, custody concerns, health needs, immigration issues, cultural pressure, and lack of institutional support that can make leaving feel dangerous or impossible. This episode also examines how hope,...

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon Chadwick debriefs Felix’s survivor story and examines how a whirlwind beginning can make a relationship feel destined long before trust has been earned. The episode explores how fate, long distance, and outside validation helped carry the relationship forward, even as controlling patterns began to emerge. Brandon also discusses connection becoming surveillance, double standards around communication, apologies creating renewed hope, and...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Felix shares the story of a long-distance relationship that began like a once-in-a-lifetime romance and slowly became controlling, destabilizing, and physically abusive. What initially felt like fate was reinforced through intense declarations of love, marriage plans, international travel, matching rituals, and promises of a shared future. Over time, Felix found himself managing his partner’s emotions, proving his commitment, sacrificing parts of his ...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Cara shares her story of surviving a four-year relationship with a rage-filled physical abuser. After leaving a long emotionally abusive marriage, Cara was pulled into a relationship that began with love bombing, constant praise, and the feeling of finally being seen. But over time, the relationship became a cycle of fear, isolation, trauma bonding, suicide threats, physical intimidation, and emotional caretaking. Cara discusses the confusio...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks with Darlene Thomas, Executive Director of Greenhouse17, a domestic violence shelter and advocacy program in Kentucky built on a 40-acre farm. Darlene shares how Greenhouse17 reimagined shelter by moving away from shame, secrecy, rigid rules, and one-size-fits-all support. Together, they discuss survivor shame, community belonging, financial abuse, economic repair, and why safety is only one part of rebuilding after abuse. Darlene explai...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Lana shares her story of growing up as a fixer, surviving childhood abuse, and later entering a relationship with a jealous and physically abusive partner who used love bombing, blame-shifting, addiction, sexual coercion, and violence to keep control. What began as intensity and romance quickly turned into accusations, isolation, fear, and repeated physical abuse. Lana explains how the abuser's jealousy became a weapon, how his addiction was...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon discusses how victim-playing abusers use guilt, empathy, and blame-shifting to make survivors feel responsible for the abuse they are experiencing. The episode looks at how an abuser may present themselves as wounded, abandoned, misunderstood, or mistreated in order to gain sympathy early in the relationship. But as the relationship continues, that same victim story can become a way to control the survivor, avoid accountability, win ...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse Q&A, Brandon talks about plausible deniability as a manipulation tactic in abusive relationships. Instead of focusing only on excuses or denial after the fact, this episode looks at how abusers can use suggestion, guilt, shame, concern, victimhood, and the illusion of choice to shape a survivor’s behavior without ever making a direct demand. Brandon breaks down how this can show up through isolation, decision-making, body image, emotional responsibility, weaponized forgetfulness, and gaslighting. The episode also explores why this tactic can be so confusing for survivors, because the abuser may never say the controlling part out loud, while still steering the relationship exactly where they want it to go.

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Louise shares the story of a 40-year relationship with a man who always seemed to be in conflict with someone else, until that conflict finally turned toward her. At first, Louise believed she was different. He could argue with colleagues, professionals, institutions, and family members, but with her, he seemed loving, principled, and safe. Over time, Louise’s life became smaller around his needs, his career, his battles, his conspiracy thinking, and ...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon talks with Blanche about her relationship with a dangerous jealous abuser. What began as jealousy, put-downs, and questions about her past slowly became isolation, physical violence, family-enabled abuse, threats, stalking, and a fight to get free. Blanche shares how her abuser used jealousy as a reason to control what she wore, who she spoke to, where she looked, and how much freedom she had. She also explains how the abuse escalate...

In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse Q&A, Brandon talks about how abusers use exhaustion as a form of control. From constant monitoring and privacy violations to fear, guilt, gaslighting, circular conversations, lack of help, and sabotage, these tactics can slowly drain a survivor’s energy, clarity, and sense of self. This episode looks at why abuse can become harder to name when you are worn down, why leaving can feel impossible when you are running on empty, and how abusers use confusion and depletion to keep the relationship centered around them. Brandon also discusses why rest, reflection, and separating your own feelings from the feelings someone else is trying to create can be an important part of getting clarity back.

In this debrief episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon breaks down Val’s story through the lens of trauma bonding, emotional punishment, silent treatment, intermittent reinforcement, and the long process of seeing the cycle clearly. The episode also explores why leaving may require distance, and why the body often understands danger before the mind has the language for it. Click if you want to be a guest on our survivor story podcast, please send us an email at narcissistapocalypse@pm.m...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Val shares her story of a long marriage shaped by emotional punishment, silent treatments, rage cycles, financial manipulation, and the slow erosion of her sense of safety. What began as a natural friendship slowly became a relationship where Val was punished whenever her needs, feelings, accomplishments, or independence took up space. Her abuser withheld affection, withdrew communication, ruined birthdays and milestones, shifted responsibility onto her,...

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon breaks down Angelica’s story and the patterns of abuse beneath it, including rage, financial control, sexual coercion, physical violence, pregnancy, and the fear that can make leaving feel impossible. Angelica’s story shows how coercive control can shrink a survivor’s life one pressure point at a time. Her husband controlled money, work, transportation, the home, and the emotional atmosphere of the relationship, while Angelica tried to keep th...