RelationshipTalk

Why You Kept Holding On:

The Hidden Science of Choosing the Wrong Partner.

There is a moment in every woman’s life when she realises that love is not failing her, her conditioning is. Psychologists refer to this as attachment conditioning, neuroscientists describe it as patterned neural firing and relationship researchers often call it the familiarity loop.

As Dr. Aldman Tart’s work on emotional regulation and relational trauma reminds us, we do not choose partners based purely on logic or desire, we choose based on what our nervous system has learned to recognise as “home,” even when that home is emotionally unsafe.

The Psychology of Flying Monkeys:

Why Every Abuser Has an Audience

There is a moment in every unhealthy relationship when the story stops being about two people and quietly becomes a crowd.

This is what psychologists call flying monkeys. Individuals who defend, enable or deliver messages on behalf of someone causing harm. What makes this dynamic so confusing is that it rarely begins with hostility.

The Stairway to Relationship Downfall

The Signs We Often Miss

Relationships rarely collapse in one dramatic moment. They unravel slowly, step by step, long before we recognise what is happening.

Social science tells us that the early warning signs are often subtle, consistent and easy to dismiss because they do not feel big enough to matter.

Yet those small data points matter.

FROM SURVIVING TO RECLAIMING

The Shift That Changes Everything

Living with the effects of Narcissistic Victim Syndrome (NVS) is like walking through life with your nervous system on high alert.

• You’re not just feeling angry, your amygdala is firing constantly, scanning for threats that may never come.

• You’re not just tired,  you’re in a cycle of adrenal fatigue, emotional dys-regulation and fragmented sleep.

Are You a Female Narcissist?

At first glance, the female narcissist rarely looks like the villain. In fact, she often looks like the hero of her own glamorous story. Confident, magnetic and seemingly irresistible.

But beneath the surface is a pattern of behaviour that quietly corrodes relationships, leaving her partners questioning their sanity and their worth. Understanding these signs is not just about spotting red flags, it is about reclaiming your own perspective.

The truth about female narcissists is that they rarely appear dangerous at first. They move through the world with charm, allure and an almost magnetic confidence that draws people in. Unlike the caricature of arrogance, we often associate with narcissism, the female narcissist cloaks her toxicity in seduction, vulnerability or even playfulness, making her far harder to recognise.

Signs of an Abusive or Narcissistic Relationship And How to Protect Yourself

The Common Manipulation Behaviours to Watch Out For

Gaslighting

They do something hurtful, deny it, then accuse you of “being crazy.” Gaslighting is a highly deceptive form of manipulation where the abuser commits hurtful actions, then flatly denies them, even asserting that you are “imagining things” or “overreacting.” Over time, this tactic chips away at your confidence, making you doubt your own memories, emotions and sense of reality. Victims often feel confused, anxious or like they’re going crazy.

Projection