This week we were joined by Dr. Liane Leedom, psychiatrist by training, adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Bridgeport, and author of six books on the subject or psychopathy including Just Like His Father? A guide to overcoming your child’s genetic connection to antisocial behavior addiction and ADHD and Women Who Love Psychopaths. Dr. Leedom discussed why it is so hard to get over a relationship with a psychopath.
In our “Aftermath Q and A” segment, we addressed a listener’s question about the relationship between psychopathy and bisexuality. We also checked in with survivor Bob from Florida, who shared with us some stunning voicemail messages left by a psychopathic individual during a previous child custody dispute.
Dr. Leedom discussed how recovery from a relationship with a psychopath can be much more difficult than recovery from other relationships. She talked about animal research on the biochemical nature of traumatic bonding, and how this may directly relate to the bonds psychopathic individuals create with others in intimate relationships. Recovery from these relationships can take many years.
According to Dr. Leedom, there are several aspects to recovery. The first part of healing is making the actual decision to leave, so that the healing from breaking the bond can start. The second step is dealing with the various types of emotional, psychological, financial, and social damage the relationship has caused–unfortunately, the more damage a person has sustained, the harder it can be for them to break away. The third part is putting everything back together, or repair of your family, personal, and professional relationships. Dr. Leedom stresses the importance of the mindset of living life for each day during this very lengthy process, even if things are not going as well as one would like.