PodcastsEducationBreaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

Kerry McAvoy, Ph.D.
Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse
Latest episode

279 episodes

  • Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

    Narcissists Leave Physical Damage That Doctors Can't Explain

    06/25/2026 | 10 mins.
    Narcissistic abuse doesn't just affect your mind — it gets stored in the mind-body connection.

    Do you have the kind of chronic pain no doctor can explain? Does it get worse the harder you try to fix it? Are you bracing, clenching, and shutting down without knowing what's wrong?

    In this episode, Dr. Kerry unpacks how narcissistic abuse gets stored in the body, not just the mind. Want to learn more about healing from narcissistic abuse, check out Monday’s episode with Liz Tenuto, The Workout Witch. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/gM9h4GjITpc?si=BxsgI-eUXsrZzTuA

    Have a story or realization you'd like Dr. Kerry to take on air? Send it to clients@kerrymcavoyphd.com.

    When you become a paid Substack subscriber, you also join the Toxic-Free Relationship Club — our exclusive community for serious survivors.

    As a paid subscriber you also get:

    Weekly premium newsletter

    Bonus podcast segments not available anywhere else

    Exclusive members-only videos

    Join here: http://substack.com/@breakingfreenarcabuse
    Key Moments

    00:00 — "I knew before I knew"

    00:53 — The words you use for toxic love ("I bent over backwards")

    01:39 — Why your body keeps the receipts (Monday's Liz Tenuto)

    02:05 — "I emptied myself out" — loving an emotional black hole

    03:05 — Not codependency: the alarm that fires before logic

    03:41 — "He told me exactly what he expected from me"

    04:17 — My story: love-bombed and quietly terrified

    04:46 — The PI, the missing records, and the wedding bombshell

    05:26 — Why we silence the body's warning

    06:21 — Three truths to take with you

    07:59 — Your body is on your side

    08:23 — Share your story + Reclaim You

    Dr. Kerry's Resources

    ReclaimYou: Dr. Kerry's AI-powered coaching app

    The Complete Recovery Collection: Narcissistic abuse resources

    First Steps to Leaving: Online self-paced digital course

    Toxic-Free Relationship Club: Live coaching & community support

    Follow Dr. Kerry!

    Youtube

    Instagram

    TikTok

    Facebook

    Kerry Kerr McAvoy, Ph.D, a retired psychologist & author, is an expert on cultivating healthy relationships and deconstructing narcissism.
    As an Amazon affiliate, commission is earned from qualifying purchases.

    This podcast/video is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute therapy, counseling, or professional mental health advice. If you are in crisis, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

    Is Trauma Destroying Your Body? What Narcissistic Abuse Does to Your Health

    06/22/2026 | 32 mins.
    What if the chronic pain, the exhaustion, and the sleepless nights aren’t because of stress, or you’re getting older, but because your body keeping the score of narcissistic abuse?

    In this episode, Dr. Kerry sits down with somatic healing expert Liz Tenuto, as known The Workout Witch, to explored one of the most overlooked truths: abuse doesn't just impact your mind; it affects your body.

    Learn why survivors get trapped in a constant state of fight-or-flight and the surprising reason that talk therapy and EMDR alone often aren't enough to finally heal.

    PODCAST EXTRA EXCLUSIVE SEGMENT

    Ready to go deeper?

    Think the abuse never touched you physically? Find out the truth.

    In this members-only bonus, Liz walks Dr. Kerry through a simple body self-assessment to learn if you’re storing trauma. Learn the early warning signs before they turn chronic.

    Find the exclusive second segment and weekly newsletter here.

    LIZ TENUTO (known to her millions of followers as The Workout Witch) demystifies somatic healing and offers a compassionate, science-backed roadmap for anyone struggling with the physical aftermath of stress and trauma. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and an abusive marriage, Liz spent years battling chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia. She cycled through countless healing trends before discovering the life- changing power of somatics. Today, Liz is a trauma informed practitioner with a degree in psychology, 15 years of teaching experience, and advanced training in somatic movement through Pilates, Reiki, and 6 years of Feldenkrais mentorship with Augusta Moore.

    Website

    Book: When the Body Speaks: How Somatic Healing Sets You Free

    Key Moments

    00:00 Like a paper doll, flat and dead

    01:00 Meet Liz Tenuto, the Workout Witch

    02:40 When foot pain feels like walking on glass

    04:23 Why your body never leaves fight or flight

    05:59 How chronic stress dominoes into disease

    08:47 The angry father and the trauma beneath the pain

    10:22 Unexplained pain your doctor can't explain

    11:49 Stress weight and the shame no one talks about

    13:56 What somatics actually is

    14:36 The massage that unlocked a buried trauma

    16:29 Why talk therapy alone isn't enough

    19:21 What somatics felt like the first time

    21:46 The small, perfect self you built to survive

    24:07 Why chasing your step count backfires

    26:30 Fight, flight, freeze, and the Goldilocks state

    28:44 Five minutes a day to rewire your nervous system

    31:01 Are you armored up without knowing it? (→ Podcast Extra)

    Dr. Kerry's Resources

    ReclaimYou: Dr. Kerry's AI-powered coaching app

    The Complete Recovery Collection: Narcissistic abuse resources

    First Steps to Leaving: Online self-paced digital course

    Toxic-Free Relationship Club: Live coaching & community support

    Follow Dr. Kerry!

    Youtube

    Instagram

    TikTok

    Facebook

    Kerry Kerr McAvoy, Ph.D, a retired psychologist & author, is an expert on cultivating healthy relationships and deconstructing narcissism.
    As an Amazon affiliate, commission is earned from qualifying purchases.

    This podcast/video is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute therapy, counseling, or professional mental health advice. If you are in crisis, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

    Why Narcissists Refuse to Say Your Name: The 4 Patterns Survivors Miss

    06/18/2026 | 9 mins.
    Why has the person who claimed to love you gone years without once saying your name — not even once?

    When a narcissist won't say your name, it isn't a quirk. It's name erasure: a slow, deliberate way of treating you as less than a full person.

    In this Viewers' Stories episode, Dr. Kerry reads real survivor stories and unpacks four ways the same tactic shows up. Each one is a covert control tactic, and together they're a form of withholding affection most survivors don't recognize as emotional abuse until much later. You'll learn how to read what someone's use of your name reveals about how they actually see you, and why these small omissions add up to something far bigger than rudeness.

    Key Moments

    00:00:00 — The Husband Who Never Said Her Name

    00:01:19 — When "Gorgeous" Was a Quiet Cruelty

    00:03:11 — The Trap Hidden Inside "Babe" and "Honey"

    00:04:08 — Hearing Your Name Until the Room Goes Foggy

    00:05:09 — Mispronounced on Purpose, Again and Again

    00:05:51 — What the Sound of Your Name Reveals

    Resources

    ReclaimYou: Dr. Kerry's AI-powered coaching app

    The Complete Recovery Collection: Narcissistic abuse resources

    First Steps to Leaving: Online self-paced digital course

    Toxic-Free Relationship Club: Live coaching & community support

    Follow Dr. Kerry!

    Youtube

    Instagram

    TikTok

    Facebook

    Kerry Kerr McAvoy, Ph.D, a retired psychologist & author, is an expert on cultivating healthy relationships and deconstructing narcissism.

    As an Amazon affiliate, commission is earned from qualifying purchases.

    This podcast/video is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute therapy, counseling, or professional mental health advice. If you are in crisis, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

    Why Narcissists Use Pet Names Instead of Calling You by Your Real Name

    06/15/2026 | 25 mins.
    What if the sweet pet name your partner calls you isn't affection at all — but rather designed to keep you off balance?

    In this episode, Dr. Kerry and co-host Lynn Strathdee unpack one of the strangest and most overlooked patterns in narcissistic relationships: the use of pet names.

    Learn why some narcissists even speak about themselves in the third person, and the chilling moment when a "compliment" reveals exactly what they really think of you.

    Podcast Extra Exclusive Segment

    Want to go deeper?

    What does it actually take to heal when the abuse has shaped how you see yourself? In this members-only bonus, Lynn and Dr. Kerry discuss why recovery requires building a stronger sense of self.

    Find the exclusive second segment and weekly newsletter here.

    LYNN STRATHDEE is a UK-based psychodynamic psychotherapist specializing in echoism, narcissistic abuse recovery, and the unconscious patterns that keep survivors stuck in repeating relationship cycles. A former educator turned therapist, Lynn brings both clinical training and lived experience to her private practice, where she works with clients online and in person. Her approach goes beyond surface-level psychoeducation to the deeper identity work that creates lasting change.

    WEBSITE

    Submit your question to be answered on air here!

    Resources

    ReclaimYou: Dr. Kerry's AI-powered coaching app

    The Complete Recovery Collection: Narcissistic abuse resources

    First Steps to Leaving: Online self-paced digital course

    Toxic-Free Relationship Club: Live coaching & community support

    Follow Dr. Kerry!

    Youtube

    Instagram

    TikTok

    Facebook

    Kerry Kerr McAvoy, Ph.D, a retired psychologist & author, is an expert on cultivating healthy relationships and deconstructing narcissism.
    As an Amazon affiliate, commission is earned from qualifying purchases.

    This podcast/video is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute therapy, counseling, or professional mental health advice. If you are in crisis, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

    You've Been Brainwashed! How Manipulators Train You to Never Leave

    06/11/2026 | 9 mins.
    Were you brainwashed to stay — and didn't even know it?

    A cult doesn't need a compound, robes, or a manifesto. All it needs is two people: one who sets the rules and one who lives by them.

    Dr. Kerry reads your most powerful wake-up moments — from the woman who recognized every cult trait laid down in the first three months of a nine-year relationship, to the viewer who grew up in a home where productivity meant safety, to the one who finally had a word for what she'd survived: brainwashed.

    This isn't about missing the signs. It's about a system that was designed to make coercive control feel like love, devotion, and belonging. Have you been struggling to leave? Stop asking why you didn't see it sooner. Start asking if you were trained not to.

    Want Dr. Kerry to read your story on air?

    Email your question to clients@kerrymcavoyphd.com.

    Submit your question to be answered on air here!

    Resources

    ReclaimYou: Dr. Kerry's AI-powered coaching app

    The Complete Recovery Collection: Narcissistic abuse resources

    First Steps to Leaving: Online self-paced digital course

    Toxic-Free Relationship Club: Live coaching & community support

    Follow Dr. Kerry!

    Youtube

    Instagram

    TikTok

    Facebook

    Kerry Kerr McAvoy, Ph.D, a retired psychologist & author, is an expert on cultivating healthy relationships and deconstructing narcissism.
    As an Amazon affiliate, commission is earned from qualifying purchases.

    This podcast/video is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute therapy, counseling, or professional mental health advice. If you are in crisis, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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About Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse
Confused by your relationship? Do you catch yourself second-guessing, walking on eggshells, or feeling emotionally drained? Whether you’re still in the chaos or trying to rebuild after leaving, this podcast is your lifeline.Join retired psychologist Dr. Kerry McAvoy as she exposes the hidden dynamics of toxic relationships. You’ll learn how destructive personalities operate, the manipulative tactics they use, and the stages of abuse—plus the practical steps to heal and reclaim your life.If you’re ready to break free, rebuild your self-worth, and find lasting emotional freedom, hit play and start your recovery journey today.
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