Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse

Your child comes home from a visit with the other parent guarded. Repeating things they couldn't have come up with on their own. Now they’re looking at you differently. 
That's not just "divorce being hard." That's a smear campaign — and your narcissistic ex has recruited your own children to run it. 
This week, Dr. Josh Davis — neuroscientist, psychologist, and author of The Difference That Makes a Difference — joins Dr. Kerry McAvoy to break down exactly how narcissistic exes weaponize children in their smear campaigns, and what you can do to protect your relationship with your kids without playing the narcissist's game. 
In this episode:  
Why narcissistic exes target children in their smear campaigns and what they're really trying to accomplish  
The 3 signs your child is being used as a messenger or weapon against you  
How to respond when your child repeats the narcissist's narrative 
The one mistake most co-parents make that actually deepens the alienation 
Exclusive Podcast Extra Segment
Want to go deeper? 
Paid Substack subscribers get exclusive access to Dr. Davis's most powerful technique — a simple mental shift that lets you step outside the chaos of a difficult co-parenting moment, see it clearly, and stop reacting 
🔒 Become a paid subscriber and unlock your access today: https://substack.com/@breakingfreenarcabuse 
DR. JOSH DAVIS is a neuroscientist, psychologist, and author of The Difference That Makes a Difference. His work helps parents build stronger connections with their children using tools from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and neuroscience.
Website
Book: The Difference That Makes the Difference: NLP and the Science of Positive Change
Submit your question to be answered on air here!
Resources
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., an author and educator, helps listeners decode toxic dynamics, recognize manipulation, and rebuild self-trust.
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, nor does listening create a doctor-patient or therapist-client relationship. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911 or contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 (US/Canada).

If you can name the patterns and see the behaviors, have you wondered why do you still feel so stuck?
This week I'm sharing an episode from Renee Swanson of the Covert Narcissism Podcast — a feed swap I wanted to bring straight to this community. Renee unpacks what she calls "hitting the wall": the moment you can no longer live the lie in a covert narcissistic relationship, when you can't keep pretending that you're fine, that your family is fine, when it simply isn't.
Renee Swanson, the host, walks through the two paths that lead there — the slow erosion that wears you down mentally, emotionally, and physically, and the sudden crack that changes everything in an instant — and what actually happens inside you when you reach that point: the numbness, the strange relief, the self-doubt. Then she gets practical about the conversation itself: what you're really trying to do when you name your reality out loud, the responses to expect (DARVO, minimizing, tears, an eerie calm), and how to stay grounded when it goes sideways.
If any of this is your life right now, please be gentle with yourself as you listen — and reach out to a trusted person or a domestic-abuse resource if you need support. Find more of Renee's work and her coaching at covertnarcissism.com.
Submit your question to be answered on air here!
Resources
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., an author and educator, helps listeners decode toxic dynamics, recognize manipulation, and rebuild self-trust.
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, nor does listening create a doctor-patient or therapist-client relationship. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911 or contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 (US/Canada).

If you can name the patterns and see the behaviors, have you wondered why do you still feel so stuck?

This week I'm sharing an episode from Renee Swanson of the Covert Narcissism Podcast — a feed swap I wanted to bring straight to this community. Renee unpacks what she calls "hitting the wall": the moment you can no longer live the lie in a covert narcissistic relationship, when you can't keep pretending that you're fine, that your family is fine, when it simply isn't.

Renee Swanson, the host, walks through the two paths that lead there — the slow erosion that wears you down mentally, emotionally, and physically, and the sudden crack that changes everything in an instant — and what actually happens inside you when you reach that point: the numbness, the strange relief, the self-doubt. Then she gets practical about the conversation itself: what you're really trying to do when you name your reality out loud, the responses to expect (DARVO, minimizing, tears, an eerie calm), and how to stay grounded when it goes sideways.

If any of this is your life right now, please be gentle with yourself as you listen — and reach out to a trusted person or a domestic-abuse resource if you need support. Find more of Renee's work and her coaching at covertnarcissism.com.

Key Moments

00:00 — Welcome + why this one hits home

01:15 — The day I stopped feeling anything

02:54 — Two paths, and the slow erosion of mind, heart, and body

07:10 — The bedroom moment that decided the marriage

09:13 — The "cult of two" and the strange relief of letting go

10:37 — How the covert narcissist senses you pulling away

11:48 — What your children already sense

12:40 — Waving the white flag: clarity isn't giving up

15:01 — The confrontation, and what it's really for

17:12 — DARVO, tears, and eerie calm: what to expect

18:56 — How to stay grounded when it goes sideways

20:55 — The words that set you free — and why this is only the beginning

Find more from Renee at covertnarcissism.com, including her coaching program for those ready to move from understanding their situation to actually healing from it.

Follow Renee: TikTok ● YouTube ● Facebook ● Instagram ● Website

Listen to the Podcast: Bleav Network ● All Platforms

#covertnarcissism #gaslighting #Narcissism #npd

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.

Food shouldn't feel like a threat — but for narcissistic abuse survivors, it often does.
In this viewer stories episode, survivors share exactly how the narcissist in their life weaponized food — turning meals into rituals of control, criticism, and shame. Kerry shares her own experience too. If mealtime ever filled you with dread, this episode will name what you lived through and show you why it happened.
In this episode:
• The specific tactics narcissists use to weaponize food
• Why this coercive control tactic is so hard to identify
• How emotional abuse through food leaves lasting shame, body image wounds, and even eating disorders
• 3 concrete steps to begin reclaiming your relationship with food after narcissistic abuse.
Submit your question to be answered on air here!
Resources
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., an author and educator, helps listeners decode toxic dynamics, recognize manipulation, and rebuild self-trust.
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, nor does listening create a doctor-patient or therapist-client relationship. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911 or contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 (US/Canada).

Food shouldn't feel like a threat — but for narcissistic abuse survivors, it often does.

In this viewer stories episode, survivors share exactly how the narcissist in their life weaponized food — turning meals into rituals of control, criticism, and shame. Kerry shares her own experience too. If mealtime ever filled you with dread, this episode will name what you lived through and show you why it happened.

In this episode:

• The specific tactics narcissists use to weaponize food

• Why this coercive control tactic is so hard to identify

• How emotional abuse through food leaves lasting shame, body image wounds, and even eating disorders

• 3 concrete steps to begin reclaiming your relationship with food after narcissistic abuse.

Key Moments

#NarcissisticAbuse #Narcissism #ToxicRelationships #npd #coercivecontrol

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.