16. A Grinch is Stealing the Holidays: Dealing With a Narcissist During the Holidays
Part 2 of the holiday series. In this episode, I discuss the woes of spending the holidays with a narcissistic family member and how you can cope.
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Welcome to A Date With Darkness Podcast. This podcast is dedicated to those who have been hurt by love and abuse, through their relationships with narcissistic people. The purpose of the podcast is to deepen the understanding of hurtful and traumatic relationships which have been a source of unspoken pain and trauma. In the episodes, I will be chatting with various experts in various fields to provide education, tips, resources, and information for those who are survivors of abusive relationships. I will combine my expertise of forensics, domestic violence, and work in various mental health fields to have an intimate discussion with you about abusive relationships, characteristics of dangerous and manipulative people, how to move beyond the victim role, learn to love and heal from the wounds of toxic relationships. If you have a question about the podcast or you want to get in touch with me directly, please feel free to email me at adatewithdarkness@gmail.com. Thank you so much for listening!
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15. Dealing with The Stress of The Holidays: My Family Drives Me Crazy
Part 1 of the holiday series. The holidays are here and for many they can be stressful. Spending money, traveling, taking time off from work, and going home to visit with family can put you out of your element. On top of that, you can suffer from the holiday blues. In today’s episode, I offer tips and suggestions on how to get through the holiday.
14. Messing With My Emotions: The Roller Coaster of Emotionally Abusive Relationships
Dr. Vanessa Abernathy, a licensed clinical psychologist explains what emotional abuse is, and how we can reset and reboot our lives after enduring the rollercoaster of emotions associated with emotional abuse.
Resources Mentioned:
Boundaries When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life; By Henry Cloud
To connect with Dr. Abernathy, please visit website www.vabernathypsyd.org Twitter: Vabernathypsyd
13. Poisoned by the Snake! Learning About and Recovering From Toxic Relationships!
In this episode, Dr. Janae Taylor, PhD, LPC of Taylor Counseling and Consulting offers a candid conversation on toxic relationships. She educates us on the elements of destructive relationships, how we can manage them, and began to heal from these painful relationships.
Resources Mentioned:
Therapy For Black Girls Therapist Directory
Toxic Parents, By Dr. Susan Forward
Narcissists: Break Free, By Pamela Kole
The Emotionally Abusive Relationship, By Beverly Engel
To find out more about Dr. Janae Taylor, please visit
Taylor Counseling and Consulting or Minding My Black Business
12. Signs That You Are Sleeping with A Masked Predator
In this episode, I have a chat with you about the common sexual signs and languages of sleeping with a narcissist.
References Mentioned:
11. Psychological Abuse: The Way You Treat Me Kills Me
In honoring National Domestic Violence month, the topic of today’s podcast is psychological abuse. Dr. Jones defines and provides real-life examples of psychological abuse, based off of conversations with the participants of her published dissertation study of African American women who were psychologically abused by their parents while growing up. In this episode, Dr. Jones speaks about the women’s experiences of being abused, and how it has affected them well into their adult life.
10. Keeping the Faith: The Abusive Power of God and Spirituality
In honor of National Domestic Violence Month, I am joined today by Camille McDaniel, LPCC for a passionate discussion about spiritual abuse. Camille is a Christian counselor in Georgia who specializes in helping those who have been spiritually traumatized. She educates us about spiritual abuse, which includes being hurt and manipulated under the guise of being accepted or faithful to your religious or spiritual beliefs. She and I have a candid discussion on the types of spiritual abuse, the effect that spiritual abuse has on a person, being manipulated by God and religious teachings, being shunned by your spiritual community for not being faithful to the religion, whether you can still be “good enough in the eyes of God if you leave your abusive partner,” as well as well as if we should refuse other help to “just pray about it.”
9. Difficult Interventions: Helping a Loved One Who Is In An Abusive Relationship
We have all had an experience with a loved one or a friend who has been involved in an unhealthy or abusive relationship, which you desperately wanted them to get out of. Maybe you have been in a toxic relationship yourself. It is very difficult to observe your loved one get hurt or taken advantage of. You give advice and try to help that person in every way possible so that they can get out of the relationship safely; only you are crushed by them staying in the abusive relationship! While your intentions were good, you can start to feel consumed with feelings about a relationship which you are not directly involved in. This episode offers tips and suggestions on how to best support your loved one who is struggling with their abusive relationship without becoming overly invested in the outcome and maintaining healthy boundaries as a support system.
8. Tips For Leaving a Violent Relationship
When we are in a relationship where we are being abused, we often feel alone, powerless, embarrassed, and we may feel as though no one will understand. Thus we try to cover up what’s going on, which thrusts us even further into a dysfunctional and violent relationship. Dr. Jones discusses the steps that we can take to bring awareness to the situation, protect ourselves, and leave an abusive relationship.
7. Finding Fulfillment in Your Relationships
In this episode, I talk with Jihan Madyun, LCSW; owner of the The Fulfillment Project in Washington DC. In this episode, Jihan and I discuss how one’s own lack of fulfillment within themselves can be caused by past traumas and cause them to try and seek out acceptance in others. Jihan describes ways in which we can learn to fulfill our own needs and desires by engaging in regular self-care activities including being mindful and still.