Healing from Toxic Relationships
New Book by Dr. Stephanie Sarkis
Excerpt from “Toxic Relationships” by Stephanie Sarkis, PhD
When her mother drank, Jane felt there was nothing she could do to make her happy. Sometimes, Jane’s mother would fly into rages where she told the children that they had ruined her life, and she wished they had never been born. Jane’s mother especially seemed to hold contempt for Jane—tripping or hitting her, and then kicking her when she was on the ground. Jane’s mother even ordered Jane’s sister to kick her. Meanwhile, Jane’s father would leave the house or go into another room and shut the door. “Just try not to upset your mother,” he told Jane.
As an adult, Jane finds some sense of normalcy and even comfort in chaos. A healthy relationship seems boring to her. She has an exaggerated startle reaction, and when someone raises their voice or yells, she checks out and goes into a dissociative state. Jane compensates for feeling inadequate by throwing herself into her work. Some of her friends have called her a workaholic. She recently lost her job, and she has entered a downward spiral.
In her previous book, Gaslighting, Dr. Stephanie Sarkis unpacked the manipulative behavior used by narcissists and sociopaths to make their victims question their own reality and keep their victims in their thrall.
Now, in her newest book, Healing from Toxic Relationships, she extends compassion and knowledge to anyone in the aftermath of an abusive or toxic relationship.
Healing from Toxic Relationships helps survivors to understand the underpinnings of toxic behavior and how to move forward.
Survivors often struggle to heal; their self‑esteem may be damaged, they may feel rage and betrayal, they may punish and/or blame themselves.
Dr. Sarkis has seen it all: as a specialist in toxic behavior and personality disorders, she is on the front lines with survivors. Dr. Sarkis’ 10 Essential Steps are less of a one‑size‑fits‑all approach and more of an accessible framework for healing, one step at a time:
Anyone who is in a toxic relationship—whether it’s with a romantic partner, colleague, family member, or friend—deserves a way out and a path forward. Dr. Sarkis offers help and hope.
Anyone who is in a toxic relationship—whether it’s with a romantic partner, colleague, family member, or friend—deserves a way out and a path forward. Dr. Sarkis offers help and hope.
In Gaslighting, Dr. Stephanie Sarkis unpacked the manipulative behavior used by narcissists and sociopaths to make their victims question their own reality and keep their victims in their thrall.
Now, in Healing from Toxic Relationships, she extends compassion and knowledge to anyone in the aftermath of an abusive or toxic relationship.
Survivors often struggle to heal; their self‑esteem may be damaged, they may feel rage and betrayal, they may punish and/or blame themselves.
Dr. Sarkis has seen it all: as a specialist in toxic behavior and personality disorders, she is on the front lines with survivors. Healing from Toxic Relationships helps survivors to understand the underpinnings of toxic behavior and how to move forward, tackling everything from getting self-esteem back, self-care, how to avoid toxic relationships in the future, and more. Dr. Sarkis’ 10 Essential Steps are less of a one‑size‑fits‑all approach and more of an accessible framework for healing, one step at a time: