This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.
Sometimes there's something that just doesn't feel right in a relationship and it's hard to put your finger on it. It might be in an intimate relationship, in dating, with a family member, a friendship or with someone at work.
Maybe you feel confused about a relationship you've been in, maybe you're replaying conversations trying to work out what was going on. You may have found yourself thinking at times, "Maybe I'm overreacting." "Maybe I'm too sensitive." "Maybe it's me." "Maybe they didn't mean it like that." You may even have wondered whether you're dealing with a narcissist, whether someone is being manipulative, or whether it's abuse.
But then again, the relationship can be good sometimes too. One of the biggest signs of an unhealthy relationship is confusion. because this is what happens when someone is playing power games, giving mixed messages, shifting the goalposts, saying one thing and doing another, making promises they never intend to keep, or leaving you feeling responsible for things that aren't even yours. It can feel like you're going mad, living on eggshells, or living with Jekyll and Hyde, never knowing which version you are going to get next. This is no way to live.
I'm Julia Summers, a counsellor and clinical supervisor and I have spent years helping people make sense of unhealthy and abusive relationships. This is the book I wished I could have given my clients in the counselling room.
Drawing on psychological research, professional experience and real-life examples this book explores how people gain power and control over others. Why we say when we mean no, or why we go along with things because its 'easier'. These behaviours are happening all around us, there are over 60 tactics and techniques and you'll learn how to spot them so you can stop playing their games.
