Shahida Arabi
Shahida is a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University. She is a published researcher and author of Power: Surviving and Thriving After Narcissistic Abuse and Breaking Trauma Bonds with Narcissists and Psychopaths. Her books have been translated into 16+ languages all over the world. Her work has been featured on Salon, HuffPost, Inc., Bustle, Psychology Today, Healthline, VICE, NYDaily News and more. For more inspiration and insight on manipulation and red flags, follow her on Instagram here.
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Healing from Narcissistic Abuse with Lifestyle: Nutritionists Share Best Tips on Nourishing Foods and Diets
When survivors have been abused by a narcissist, they can experience a plethora of stress-related symptoms. One challenge they can encounter is how to best navigate their health and well-being as the impact of stress can take a toll on the body and mind. Some survivors may overeat or undereat to cope with the stress,…
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Divorcing and Co-Parenting With Narcissists: Lawyers Share Tips For Handling High-Conflict Personalities in Court
Lawyers and mediators share their best tips on how to divorce a narcissist and tackle custody issues with effectiveness.
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Fawn Is The Trauma Response Tied To People-Pleasing and Toxic Relationships — Here’s How To Heal
You’ve likely heard of trauma responses like fight, flight, or freeze. But have you heard of “fawn?” Fawning is a trauma response characterized by appeasing a predator or complying with their demands to avoid danger and mitigate threat. According to licensed therapist and complex trauma expert Pete Walker who coined the term, “Fawn types seek…
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8 Dating App Red Flag Phrases That Are Surprisingly Toxic — Translated
Watch out for these eight red flag phrases on dating apps.
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The Narcissist’s Covert Enablers: 6 Toxic Red Flags to Watch Out For
Enablers of the narcissist can exist on a spectrum. The sadistic and malicious enabler is someone who has a clear agenda of teaming up with the narcissist to try to abuse their victims in the hopes of being “chosen” or picked by the narcissist as their loyal follower. They can have some narcissistic, psychopathic, or…
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Daddy Issues: 5 Toxic Signs of Narcissistic Fathers
If you’re the daughter or son of a narcissistic father, you likely experienced manipulation and exploitation from an early age. Narcissistic fathers and narcissistic parents in general can demean their children using the following manipulation tactics: They are charming to others but unleash their aggression on their loved ones. Their reputation in public rarely matched…
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Is Your Boyfriend Toxic? Take This Test To Find Out
Toxicity exists on a spectrum, but there is a set of tell-tale behaviors that can point to a core lack of empathy, entitlement, and exploitativeness that can be harmful to relationships. Use the red flag items below to assess whether you can identify the following toxic behaviors in your partner. Keep a tally. For every…
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Narcissists Are Different from Psychopaths In These 7 Powerful Ways
One of the most common questions I get asked as a researcher specializing in narcissism and psychopathy is what the difference between a narcissist and a psychopath is. While each person is different and some people may have traits of both narcissism and psychopathy, here are some general distinctions that can help you better identify…
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Childfree, Single Women Are Among the Happiest: Therapists, Psychiatrists and Childfree Millennials Explain Why
According to Harvard-trained psychologist Dr. Bella DePaulo, research indicates that single, childfree women can be just as happy and satisfied with their lives as their coupled counterparts – in some cases, even happier, healthier, and wealthier. Although the reasons for this happiness may seem obvious to anyone who’s ever spent any substantial time single or childfree, many in…
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12 Surprising Red Flags That Expose Narcissists on the First Date
Whether on the first date or the one-year anniversary, narcissists eventually exhibit twelve red flags that give away their true nature. More covert manipulators may unmask themselves only after they suspect you’re already invested in the relationship. However, it’s still good to watch out for any of these behaviors on a first date because it’s…
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Hookup Culture and Situationships Present Unique Risks to Women, Doctors and Therapists Say
Hookup culture offered the promise of female sexual liberation, empowerment, and agency, but it may have presented far more risks than benefits. Due to gender inequality, higher health risks for women, the prioritization of male pleasure, and double standards, some aspects of hookup culture may actually be harming women more than freeing them while disproportionately…
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Raised By Narcissistic Parents? You May Display These 5 Contradictory Behaviors
Adult children of narcissistic parents had one or more parents who lacked empathy, exhibited an excessive sense of entitlement, and callously exploited their children. As a result, it’s common for children of narcissists to engage in the following five contradictory behaviors in adulthood: 1. Needing a great deal of alone time yet surrounding yourself with…
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5 Toxic Things Narcissists Say About Their Exes and What They REALLY Mean
Narcissistic and psychopathic individuals misuse common phrases to gaslight others. They will usually depict their exes in a distorted way to manipulate their new targets and often use their new targets to retraumatize their exes. They may devalue or idealize their ex to you depending on their specific agenda. Here are five common toxic things…
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4 Types of People Narcissists Are Repelled By — And How to Become One of Them
There are four types of people most narcissists and psychopaths tend to stay away from. Learn these four types to better protect yourself if you sense you are in the presence of a potentially toxic person. You can adapt these tips and tools to your specific circumstances, keeping your own safety in mind. (1) Other…
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11 Key Things High-Value Men Do Differently From Narcissists
Dating a high-value and high-quality man is drastically different from dating a narcissist (and narcissists can be male or female). However, it can be hard to tell the difference between a narcissistic and high-quality man when narcissists often masquerade as high-value men initially, only to reveal themselves to be manipulators later on. Here are the…
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5 Shocking Behaviors People Mistake For Narcissism But Actually Aren’t
1. Selfie-taking on its own. Researchers discovered something interesting about selfie-taking: while it was significantly associated with narcissism scores in men, it was generally not associated with narcissism scores in women contrary to what might be normally assumed. While excessive selfie-taking has been shown to be an indicator of more grandiose narcissistic traits and can…
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Three REAL Reasons Narcissists Break Up With You
It's time to understand the real reasons why narcissists break up with you.
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Do Narcissists Provoke Jealousy On Purpose? Research Says Yes
It’s been long said that narcissists love creating love triangles and provoking jealousy in their partners – thousands of partners of narcissistic and psychopathic individuals have shared their experiences on this phenomenon. There is also now a wealth of research that supports and documents this behavior in narcissistic individuals and points to the surprising motives…