30 Covert Emotional Manipulation Tactics: How Manipulators Take Control in Personal Relationships

I immediately related to this book because my marriage was to a covert manipulator. I could agree with all of the listed tactics but a few. This book validates some of the abuse I experienced as a child, and the abuse I experienced in my marriage. I'm well educated, and fairly assertive and outspoken, yet I felt like I was to blame for anything going wrong in the marriage and with our parenting. I felt ignored, underappreciated, and taken advantage of while at the same time feeling the underlying message that I should feel lucky and appreciative of all that I have. It was an insidious process of seeing myself become chipped away, and broken down over the years. In the latter years, I felt like I was barely tolerated, and expressed this to him. I was told I was wrong, and it was all in my head, and I believed this. It was turned around onto me, and blamed on my abusive upbringing and my depression. My intuition kept telling me something wasn't right, but I couldnt put my finger on it. I just knew I was incredibly and inexplicably unhappy. I chose to leave after 23 years of feeling empty and unhappy for at least 15 years, and wondering why I always felt angry, depressed, and resentful while feeling I constantly agreed with him. I literally felt like I was losing a grip on reality. I lost my identity completely in the marriage. I left that marriage feeling mentally shattered, and not having any sense of self-worth or self-confidence. If you can relate at all to my brief marital history you can benefit from reading this book. It's an excellent, easy-to-read resource to assist on a path toward self-love and empowerment. Anyone one who suffered this abuse, or any abuse can benefit from this book. I highly recommend her other book " Boundaries After A Pathological Relationship", and her website psychopathsandlove.com

This is by far the easiest-to-assimilate book of its genre - and I've seen a lot of them. I've been extensively researching narcissism, gas lighting and various psychological disorders. I wanted to understand how a strong, formerly independent and powerful woman could inexplicably become weak, powerless, jealous, and insecure in a relationship that started out so promisingly. The many other wonderful books, websites and blogs I've found have helped me immeasurably, to learn that certain vulnerabilities (due to upbringing, personality type, etc) make some people great targets for manipulative people. If you've ever been completely frustrated by someone, but when you try to explain it to someone else - or when you confront that person, you can't convey a solid reason - guess what? You might not "be crazy" -- you might be susceptible to subtle manipulation that boggles your mind and makes you tear your hair out.The beauty of this book is in its simplicity. The layout and writing are excellent for someone just figuring out that they might be the victim of controlling personalities. It's 60 awesome pages, and you can easily spot the specific issues you are personally experiencing. These results then help you narrow down the specific issues that apply to you personally, so you can research them further. There are also a lot of references in it to help you further your study. This book is a big wake-up call - BUY IT.

Adelyn Birch's books are very short (maybe 60 pages, including lots of white space), and not necessarily worth the $10 price. I also have her Boundaries book, and I will report she copies and pastes material (eg, lists) between them. All of that said, this book was surprisingly helpful to me. There were numerous phrases that made me gasp in recognition of things I had been feeling or things my husband does to manipulate me. On balance, I'm glad I bought one of Birch's books (but don't necessarily think I needed two).

I was in a relationship. It ended in a horrible way with lying, adultery,and many other things.I stumbled across this , book or should I say God revealed the book and brought it to me.I was totally dumbfounded and devastated about what had happened.As I read the book, I felt as if the book was reading nearly my relationship story and relationship with this person. I was SHOCKED! It was so correct, so detailed. It was like a movie script memorized and played out exactly the same on page, as in my relationship.It took several years to recover from the experience.This book is worth thousands of dollars just to save, and protect your heart and soul from a relationship ever happening again with a narccissist. You may have been devastated going through it once, but never again. Use this book, and you will see dynamics in co-workers, family, potential relationship partners.I'm amazed the author was able to clearly identify all the characteristics for us so we may be on guard. I am not paranoid and looking over my shoulder or being suspicious of every person, but if many of these traits seem to be part of one individual, I exile them from my life ASAP!This book, besides my bible is probably of the highest value per page books I have ever purchased.Great Book! Simple, Clear, and Concise.

I loved this book due to its practicality. It was very well-written, and I personally feel that I am more equipped with dealing NPDs and other types of pathological personalities.

I read this book in one seating and thoroughly felt engaged by it. As I read and learned about the different tactics, I felt more and more empowered. I gauged whether or not I myself was using tactics unconsciously and I gauged if any tactics were present in any other of my relationships.I think this should be required reading by every young adult especially when starting new relationships or entering marriage. Once you learn the manipulative tactics, you will be able to defend yourself against it. You will have clearer boundaries to protect yourself and will maintain your self worth. Plus you will know if you yourself are being manipulative or controlling in order to get what you want.This book is to the point, a short read, and worth every minute of your time for the sake of the quality of your life.

I don't recommend you this book. For the same price you have way better options. Poor quality book and product.

I will recommend to start reading the chapter that deals with intermitent reinforcement. I think it helps for a better comprehension of the entire subject.

I felt like this book was a mirror of a destructive 4 year relationship I’ve recently come out of. The author clearly knows the manipulation game and understands the emotional and physical health damage caused by the manipulator. Without doubt, this is the most informative and helpful book I’ve read on the topics of manipulation and narcissism.I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who feels they’ve been in a relationship that is manipulative, controlling, confusing and soul crushing.I shed many tears throughout the book, as it was all too familiar, however after finishing the book I no longer feel alone with what I’ve personally experienced. Healing will take however long it takes, but I’m so thankful I chose this book and absolutely recommended it!