Empaths and Emotionally Manipulative People

Being an empath can be tough on a good day, but add in people who try to manipulate you or control your emotions and you are in for a rough ride.

Emotionally manipulative people try to gain power or control over others by using sneaky, deceptive tactics to change their thinking, behavior, or perceptions. They will lie, guilt, bully and use passive aggressive techniques to maintain this control as they systematically erode the self confidence of those around them. 

• These individuals operate by twisting everything you say to make you feel bad or second guess yourself.
• They use guilt to control others.
• They’ll do or say things, then pretend they didn’t, leaving you to question your own memory or even sanity! 
• They’ll conveniently omit information from their stories, further twisting stories and peoples opinions.
• Their situations are always worse than other peoples and they will dismiss other peoples experiences.
• They will exploit situations to make themselves look more like the victim or hero depending on their motivation or audience.
• They will insist you only go to the places they want to, and only see their friends. (If they actually have any friends, which is another sign something is wrong.)
• They focus on their own experiences and discount other peoples trauma.
• They will almost never take responsibility for their actions.

The signs of emotional manipulation are often subtle, especially in the beginning, but over time become more and more controlling and vicious. Because most manipulative partners or parents are masters of disguising they're overwhelming need for control, it maybe difficult to recognize these types of controlling behaviors. The motivation may come off as real love, but usually your body will send you a signal that something isn't right, especially if you are an empath. You may have a physical reaction to the manipulation, become ill or experience anxiety attacks. Listen to your body and put boundaries in place.

Remember, we all deserve healthy and happy relationships. You do not have to settle. If you would like to discuss this further, I’m here to support my empath brothers and sisters.

Speak soon,
​Sarah