There already are some out there, some very good. I have planned for a while to start one, probably within the next year, to fill some needs that are not yet being met. Among them, changing the divorce process when people with nasty personality disorders are involved. So, I'd like to be part of this discussion. There is plenty of room for all of us to try to help out there.

I can get to Los Angeles easily if there were to be a meeting.

I'm so impressed by the amount of caring and the desire to help others. What an awesome team of people are on this support group. I feel so fortunate to have met you all!

I would be happy to fly anywhere to meet you lovely ladies. Do a picnic..something fun. Something thats totally unrelated to our troubles. Like a yoga retreat or something! Something spiritual and fun so we can laugh about how much better we are doing you know?
This would be great. I'm so in.

Hi Ladies!!

I'm from India and obviously won't be able to join you for a picnic....but I'll be there in spirit :)

I don't want my facebook friends to know about my personal battles but if you need any chores to be done that involves making powerpoint slides or jpeg quotes or anything else...count me in :)

you all are awesome im so blessed today thank you . oh yea im from good old Washington state not far from seattle.

I am in, absoluetely. Both Feet. 100%.

Non-profits, ironically, are expensive to maintain... We would have to research that a bit.

I think step one would be arranging a meeting or setting up some kind of blog. A second thought- have any of you thought of writing a book about your experiences and what you know? We could all come together and share our stories and knowledge whether it be through what we've read, personally experienced, blog about etc.
I know this project won't happen overnight but its exciting to think about right?

I could dedicate my 30th mi Great Divide Ride to Survivors of Sociopaths and alike. Theme: Find your Strength - You can do it! :)

So we have Los Angeles India and Seattle. Where is everyone else from? Any other ideas on where and how to start? Would be happy to combine all of our interests into one big project!!!!

I live in Oklahoma.... some call it Tornado Alley. Isn't it amazing how we come from so many corners of the world, to help each other heal and overcome our pain. I don't want to think where I would be if I hadn't found this amazing site with such kind hearted good souls. And Angel, I love your suggestion for the theme: Find Your Strength - You can do it! I like that a lot!

It is pretty amazing. Especially because we dont know one another at all in our actual personal lives! I feel closer to some of you than my own friends. Thank you all so much for being there for me. You're all beautiful wonderful people.
Lets help each other heal!
And I like the find your strength theme!
how does findyourstrength.com sound?!? haha

Hi. I am originally from Peoria; lived in Los Angeles area for about 10 years and have been transplanted to BFE, Indiana (a rural patch south of South Bend) for about 20 years. Just a question: have you considered that there are grants available, through DOJ violence against women department, for example? I was reading a while ago about gaining non-profit status because I was going to try to raise some funds to get out of here. But the NCADV and other groups operate via funds. One thing that has bothered me a lot about those types (DV) groups is the insistence on having to leave and give up everything you own ... and though the local advocate here (bless her) has helped me in a few key ways, it is next to impossible to get help if you are of a higher socioeconomic class or background. Maybe in some areas it is different, but around here, other than "shelter" and some counseling, most of the "services" are referrals to things that anyone is eligible for .. . as long as they are "eligible". For example, I have a college decree, so there is no way I can get training or educational "help" for new career, even if I can't do what I was educated for, due to PTSD.

And I am not trying to badmouth ... I was an advocate for a couple years; also worked in a social services type agency and I understand how a lot of the funding and "all else" works ... or doesn't. But I find it appalling for people to tell others (who are already being victimized) that there is "help" then when they go for it ... it mostly evaporates. Plus, when I was shunted into that system (by the police, who simultaneously claimed I was the DV "offender" ... say what?) and into the shelter, nobody told me that I was "most likely" to lose custody of my children, why or what I could do to combat it. Instead, I mostly experienced more terrorization, hearing about how "he is going to kill you", having to watch movies about others who'd been killed and the candlelight vigils for other people who'd died.

There is a big need to prevent/end some of the IPV that isn't "physical", like the legal, financial and psychological abuses. I would guess that it might not be "easy" but would be possible to get some funding (and credibility) through some of the funding streams that already exist. My father recently passed away and he told me to "forget about all this stuff". I know I can't do anything much myself, but I told him that I was going to combat (as I could) the double victimization that people like me experience all too often; first from the ASPD batterer (clever and well-informed enough to usually avoid criminal charges) and then, from those who say they care and help. Advocacy is active and doesn't sit in an office waiting for calls ... it gets out, gets educated and makes a difference. My belief ... and practice.

I know I don't know you all that well, but the idea of contributing back, not just making a living, etc, has been one of my guiding principles for years.

If you want any information, too, I have been compiling a pdf library for a couple years ... it is not super well sorted, but there is a ton of information and reputable research saved that I am willing to share, on personality disorders, legal ramifications and a whole lot more ... including treatment for PTSD and other consequences. My latest "hobby horse" being the misdiagnosis of people affected by SPATHS and the like over years. I found a great article by a Canadian forensic psychiatrist who addresses the many sources of misdiagnosis of "mental illness" though it is not particular to this issue.

Yes, I would like to talk with many of you about all these ideas and also about mine. Especially Dadda. You and I REALLY need to talk. I am wary of saying too much on message boards that anyone can look at. Is there a way to set up a more private group so rather than message, we can talk among those that want to pursue this?

Like Dadda, I have a LOT of research into all facets of people with PDs, especially Cluster B PDs and especially NPD and psychopathy; effects on victims, especially high, chronic stress effects, complex PTSD, and other physical health effects and how to reverse them; things that need to be changed in the divorce process when dealing with PDs; and many related topics.

I am gathering "early warning signs" of dealing with NPDs and narcissistic-type psychopaths commonly shown in daily life in the hope that others may learn to recognize and avoid these types before they become too involved. I know there are many resources that talk about HOW they do what they do -- love-bombing, gaslighting, splitting, projection, etc. -- and these are very useful. But they may be too late by the time you see and understand this happening in your life. I see earlier warning signs in common, those that can be seen with repeated casual contact. I hope to compile and spread these.

I have also linked these types to many kinds of damage and am compiling a list of the damage each one person with NPD/narcissistic psychopath can do. It is a wide variety and links many societal ills. Yet when we say we fell victim to such people, right now, nobody knows what we mean. We understand physical and sexual abuse and recognize it as very bad, as a society, but we do not recognize narcissists and psychopaths as similarly bad, worse really.

I also am writing a fictionalized (somewhat disguised and mosaic) version of my story to show how savvy people become victims. And why they stay as long as they do. Leading the reader through it will help them understand the subtleness of it at first and then the trapped, helpless, fearful feeling of not being able to leave.

And I want to get certain scientific studies done that are needed for divorce court. And changes made to the divorce process, which is right now just one more opportunity for these types to abuse again.

Anyone else in?

I like the name findyourstrength.com , especially for a site focused on victim recovery.