20 Comments
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Brian Lee's avatar

So well written. Thanks for this incredibly helpful resource.

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Aundi Kolber, Therapist+Author's avatar

This is excellent, Jenai. Well done.

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Jenai Auman's avatar

Thanks, Aundi! I planned on sending you this one via text before I saw you already commented!

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Aundi Kolber, Therapist+Author's avatar

That means a lot! It's so good. I'm loving how you're fleshing this out and giving language to the nuance involved (and how that can sometimes get turned against survivors)

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Ashley Abercrombie's avatar

This is so powerful!! Thank you for sharing. "Intentional misalignment in explicit and implicit messaging works in a manipulative person’s favor." Shew wee - I appreciate you!

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Tasha Jun's avatar

So good. Thank you for writing this.

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Jenai Auman's avatar

Thanks, Tasha!

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Andrea Stoeckel's avatar

Dealing with a narcissistic ex and "who gets who" and "where can I be where there won't be a fight" as part of a divorce. Thanx for the reminders

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Bethny Ricks's avatar

This is soooooo good!!!!

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Camden Morgante's avatar

Boundaries are what YOU will do differently not requiring that others change. There is definitely an overuse and manipulation of therapeutic language.

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Allan Morton Jr.'s avatar

So, so good, Jenai.

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Jenai Auman's avatar

Thanks, Allan!

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Jess Fadel's avatar

Your clarity and pastoral words are so helpful, Jenai. Thank you for all the work you put into these writings. I’m sure this will be an aid to many, including myself.

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Jenai Auman's avatar

Thanks, Jess. I think I found my research/reading/writing niche and I like living here!

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Jennifer Ji-Hye Ko's avatar

So helpful! As an Autistic communication is confusing. I was the perfect victim. I’m thankful for you and grateful to be 1) growing in discernment and 2) listening to my discernment.

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Jenai Auman's avatar

There was so much I wanted to say about neurodivergent vs. neurotypical communication, but I had to edit it out for length! If you want to take that idea and run with it for your own substack, please do!

I think there’s so much to say. I think autistic folks are appropriately sensitive to maladaptive forms of communication!

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Bron Taylor's avatar

I added Othered to my Read Immediately piles. More comments (count on it) after I read it.

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Jenai Auman's avatar

Yes! Please comment. Tell me what you think!

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Hannah B. Makes's avatar

This article was FANTASTIC. And as someone with CPTSD, raised by a malignant covert narcissist, I know this unhealthy, gross, manipulative vibe well and I have absolutely ZERO tolerance for it. And in my last experience with someone like this (who is now an ex-friend), what’s WILD is that in hindsight, I realized my body recognized the behavior before my brain caught on. That behavior can be so covert (for many reasons you eloquently articulated in this piece), that our brains are trying to work it out while our bodies are like, “🚨THIS FEELS LIKE AN EXPERIENCE WE’VE HAD BEFORE!!” I love what you said about discerning is about becoming. (Paraphrased) I’ve learned that for me part of that is learning to trust the wisdom and discernment of my body because she’s usually a few steps ahead of my cognition. Thank you for this piece! It was excellent!

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Bonni Mace's avatar

Asking questions to build discernment is such solid advice. I appreciate you taking the time to gracefully call this out because I think it’s becoming increasingly more common.

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