Healing from Toxic Relationships: 10 Essential Steps to Recover from Gaslighting, Narcissism, and Emotional Abuse

A practical recovery plan outlining ten foundational steps to true healing, from a psychologist and the author of Gaslighting.

Surviving and escaping a toxic or abusive relationship can often only be part of the struggle. Long after, survivors often struggle to heal; your self-esteem may be damaged, you may feel rage and betrayal, and you may punish and/or blame yourself. The author of Gaslighting and specialist in toxic behavior, narcissistic abuse, and personality disorders, Dr. Stephanie Sarkis has seen it all--and she is here to help you understand how to move forward.

In Healing from Toxic Relationships, Dr. Sarkis extends compassion and knowledge to survivors, helping you understand the underpinnings of toxic behavior and how to find peace. Highlighting ten essential steps, Dr. Sarkis provides survivors with an accessible framework that can be applied to anyone preparing to heal:

1. Block or Limit Contact
2. Create Your Own Closure
3. Forgive Yourself
4. Establish Boundaries
5. Talk to a Professional
6. Practice Self-Care
7. Reconnect
8. Grieve
9. Look Outward
10. Prevent: Keeping Toxic People Away

Anyone who is in a toxic relationship―whether it's with a romantic partner, colleague, family member, or friend―deserves a way out and a path forward. Dr. Sarkis offers help and hope.

Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, PhD, NCC, DCMHS, LMHC is a psychotherapist specializing in anxiety, gaslighting, narcissistic abuse, and ADHD. She is the author of several books, including the best-selling Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People—and Break Free. Dr. Sarkis is a National Certified Counselor, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family and Circuit Mediator.  She is an American Mental Health Counselors Association Diplomate with a designation of Clinical Mental Health Specialist in Child and Adolescent Counseling, one of only 20 therapists in the US with that designation. She has been in private practice for 20 years. She is a senior contributor for Forbes, a contributor to Psychology Today, and the host of the Talking Brains podcast. She is based in Tampa, Florida. You can visit her website at www.stephaniesarkis.com.