Love bombing and manipulation tactics

Real love means doing what is best for someone without losing yourself or destroying your well-being, as true love involves caring for both yourself and the...

Worth exploring

Women evaluating potential partners.

Sourced from the doctors, PhDs and clinicians behind Entrain. Updated

The strongest voice

“Real love means doing what is best for someone without losing yourself or destroying your well-being, as true love involves caring for both yourself and the other person.”

an attachment coach and former licensed marriage and family therapist · Instagram

In their own words

One faithful sentence per source, linked to the moment it was said; quiet chips mark where money is involved.

an attachment coach and former licensed marriage and family therapist recommend
“Real love means doing what is best for someone without losing yourself or destroying your well-being, as true love involves caring for both yourself and the other person.”

an attachment coach and former licensed marriage and family therapist · Instagram

an attachment coach and former licensed marriage and family therapist recommend
“Asking more questions ruthlessly makes it harder for toxic people to hide and easier for healthy men to lean in, serving as a key distinguishing factor.”

an attachment coach and former licensed marriage and family therapist · Instagram

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license recommend
“Manipulative individuals recruit allies who validate their narrative and reinforce their desired image, often without those allies realizing they are being manipulated.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · Instagram

a licensed mental health counselor recommend
“Narcissists avoid reality and protect themselves from pain by creating new fantasies with new partners, moving on without regret, which is a defense mechanism.”

a licensed mental health counselor · Instagram

a licensed mental health counselor against
“Love bombing bypasses the slow, steady process of building safety and trust and is not real intimacy even though it can feel like it.”

a licensed mental health counselor · Instagram

a licensed mental health counselor recommend
“You can ask yourself if the connection feels safe or just familiar, if you are being seen or idolized, and if you can take your time or if things are being rushed to discern love bombing.”

a licensed mental health counselor · Instagram

a licensed mental health counselor against
“Love bombing is less about genuine connection and more about projection, creating an unstable idealized version that is not built on reality.”

a licensed mental health counselor · Instagram

a mental health counselor and author recommend
“Using the phrase 'I see things differently' helps to avoid engaging in the gaslighter's attempts to control the narrative and redirect the conversation.”

a mental health counselor and author · Instagram

a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology recommend
“Pursuing wisdom without love is a radical error; true understanding requires the power of love alongside wisdom.”

a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology · Instagram

a human connection specialist against
“Gaslighting is denying someone's reality by telling them their feelings or perspective are not true and making them question their own experience.”

a human connection specialist · Instagram

a certified relationship coach recommend
“If you start to question a new partner's character or suspect narcissism within the first six months, you should run in the opposite direction.”

a certified relationship coach · TikTok

a certified relationship coach recommend
“Mistreatment by others is a reflection of their capacity, not your worth, and realizing this helps you stop giving them power over your emotional state and facilitates letting go.”

a certified relationship coach · TikTok

a mental health counselor and author strong
“Dismissing someone's feelings by accusing them of projecting is a form of gaslighting and emotional abuse.”

a mental health counselor and author · TikTok

a human connection specialist conditional
“Love bombing appeals to a wounded part of someone who desperately wants to be chosen, making them susceptible when still living out that fantasy, and it often bypasses discernment about whether someone is a good fit.”

a human connection specialist · TikTok

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license against
“Pathological lying is not just about lying but shows a lack of empathy and reckless disregard for the emotional well-being of others, causing devastating harm.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license recommend
“Manipulation is a deliberate act to deceive and control others and should not be confused with mere heartbreak or hurt feelings.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license against
“Using emotional blackmail, guilt, jealousy, and possessiveness to control partners in extramarital affairs is harmful and indicative of unhealthy dynamics.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license recommend
“Being aware of people who exploit and deceive others helps protect oneself and family from harm.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video sponsored

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license strong
“Pathological lying and manipulative behaviors severely damage trust and safety in relationships, especially when children are involved.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license recommend
“Identifying controlling and manipulative behaviors is crucial for protecting oneself and making informed decisions about continuing or ending a relationship.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license against
“Dr. Phil illustrates how individuals can be manipulated into sending large sums of money to fraudulent romantic partners, emphasizing the emotional and financial dangers involved.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license neutral
“Dr. Phil notes that scammers exploit emotional currency such as excitement and hope, which can be as compelling as monetary currency for victims.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license against
“Online romantic relationships involving requests for money, especially gift cards, are often scams and should be approached with extreme caution.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license strongly against
“A person who knowingly deceives others for personal gain without regard for their feelings demonstrates a dark pathology characterized by coldness and contempt, which can be dangerous.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license recommend
“Experiencing deception and betrayal can serve as painful tuition that leads to personal growth and better judgment in future relationships.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license recommend
“People should be cautious of individuals who use elaborate lies and manipulation to gain trust and resources, as these behaviors often escalate and can be dangerous.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license recommend
“The expert explains that con artists are skilled at inspiring confidence and that victims should understand they were targeted by a professional predator, not blame themselves for being deceived.”

a media host and psychologist with a lapsed clinical license · source video

a certified relationship coach against
“You cannot convince someone to love you or choose you, and trying to do so causes immense suffering and insecurity.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach recommend
“How someone treats you is a reflection of their capacity and emotional state, not a reflection of your worth, and recognizing this is a major breakthrough for healing self-esteem.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach against
“Avoiding responsibility and manipulating the narrative to avoid being the villain in someone's story is a core sign of emotional immaturity and poor character.”

a certified relationship coach · source video

a certified relationship coach against
“You cannot convince someone to love you or choose you, and trying to do so is profoundly settling and never works.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach against
“You cannot convince someone to love you or choose you and trying to do so leads to loss of dignity and self-betrayal, and only causes emotional exhaustion and eventual failure.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach recommend
“Love is a choice and action, not just a feeling; couples must work on erotic and passionate aspects to maintain long-term attraction.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach neutral
“A narcissistic person is someone who has a narcissistic personality style or many narcissistic traits such as variable empathy, pathological selfishness, entitlement, grandiosity, arrogance, and validation seeking consistently across relationships, but the term narcissist is often misused and can be misleading.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach against
“The overuse and weaponization of the term narcissist is dangerous because it oversimplifies a nuanced phenomenon and can dismiss real suffering in narcissistic relationships by lumping all difficult people into that category.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach recommend
“Key signs to identify narcissistic relationships include variable empathy, pathological selfishness, entitlement, excessive need for admiration, chronic betrayal, lying, dismissive or unkind communication, and escalation of abuse when confronted.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach conditional
“Milder narcissistic traits might allow for some change that could make a relationship sustainable but not fully healthy, whereas severe narcissism is unlikely to change due to rigid defenses.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach against
“There is no particular type of person who tends to fall for narcissists; everyone is differentially vulnerable, and even people who have done a lot of self-work can be attracted to narcissistic charm and charisma.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a certified relationship coach recommend
“Most criminals, especially repeat offenders, tend to have narcissistic traits, and narcissism is strongly linked to aggression, violence, domestic abuse, and impulsive angry crimes due to thin-skinned provocation and poor consequence learning.”

a certified relationship coach · source video sponsored

a mental health counselor and author against
“Repeatedly threatening divorce without following through makes it an empty threat and undermines the seriousness of the situation; if the marriage is over, one should have the courage to say so clearly.”

a mental health counselor and author · source video sponsored

Worth discussing with your GP, especially if you take medication or are pregnant. Entrain describes what is publicly taught; it does not prescribe.

Journaling and self-authoring

If you have a good idea, write it down because it is a gift that could change your whole life and forgetting it could prevent progress.

Strong consensus

“If you have a good idea, write it down because it is a gift that could change your whole life and forgetting it could prevent progress.”

a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of psychology · TikTok

Metabolic psychiatry and brain energy theory

Mental illnesses are symptoms of metabolic dysfunction affecting the whole body and brain, not just isolated brain problems.

Strong consensus

“Mental illnesses are symptoms of metabolic dysfunction affecting the whole body and brain, not just isolated brain problems.”

a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist specializing in metabolic psychiatry · Instagram

EMDR and trauma processing

He discusses new ways to treat anxiety, OCD, and PTSD by focusing on brain metabolic health rather than only symptoms.

Strong consensus

“He discusses new ways to treat anxiety, OCD, and PTSD by focusing on brain metabolic health rather than only symptoms.”

a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist specializing in metabolic psychiatry · Instagram