This episode of Stories We Weren’t Supposed to Tell takes us one step deeper into Krystle’s story.

Last episode, Krystle shared the experiences that shaped her life. Today, Sunshine and Krystle takes those experiences and breaks down the manipulation, trauma responses, and patterns that Krystle didn't even realize were happening.

Welcome to Krystle’s Manipulation Whisperer episode.

We start with three little letters that can control so much of our lives without us even realizing it.

FOG. Fear. Obligation. Guilt.

Krystle opens up about how fear shaped her decisions long after the abuse ended, how obligation became a way of life, and how guilt kept her putting everyone else's needs before her own.

We revisit her relationships and uncover the manipulation hiding beneath the surface. Sexual coercion, triangulation, isolation, gaslighting, blame shifting, DARVO, future faking, intermittent reinforcement, and the slow erosion of her ability to trust herself.

We talk about what happens when someone manipulates you for so long that even when the evidence is sitting right in front of you, you still question what you know to be true.

And then there's the discard.

Sunshine uses an analogy from The Manipulation Whisperer about being thrown off a boat and desperately trying to get back on, never stopping to ask whether that boat was safe in the first place.

Krystle takes that analogy even further, explaining what it actually feels like when the person hurting you is also the person you believe can save you.

But we don't stop at identifying manipulation.

We talk about people-pleasing, loving someone's potential instead of who they actually are, the difference between empathy and self-abandonment, and why healing also means taking an honest look at our own behaviors.

Krystle shares how trauma affected her ability to handle conflict, why she sometimes shuts down when confronted, and how recognizing those responses has helped her begin changing them.

And we talk about the things that helped her find herself again. Meditation, movement, caring for her body, learning boundaries, laughter, and forgiveness.

Because recognizing what someone did to you is only part of healing.

The other part is learning how to trust yourself again.

And when we return to the question Krystle answered in her original episode, what would you tell yourself at your lowest point?, her answers bring everything full circle.

From a young girl who was afraid of everything to a woman who refuses to let that darkness consume her again.

Krystle calls herself a light.

Sunshine calls her a lighthouse.

And this episode shows us why.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, sexual coercion, emotional abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, religious trauma, manipulation, and suicidal thoughts.

Want to know more about Krystle?

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Want to learn more about manipulation?

Find Sunshine's book The Manipulation Whisperer, along with her other books, healing resources, and tools to help you recognize manipulation and rebuild trust in yourself.

or if you have a story you want to share on the podcast?

Visit SunshineFayeMedia.com

Sunshine Faye ☀️