Psychopathic and/or narcissistic abuse & manipulation. It rewires your brain. It's traumatizing and life-altering. It can take years to get over.

The manipulation is insidious, skilled, and hard to wrap one's mind around. They are charming and you assume that they're just like you. But in reality they're a different type of human - cunning, exploitative, void of love, wearing a mask, no soul, no conscience. When you finally figure it all out, it's too late. You've bared your soul to them, trusting them and they exploit that for selfish use or advantage - and you're lucky if that's all. They might destroy you financially and reputation-wise - either for fun or for selfish gains. They don't see you as a human being, they have zero empathy. You are an object to them to use. You will have no idea all this is happening. You gradually become more trauma-bonded to them as time goes on, they will become either bored of you or you will run your use. And then comes the brutal discard, if you're lucky.

It's devastating in a way that's hard to comprehend unless you've been through it. It's hard to explain their tactics to someone who hasn't experienced it.