Blog Archives
Chasing Rescue: Surviving Narcissistic Abuse
Chasing Rescue is a heartfelt guide to understanding, surviving, and healing from narcissistic abuse. Written by Tonya McBean and Dr. Mishel Rych, the book combines intimate storytelling with therapeutic insights. McBean recounts her own harrowing experience of living with a narcissistic partner, from the early love-bombing to the eventual unraveling of her life, while Dr. Rych offers clinical context and coping strategies to help others navigate similar abuse. Together, they provide not only validation but also a structured path toward reclaiming one’s identity, self-worth, and peace.
McBean’s writing is vulnerable and bold. Her story of enduring emotional, financial, and psychological abuse is gripping, and at times, it made me angry, heartbroken, and fiercely protective of her and her children. The strength it must’ve taken to survive, let alone write about it so openly, is staggering. There were moments I had to set the book down just to sit with the heaviness. But then I’d pick it back up, because she also writes with hope. She shows us what healing looks like. It’s not a smooth climb, but a jagged, stubborn trek with bruises and breakthroughs. That authenticity made it impossible not to root for her.
Dr. Rych’s sections are where the light really comes in. Her insights explain the patterns and psychology behind narcissistic behavior and how it messes with a person’s mind and soul. She breaks down clinical terms in a way that feels like a friend gently guiding you through a storm. The blend of practical advice, spiritual encouragement, and psychological framing helps the book land its punches without leaving you hopeless. I especially appreciated the call to action, that healing is our responsibility, not our fault. That resonated with me.
This book is not just a memoir, and it’s not just a self-help guide. It’s a lifeline. I’d recommend Chasing Rescue to anyone stuck in the confusion of an abusive relationship, to those recovering from one, or even to people supporting someone through it. If you’ve ever doubted your reality or felt alone in your pain, this book will show you that you’re not crazy, and you’re not alone. It’s messy, it’s painful, and it’s real, but it’s also full of strength and redemption.
Pages: 134 | ASIN : B0F9BBK62J
Speaking For Those Who Do Not Feel Safe
No Ordinary Love follows several women whose stories reveal the terror and trauma of domestic abuse. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Because it’s my story—and the story of countless other women around the world. Despite how widespread intimate partner violence is, it continues to be treated as though it’s rare or private. It’s an epidemic. As long as that remains true, more stories need to be told. I was inspired by the women who spoke up before I found the strength to do the same. Now, I’m speaking for those who may not yet feel safe enough to share their truths.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told this moving story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The hardest part wasn’t the writing itself—I had already survived the events. In fact, the process of writing was profoundly therapeutic. What was most difficult was transitioning from that healing space into the often retraumatizing demands of publishing—critiques, edits, legal reviews, marketing, promotion. Writing gave me back my voice, my truth, my agency. But sharing it exposed me to judgment, disbelief, and the need to prove my experiences.
What was especially painful was the fact that I had to fictionalize elements of my own life story—not to protect myself, but to protect the identity of my abuser. After being silenced for over two decades, I finally found the courage to speak out. Yet, I still had to call my memoir “fictionalized” when it’s 98% truth, with only minor changes made to shield the person who harmed me. That’s harder than I can express in 100,000 words.
What is one misconception you believe many people have regarding the aftermath of domestic abuse?
That the abuse ends when you leave. It doesn’t. What I wanted to highlight most in No Ordinary Love is the aftermath—the long shadow trauma casts, the lingering triggers, and the decades it can take to fully disentangle yourself from the psychological grip of abuse. Healing is not linear. It is life-long.
What is one thing you hope your readers take away from No Ordinary Love?
I hope it inspires honest, necessary conversations—about the subtle and insidious nature of coercive control, how it undermines autonomy, the long-term psychological impact of chronic abuse, and the intersection of trauma, mental health, and systemic failure. Most of all, I want to illuminate the barriers survivors face in their search for safety, support, and validation.
No Ordinary Love
No Ordinary Love, by BB Gabriel, is a searing memoir that threads together the lives of several women grappling with the many faces of intimate partner violence. Through a braided narrative—alternating between Gabbi, Alex, Katee, and others—the book unveils the terror, trauma, and tangled aftermath of abuse while illuminating slivers of healing and resilience. This story stomps, screams, and weeps across the pages, detailing coercion, fear, childhood confusion, and adult reckoning. Told in raw vignettes and memory-soaked prose, it is not just one survivor’s story—it’s a collective mirror for far too many.
Reading No Ordinary Love shook me. There were moments I wanted to put it down and moments I couldn’t look away. The writing, often poetic and stark, pulled me close enough to feel the fear and the fresh heartbreak. Gabriel doesn’t romanticize trauma, and that’s what makes her voice trustworthy. She doesn’t craft her pain into tidy scenes or polished resolutions. Her story spills over in waves—sometimes chaotic, sometimes controlled—and always relatable. The structure, with its shifting timelines and perspectives, felt disorienting at times, but maybe that’s the point. Trauma is disorienting. This book doesn’t offer clarity; it offers truth.
I admired the way Gabriel let silence linger in her writing. Some chapters stopped short, leaving me breathless, the same way trauma interrupts a life. And yet, she also knows when to lean in—when to take us all the way through a panic attack, a memory, a phone call no one wants to make. This book isn’t just about surviving abuse. It’s about what comes after—the guilt, the longing, the ghosts that live in your muscles. And somehow, it’s also about love. Love between sisters. Love that fights back. Love that rebuilds.
I’d recommend No Ordinary Love to anyone willing to confront the brutal honesty of what abuse looks like behind closed doors—and what it takes to speak it aloud. It’s a gut punch for survivors, advocates, and even bystanders who have wondered, “Why doesn’t she just leave?” This book is for those who stayed. For those who left. And for those who still carry the weight of it all.
Pages: 381 | ASIN : B0DRZ5Z51X
You Are Not Alone, You Are Not To Blame
The Lion & The Narcissist leads readers through a gripping personal journey of emotional manipulation, psychological trauma, spiritual resilience, and, ultimately, self-liberation. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This book was definitely more of a calling than a plan. I can’t say that I planned to write the book. I literally just began writing. It began with journaling just to make sense of “my narcissist’s lies”. When people say the lies are crazy making they are absolutely, 100%, unequivocally correct. Narcissists engage in the highest level of deception which robs their victims of reality. The first part of my life I had to regain control of was my very sense of reality and the only way to do that was by writing everything down. For me personally, writing also became an integral part of managing my medical treatments and navigating the legal system. Few people know that it was through researching and writing I was equipping myself to be my own advocate in systems poorly equipped to help victims of narcissistic abuse. No one was able to help me understand what I had just experienced and few people were interested in holding my abuser accountable. Everyone just wanted to give me a band-aid and tell me “I would be ok”. Most of all writing this book supported my healing by helping me identify and label what I had experienced and why. Researching miraculously led me to resources that could actually help me. I also believe writing this book gave me the courage to hold my abuser accountable without backing down in fear. The more I learned about the tactics narcissists use and the effects this nefarious form of abuse had on innocent people the more passionate I became about making some kind of change. These wicked individuals must be held accountable and people had to be warned that they exist. The best part was it did not end there for me. I was compelled to seek deeper meaning in it all and that is what led me to the most important book ever written…..the Bible. I am certain the entire process was God’s call on my life to seek Him, find Him and surrender to Him. While my experience is something I don’t wish anyone to endure, I would not trade in the person I have become having survived, trusting the Lord was beside me every step of the way. I would never trade my relationship with Jesus Christ for anything in the world. Writing my book led me to Him and has given me a testimony to teach about His goodness and mercy.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
This is a really hard question to answer. Hindsight, reading my book years after writing it, I think the most important idea to share is just how difficult it is for a victim of narcissistic abuse to explain it to others. Narcissists are so incredibly cunning, malicious and depraved that our very human nature makes it hard to believe they exist. The reality is not just that narcissists not only exist but they are a real manifestation of evil masquerading themselves as good and ordinary people. Even I learned over the years we can’t tell people what a narcissist or narcissistic abuse is, we have to show them so they can identify it for what it is. Equip them with hard truths. By nature I don’t think people want to believe evil exists in our own relationships and/or families. By avoiding the truth we open ourselves up to dangers allowing it to destroy us. I think the most important idea I could have shared by writing the book is the effects such behaviors can have on our lives and warn others of the detriment allowing and tolerating abuse is to our lives: physically, mentally and spiritually.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)?
I have two very strong opinions on this. The number one misconception I feel some people have about narcissistic personality disorder is that the narcissist will or can change. This is probably the most dangerous misconception out there. As a Christian, this is difficult to reconcile because we know God can do all things and His arm is not too short to save anyone. The understanding I have come to believe is narcissists are reprobate minds. Hallmark traits of NPD are pride, arrogance and the sense of entitlement traits that point to self adoration in the narcissist rather than a love for God. NPDs also lack self-reflection and accountability, making them resistant to both repentance and calling on God to save them. Statiscally, narcissists do not change. Believing they will only prolong the abuse the victim does not deserve. This misconception can cost someone their life. The second misconception I feel about NPD is labeling it a mental illness. NPD is a personality disorder which differs greatly from mental illnesses that can be treated. I believe personality disorders are a spiritual disease, a state of the person’s soul. A reprobate mind is a person who chooses to live in perpetual sin having little, if any desire to please God. Narcissists, like psychopaths and sociopaths live corrupt and extremely selfish lives. Sin and corruption have become justified and acceptable in people who have NPD. Sadly, reprobate minds are people whom God ultimately rejects and has left to their own devices. Standing firm in hard truths God has revealed in His word, it is my opinion NPD is a clear manifestation of evil in our world.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from your book?
I hope that after reading my book readers can walk away with a clear understanding of what narcissistic personality disorder is, identify a toxic relationship and understand the dangers of being in relationships with narcissists. Ideally I hope that educating others on the topic prevents people from entering into relationships with dangerous personalities by helping them identify red flags and run.,,,,,fast and far! Sadly there are many who are currently in relationships with people who are causing them harm. For those people I hope my book helps them to understand they are not alone, they are not to blame and they are not helpless. There is no shame having fallen for someone who didn’t reveal their true nature in the beginning. That is what predators do. There is no shame in not having seen the red flags. There is no shame for having tolerated some of the things we have tolerated out of the kindness in our own hearts. But now is the time for you, the reader, to Get Up and say enough is enough. It is time for you to Stand Up knowing that you are a son or daughter of the King who created you to be loved. His promises are true and He will take you by the hand and never stop fighting for you. It is not going to be easy but you will come to the other side.
Awarded a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP), Katherine has been an advanced practiced nurse teaching in higher education for over 20 years. She holds multiple degrees, honors and certifications. In addition to earning a Master’s of Degree (MSN) in nursing focused on nursing education and doctorate in leadership and policy change, she is recognized as a neuro-linguistic programming practitioner by the International Guild for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Her passion is to educate those tormented by abuse. She helps others better understand narcissism, how victims are targeted and snared in a den of deception, then trapped in a cycle of narcissistic abuse. Her story helps victims navigate recovery in a society still ill-equipped to help victims of this complex and poorly understood type of abuse.
Using storytelling, the protagonist in her memoirs transforms from victim to triumphant. The layers used in this thrilling allegorical literary work are woven with scientific evidence based research about narcissistic personality disorder(NPD) and the effects of its abuse on the mind, body and soul.
By targeting victims, narcissists guarantee success by taking advantage of people they view as having weak boundaries. Mixed with nonfiction, the metaphorical use of the lion paints a vivid picture of the dynamics between narcissists and empathic or codependent victims. After reading this book, it becomes clear how strategies such as love bombing, hoovering, gaslighting, projection, blame shifting, and ghosting are used to create a trauma bond. Providing definitions for terms which are personified in a raw, real life depiction of how tactics can diminish one’s self-esteem, self-worth, and self-identity readers will become well-informed. The tactics and their effects are creatively exposed in this well- articulated testimony.
Using informative writing grounded in science the book provides a clear picture of the progression and escalation of abuse. Strategies used to gain and maintain control are organized using the stages of the narcissistic cycle of abuse. Readers can identify clearly how they were targeted and groomed within phases of idealization, devaluation and discard illustrated in this book. Katherine explains characteristics of and goes deeper to validate how narcissists practice master manipulation in order weaken and destabilize their victims and reveals how they can gain control.
Narcissistic abuse uses all forms of intimate partner abuse including emotional, psychological, sexual, spiritual and physical abuse. Unrecognized it can completely break the human spirit and in some cases escalate into domestic violence. Through this provocative and personal testimony the dangers of exploitative relationships are confirmed.
The declaration of truths, overcoming the trauma, developing a strong identity and inner strength found in Christ will inspire any reader. Katherine’s journey can teach victims there is a way out of the darkness in the lion’s den.“In the midst of my awakening, I recognized that I was fighting with the devil himself, but that I was never alone. Although I was a victim largely of my own choices, the Holy Spirit within me, revealed there was a battle coming against me and I was going to win.” -K. Tsiampas
The Lion and the Narcissist
The Lion & The Narcissist is a piercing and powerful memoir by Katherine Tsiampas that details her experience in a relationship with a man she later identifies as a narcissist. Drawing rich metaphors between narcissistic abuse and the predatory nature of lions, Tsiampas leads readers through a gripping personal journey of emotional manipulation, psychological trauma, spiritual resilience, and, ultimately, self-liberation. With a voice both fierce and vulnerable, she unpacks the psychological patterns of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and how these patterns infiltrated every corner of her life, faith, and identity.
Tsiampas compares narcissists to lions—majestic on the outside, deadly beneath the surface. The way she sets the tone early makes it clear this isn’t just about psychology—it’s about survival. I couldn’t stop reading. The writing is intense and deeply poetic. Sometimes, it felt like I was holding my breath.
Tsiampas’s honesty is brutal in the best way. When she shared the moment she realized she was prey—emotionally vulnerable after a breakup, working tirelessly, raising two kids, and still blind to the danger—I felt that deep in my gut. “To the narcissist, all this…made me the prey he perceived would never fight back”. Her self-awareness, especially in hindsight, is admirable. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything, even her own compliance. I found myself nodding, sometimes crying, especially when she describes how easily charm, flattery, and attention can seduce someone who just wants to be seen and loved.
What stayed with me the most was how she frames narcissistic abuse as not only psychological warfare but also a spiritual battle. Her faith is woven throughout the story—not preachy, but personal and grounding. She talks about God as her anchor, the Holy Spirit guiding her, and the voice that told her to “Get up.” There’s something powerful in watching someone reclaim not just their sense of self but their sacred worth. I needed that reminder. Her description of the discard phase, when the narcissist leaves his victim completely shattered, is absolutely heartbreaking and terrifying.
The Lion & The Narcissist is a wake-up call and a guide for anyone who’s ever found themselves lost in a relationship that felt too good to be true and then turned into a nightmare. I would recommend this book to women who are healing from emotional abuse, to therapists seeking firsthand insight, and to anyone who needs to remember that they are not alone. It’s especially powerful for women of faith who have been taught to endure silently. Katherine Tsiampas reminds us that God doesn’t ask us to stay with predators. He asks us to get up. And fight. And survive.
Pages: 270 | ASIN : B0961NPXZ7
It Takes a Woman to Empower Women
Johanna Crawford’s It Takes a Woman to Empower Women is a heartfelt guidebook for women navigating the aftermath of abusive relationships. Drawing from her personal experiences and her work with over 2,200 survivors through the Web of Benefit nonprofit, Crawford combines memoir with practical advice. The book walks readers through the nuances of abuse, offering a mix of survivor stories, empowerment exercises, and step-by-step strategies for building a life free of violence. With its central themes of resilience, self-care, and dreaming big, the book is a beacon of hope for women reclaiming their power.
One thing that stood out to me was Crawford’s candid storytelling. Her recounting of her own childhood trauma, marked by her father’s abuse and her mother’s despair, was both heartbreaking and inspiring. In Chapter 1, she writes about how she used to crawl to the end of her bed in fear, clutching her blanket as her father raged below. These raw glimpses into her past not only ground the book in authenticity but also show that she understands survival on a personal level.
It’s not just advice she’s offering—it’s hard-won wisdom. The actionable tips sprinkled throughout the book are empowering and refreshing. I especially appreciated the journaling prompts and affirmations, which encourage introspection and self-love. However, I wish she delved deeper into some of the more complex challenges survivors face, such as navigating systemic barriers to financial independence. While the book touches on these issues, it left me wanting a bit more.
The most moving parts of the book were the survivor stories, like Choko’s in Chapter 2. Crawford recounts how Choko, a doctor in her home country, fled an abusive husband to rebuild her life in the U.S. Despite financial struggles and her son’s resentment, she persisted with the help of Web of Benefit grants. Reading about Choko’s transformation from despair to empowerment felt like a testament to the book’s message. These stories make the book shine, illustrating that hope and recovery are possible.
It Takes a Woman to Empower Women is a compassionate and inspiring resource. It’s perfect for survivors of abuse looking to reclaim their lives and for anyone seeking to understand the journey of resilience. The writing is straightforward and conversational, making it accessible without diminishing the gravity of its subject matter.
Pages: 203 | ASIN : B0CCZSTJWG
LITERARY TITAN 