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Narcissistic Predicaments A Biblical Guide To Navigating The Schemes, Snares, And No Win Situations Unique To Abusive Families by Pittelli, Sister Renee [Outskirts Press,2010]
Narcissistic Predicaments A Biblical Guide To Navigating The Schemes, Snares, And No Win Situations Unique To Abusive Families by Pittelli, Sister Renee. Published by Outskirts Press,2010, Paperback
Unknown Binding
First published April 20, 2010
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67 people want to read
About the author
Renee Pittelli
14 books7 followersSister Renee Pittelli is a married mother of two grown sons, and co-founder of Luke 17:3 Ministries.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 31, 2014
Love this Book
I have read many, many books on narcissism, betrayal and abuse. They have been good but they lacked this biblical perspective that is captured here. Because I was raised in a loosely Christian home, I needed to combat the scripture verses that my birth-mother would use so valiantly to punish and abuse with. If I did not do what my mother said to do, I was a bad Christian and not honoring my mother. Very narcissistic. Her punishment had left me with not wanting to go back to church for a lot of years. Thank you Sister Renee Pittelli for exposing the games these very sick people play. I am actually seeing my abuse differently today. In particular how crafty my birth-mother has been in trying to pin this No Contact on me when she was the one who really disowned me first. Just another mind game. I will always refer back to these scriptures.
I have read many, many books on narcissism, betrayal and abuse. They have been good but they lacked this biblical perspective that is captured here. Because I was raised in a loosely Christian home, I needed to combat the scripture verses that my birth-mother would use so valiantly to punish and abuse with. If I did not do what my mother said to do, I was a bad Christian and not honoring my mother. Very narcissistic. Her punishment had left me with not wanting to go back to church for a lot of years. Thank you Sister Renee Pittelli for exposing the games these very sick people play. I am actually seeing my abuse differently today. In particular how crafty my birth-mother has been in trying to pin this No Contact on me when she was the one who really disowned me first. Just another mind game. I will always refer back to these scriptures.
November 29, 2010
This review first appeared on my blog: http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/1...
What it's about: It's about how to deal with abusive families, whether they are parents, siblings, or even extended family like aunts, uncles, and cousins.
It spells out the abusive methods that family members may use to control you, and provides you with coping strategies coupled with Biblical scripture to support those strategies, It also provides counter-arguments against such sayings as "Forgive and forget", "patience is a virtue", "honor thy mother and father" when those are thrown at you in an effort to get you to "go along" It is broken down into a number of chapters, each focusing on one aspect of abusive families and how to deal with them. It provides the Biblical definition of "honoring one's parents", and lets you know that forgiveness does not necessarily equal reconciliation. Step by step, it guides you through things that may be necessary in order for you to live your life free of the strive and stress caused by emotionally abusive families.
There are real-life examples, many taken from the author's own personal experience.
Pros: Although this is about dealing with an abusive family or family member, many of the strategies provided could also be used in dealing with an abusive partner, including "No Contact". All of the steps it spells out as well as the concrete examples of what constitutes emotional abuse are detailed and backed up by Scripture.
Cons: I was sometimes taken aback at what I perceived as "bitterness" when the author provided her own examples of familial abuse. At times, I personally just thought to myself, "Oh, my gosh; I understand that they were horrible to you, but that doesn't make it OK to wallow in it." Having my own emotionally abusive family members, I understand how traumatizing and long-lasting the effects can be, but I don't dwell on it, and when providing examples, I just state the facts and don't go into a diatribe about how terrible this or that person was. For me, the facts are enough that the person I'm talking to can get the picture without letting myself get upset all over again. .
Wrap-up: In spite of the few times when the author appears to be caught up in reliving the upsets of her own personal struggles, this book would be a valuable resource for anyone dealing with an abusive family or family member. I know that I could have used something like this when I was struggling to figure out what to do, and I have acquaintances that could definitely benefit or could have benefited from this as well.
It would especially be helpful for Christians, who, in an effort to be "Christ-like", forget that it is not in God's plan for us to associate with evil doers. We are to rebuke twice, then wipe the dust off.
QUOTES:
People who do everything BUT take responsibility for the damage they have caused, admit that their victim was right to be hurt of offended, and do their best to make amends are NOT CHRISTIANS - even if they claim to be.
There is no time limit on how long it should take for you to feel comfortable trusting a former abuser. If it takes ten years, then so be it. Feel free to insist on as much time as you need. Those who try to pressure or rush you have their own agendas, and you should take this as a red flag.
Even a junk-yard dog will eventually show love for you if you treat it with love. But not an abuser. Abusers use our feelings for them against us, take advantage of our kindness, and see our patience with their offensive behavior as a weakness to be exploited. Our love for them makes us vulnerable, desperate and pathetic in their eyes. It causes them to regard us with scorn and contempt.
(I received a complimentary copy of this title through Bostick Communications to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received, and I was not required to write positive review.)
What it's about: It's about how to deal with abusive families, whether they are parents, siblings, or even extended family like aunts, uncles, and cousins.
It spells out the abusive methods that family members may use to control you, and provides you with coping strategies coupled with Biblical scripture to support those strategies, It also provides counter-arguments against such sayings as "Forgive and forget", "patience is a virtue", "honor thy mother and father" when those are thrown at you in an effort to get you to "go along" It is broken down into a number of chapters, each focusing on one aspect of abusive families and how to deal with them. It provides the Biblical definition of "honoring one's parents", and lets you know that forgiveness does not necessarily equal reconciliation. Step by step, it guides you through things that may be necessary in order for you to live your life free of the strive and stress caused by emotionally abusive families.
There are real-life examples, many taken from the author's own personal experience.
Pros: Although this is about dealing with an abusive family or family member, many of the strategies provided could also be used in dealing with an abusive partner, including "No Contact". All of the steps it spells out as well as the concrete examples of what constitutes emotional abuse are detailed and backed up by Scripture.
Cons: I was sometimes taken aback at what I perceived as "bitterness" when the author provided her own examples of familial abuse. At times, I personally just thought to myself, "Oh, my gosh; I understand that they were horrible to you, but that doesn't make it OK to wallow in it." Having my own emotionally abusive family members, I understand how traumatizing and long-lasting the effects can be, but I don't dwell on it, and when providing examples, I just state the facts and don't go into a diatribe about how terrible this or that person was. For me, the facts are enough that the person I'm talking to can get the picture without letting myself get upset all over again. .
Wrap-up: In spite of the few times when the author appears to be caught up in reliving the upsets of her own personal struggles, this book would be a valuable resource for anyone dealing with an abusive family or family member. I know that I could have used something like this when I was struggling to figure out what to do, and I have acquaintances that could definitely benefit or could have benefited from this as well.
It would especially be helpful for Christians, who, in an effort to be "Christ-like", forget that it is not in God's plan for us to associate with evil doers. We are to rebuke twice, then wipe the dust off.
QUOTES:
People who do everything BUT take responsibility for the damage they have caused, admit that their victim was right to be hurt of offended, and do their best to make amends are NOT CHRISTIANS - even if they claim to be.
There is no time limit on how long it should take for you to feel comfortable trusting a former abuser. If it takes ten years, then so be it. Feel free to insist on as much time as you need. Those who try to pressure or rush you have their own agendas, and you should take this as a red flag.
Even a junk-yard dog will eventually show love for you if you treat it with love. But not an abuser. Abusers use our feelings for them against us, take advantage of our kindness, and see our patience with their offensive behavior as a weakness to be exploited. Our love for them makes us vulnerable, desperate and pathetic in their eyes. It causes them to regard us with scorn and contempt.
(I received a complimentary copy of this title through Bostick Communications to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received, and I was not required to write positive review.)
October 26, 2016
Written by an awful person who has abused their family for years and hid behind god as an excuse.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews