d59KNYm

Hot Buttons and Weak Spots
281
ners. This may take considerable time and effort on their part, and
the grooming will be subtle. The sad truth is that the psychopathic
bond is a sham; it does not exist except in your mind. You now are
potentially open to psychopathic use and abuse.
Sensitivity to the bonding process is good preventive medicine.
Be wary of falling for someone’s story too quickly. Solid relationships
take time to develop and grow; apply critical thinking and careful assessment
along the way. If you feel that this person is too good to be
true, try to prove yourself wrong.
9. Do Not Collude in the Psychopath’s Game
Once the psychopathic bond is firmly established you will find that
your hot buttons and weak spots are used to gain your compliance
and to reaffirm the relationship. Surprisingly, the resultant back and
forth may strengthen rather than weaken the relationship. Criticism
(“You’re too fat; nobody else will love you!”), threats (“I’m not putting
up with this anymore, I’m leaving!”) or intimidation (“Don’t
make me hurt you!”) are effective manipulation and coercive techniques.
This is especially true in relationships in which you find
yourself doing what the psychopath asks (even if it is not in your
own best interest) in order to maintain the intense bond. Healthy relationships
tend to be balanced, with each person giving and taking.
Psychopathic relationships are one-sided; you give and the psychopath
takes (money, a place to live, sex, power, control).
Fighting Satan
Derry Mainwaring Knight was sentenced to six years in
prison in England for defrauding a number of wealthy and influential
Christians who believed they were helping him to fight devil
worshippers in a satanic cult. He had ingratiated himself into a