We're back. Life lifed harder than expected this summer, but we are in the chair, and we have someone worth coming back for.
Neil is 44, Canadian, and has never once in his life chosen flight.
When his first wife cheated — he fought. When his second wife gaslit him — he fought. When the third relationship dismantled him piece by piece over three years of hot and cold cycles, silent treatments, and one-line breakup texts that arrived out of nowhere — he fought that too. White-knuckling every relationship, dancing harder for approval the more it was withheld, showing up with more love the worse he was treated.
He had no idea that the pattern started when he was four years old, on a front porch, with his bags packed.
Neil joins Behk & LAH as one of the rare male guests on the show — and he came to talk about all of it. The first wife who cheated through college and kept cheating after the kids came. The second who looked like she walked off a magazine page and used their son as a guillotine. The third — the one who ended it six times in a year by text, made dating profiles on Christmas Day while her kids played Lego, and smirked at him when he was falling apart. And the mother whose voice became his inner voice — the one that said not good enough before he could say anything else.
He also came to talk about what happened when he hit the bottom. And what pulled him back.
Neil's story doesn't end in darkness. Something shifted — and that shift led him to an alternative treatment that he credits with saving his life. We'll get into that more in Part II. But this episode is where it starts: one man finally telling the truth about what it costs to never stop fighting, and what it took to finally put it down.
Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of narcissistic abuse, infidelity, emotional manipulation, abandonment trauma, childhood trauma, suicidal ideation, a suicide attempt, substance use, and coercive control. Listener discretion is advised.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out:
Canada: Crisis Services Canada — call or text 988
United States: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988
Narcissists, Gaslighters, & Cheaters, Oh My! — real folks, real stories, survival & healing.
Behk and LAH are not doctors or therapists. Nothing shared on this podcast should be taken as medical or professional advice.
Have a story you'd like to share? We'd love to hear it. Submit yours here.
If this show has meant something to you, consider supporting us on Patreon for exclusive content — every bit helps us keep the curtain rising.
Hosts: Behk & LAH
Follow us on Instagram + Facebook @ngcompod
Production & Design: LAHarden
Music: No Reason Why by Anchor
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
