Awakening a Fearless Heart in Scam Victims – 2024

Awakening a Fearless Heart in Scam Victims

Helping Scam Victims to Let Go of Worry and Awaken their Fearless Heart!

Primary Category: Scam Victim Recovery Psychology

Author:
• Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.

About This Article

Scam victims often endure deep emotional trauma, including betrayal, guilt, shame, and self-blame. Healing from these wounds requires focusing on three key areas: awakening the fearless heart, releasing worry, and cultivating resilience.

Awakening a fearless heart starts with self-compassion, accepting vulnerability, and forgiving oneself for falling victim to a scam. Releasing worry involves acknowledging specific fears, challenging negative thoughts, and staying grounded in the present.

Once victims begin this process, they can cultivate a fearless heart by embracing self-empowerment, reframing the scam as a learning experience, and building a strong support system.

Limerence/Obsessive Love Disorder – When Your Hormones & Neurotransmitters Rule – 2024

Limerence/Obsessive Love Disorder – When Your Hormones & Neurotransmitters Rule

For Scam Victims, it was NOT LOVE – it was Limerence. But watch out that it does not turn into Obsession!

Primary Category: Recovery Psychology

Authors:
• Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Psychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
• Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.

About This Article

Limerence, an intense and involuntary emotional state of romantic infatuation, can be manipulated by scammers to control their victims. This emotional hijacking involves the release of key neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which creates feelings of pleasure, arousal, and obsessive thoughts about the scammer.

Characteristics of limerence include intrusive thoughts, emotional dependency, idealization, fear of rejection, and physiological responses like increased heart rate and sweating.

The Unique Injury Of Betrayal Trauma On Scam Victims – 2024

The Unique Injury Of Betrayal Trauma On Scam Victims

A Cornerstone of Relationship Scams & Essential to Scam Victim Recovery

Understanding Scam Victim Trauma – Recovery Psychology

Authors:
• Vianey Gonzalez B.Sc(Psych) – Psychologist, Certified Deception Professional, Psychology Advisory Panel & Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
• Tim McGuinness, Ph.D. – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.

About This Article

Betrayal trauma, often experienced in relationship scams like romance fraud, inflicts deep emotional wounds on victims. It involves a profound breach of trust by someone close, triggering intense emotional responses and brain alterations. Victims experience a rollercoaster of emotions—disbelief, anger, sadness, and shame.

The relational aspect sets it apart from other traumas, impacting trust and self-worth.

Betrayal trauma impairs various brain regions, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, mirror neuron system, insula, temporoparietal junction, and striatum.

Victims struggle with empathy, emotional regulation, and social perception. This trauma disrupts reward processing, leading to anhedonia and social disconnection.

Betrayal Trauma