Traumatic Cognitive Dissonance cover art

Traumatic Cognitive Dissonance

Healing from an Abusive Relationship with a Disordered Personality

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Traumatic Cognitive Dissonance

By: Peter Salerno PsyD
Narrated by: Peter Salerno
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $9.99

Buy Now for $9.99

About this listen

If you’re in or have been in a relationship with a pathological personality yet somehow ended up believing that everything bad was your fault, you’re not alone. That’s the super-power of disordered personalities: making their victims believe they are in the wrong even when they’re not.

Being on the receiving end of chronic but often subtle abuse can be brutal. The result of this dizzying and disorienting up-is-down maelstrom manifested by the pathological personality in your life results in Traumatic Cognitive Dissonance (TCD). This occurs when covert manipulation and other forms of deceit and coercion are experienced on an ongoing basis. TCD represents complex trauma that goes far beyond typical trauma and stress-related symptoms.

But there is help. And knowledge is where it starts. Rest assured that what you have been searching for to make sense of your debilitating situation and to recover once and for all from pathological relationship abuse is right here, between the pages of this book.

Traumatic Cognitive Dissonance, when understood, can be overcome. And that’s what this book is for—for you to gain the tools and information so that you’ll be able to reunite with your true sense of self and to move forward in your life with a renewed sense of joy. After all you’ve been through, you deserve it.

©2025 Peter Salerno (P)2025 Peter Salerno
Abuse Dysfunctional Families Marriage & Long-Term Partnerships Parenting & Families Personal Development Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
All stars
Most relevant
Easy to listen to and understand. Ideal for professionals and anyone who has an interest.

Succinct and brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Dr Salerno pulls no punches - he perfectly explains (1) What happened (2) The multitude of effects on the targeted individual (3) Fully validates the experience & shares that much previous understandings of the impacts on survivors are outdated & some therapists still don't get it (4) Shares up to date scientific evidence based understandings and effective treatments for the relationship induced trauma.

This is a relevant, insightful and helpful book for those experiencing or have experienced Traumatic Cognitive Dissonance from being in relationships(s) with Personality Disordered people.

What happened to you and How to Recover from it.

Yes Disordered people DO EXIST, wreck havoc on your psyche and no, it's NOT ALWAYS their traumas that have caused the serious deficits and dysfunctions within themselves, that can destroy lives. They are literally WIRED DIFFERENTLY.

Highly Recommend.

A deep, thorough Validation of the Experiences & Aftermath of Relationships with Disordered People.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I noticed that in the earlier chapters, the author referred to his audience as ‘neurotypicals.’ That language feels exclusionary and implies—perhaps unintentionally—that neurodivergent individuals like myself can’t also be victims of pathological abuse. I’d like to invite more inclusive language in future works, as neurodivergent people are equally vulnerable to, and affected by, traumatic cognitive dissonance and personality-disordered abuse. It’s important we don’t generalise or overlook the complexity of your wider audience.

He generalised his listeners as “neurotypicals”.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.