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Interview

Dr Linda Martinez-Lewi p1

Readersvoice.com aims to collect a few interesting reading tips. Narcissists seem to be a popular choice for evil characters in movies and novels these days, particularly in thrillers and mysteries, not to mention horror. Dr Linda Martinez-Lewi’s book Freeing Yourself from the Narcissist in Your Life is a highly readable book that sheds some light on this all too real character type. There are plenty of good reading tips in this interview especially for readers interested in psychology, and a good novel tip.

Native bees are used by gardeners in Brisbane, not for honey but to help pollinate flowers and plants. There is a certain wasp that attacks the hives of native bees. The wasps look and act like native bees. They can fool guards at the entrance of the hive if they aren’t vigilant enough. Then the wasps infiltrate the colony, feed on the young and destroy the hive. Narcissists have a similar attitude to other human beings.
Freeing Yourself from the Narcissist in Your Life describes how narcissists see other people as extensions of themselves, and not in a good way. They think other people exist to be used, manipulated and discarded if they are of no further use. There are a lot of stories in the book showing how narcissists have no real humanity or empathy. Dr Linda Martinez-Lewi’s book teaches readers to recognise narcissists, and if they can’t avoid them, to cope with them. And one of the best things about the book is that it teaches victims of narcissists to take a look at themselves and identify why they made the mistake of letting the narcissist into their life in the first place, and gave them power over themselves.
It has been said that inordinate self-love is the ultimate cause of all sin. Narcissists have an unlimited self-love that takes nothing and nobody into calculation but the self. They have no time for principles of humanity, laws of God or anything else. For a highly readable book on narcissism from a practising professional counsellor, try Freeing Yourself from the Narcissist in Your Life by Dr Linda Martinez-Lewi.

READERSVOICE.COM: Where do you live in the U.S. and what sort of daily routine do you have, what with counselling and writing or anything else?

DR LINDA MARTINEZ-LEWI:
I live in Southern California north of San Diego.
My morning routine begins with client telephone consultations.
I work on various kinds of book material I am gathering and forming including research and chapter outlines. I enjoy writing on every facet of the narcissistic personality for my website blog: thenarcissistinyourlife.com. As I write I listen to dramatic and beautiful movie soundtracks from epic films: Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Passage to India, Out of Africa, Witness. Listening to this music is quieting to the mind and a partner with me as I write. Some days I go to acupuncture where I experience dynamic peace and inspiration. Later I visit the gym for a brisk cardio workout and some social time.

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-copyright Simon Sandall