DeepSummary
The episode features Bree's account of her catfishing experience with someone she met on Tinder named Brody. Bree details how she was lured into an emotionally abusive relationship by "Brody", who turned out to be her friend Jess. Jess created multiple personas, including Brody's cousin Matt and brother Brad, to manipulate Bree and keep her engaged in the relationship.
Bree describes the love bombing tactics used by "Brody" early on, as well as the constant lies, cancellations, and disappearances that led to hospitalizations and guilt-tripping. Jess even involved her own son in validating the personas she created. Bree's friend Emily and mother provide their perspectives on the situation, noting how the emotional abuse took a toll on Bree.
As the relationship progressed, Bree became increasingly isolated and her mental health deteriorated. Despite red flags, she stayed in the relationship due to the manipulation and guilt-tripping she experienced. The episode highlights the insidious nature of catfishing and emotional abuse, and the lasting impact it can have on victims.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Catfishing and emotional abuse can have severe psychological consequences for victims, including isolation, deteriorating mental health, and loss of self-worth.
- Perpetrators of catfishing and emotional abuse often employ tactics like love bombing, gaslighting, and guilt-tripping to manipulate and control their victims.
- Even close friends and family members may not immediately recognize the signs of emotional abuse or the extent of deception involved in catfishing.
- Victims of catfishing and emotional abuse may stay in abusive situations due to the manipulation tactics used by their abusers, despite red flags and concerns from loved ones.
- Real-world events and crises can be exploited by perpetrators of emotional abuse to further isolate and control their victims.
- The involvement of children in catfishing and emotional abuse scenarios can exacerbate the trauma and manipulation experienced by victims.
- The long-term impact of catfishing and emotional abuse can be severe, requiring support and healing for victims to recover their sense of self and trust.
- Raising awareness about the tactics and warning signs of catfishing and emotional abuse is crucial to prevent further victimization and provide support for survivors.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “And there was a derecho, which basically it means inland hurricane. And there was, like, 80 miles an hour winds in Iowa. You might have heard or seen it on the news. Sioux City, their whole city was basically, like, destroyed. A lot of apartments were destroyed, which ours was. There's a lot of leaking, and they just couldn't fix it.“ by Bree
- “I feel like the reason she took so long to tell me was because deep down, she knew something was not right.“ by Bree
- “My boyfriend at the time said to me in a very serious voice that I need to be really careful because everything that Lauren had just laid out about the situation that she was in is extremely alarming and unsettling. This sounds like a true crime documentary waiting to happen where there is someone obsessed with another person and they ultimately end up dead.“ by Bree
Entities
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Episode Information
Something Was Wrong
Broken Cycle Media | Wondery
4/25/24
*Content Warning: catfishing, fraud, emotional abuse, psychological violence, death, cyberstalking, stalking, medical trauma, suicide, suicidal ideation, threats of self harm,
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