FORUM GUIDELINES

No one understands what it is like to love a narcissist unless they have been through it themselves, which is precisely why we created The Path Forward Forum. We can relate to one another on a level no one else can. As such, we have come together to support one another, listen and give advice from our own individual experience with a narcissist.

Please note: We are not mental health professionals and our on-line forum is in no way a replacement for professional therapy, legal or medical advice. We are an on-line support group offering assistance based on our own personal experiences.

Our various forums exist to provide a safe sanctuary for you to talk to others who know exactly what you're going through. We believe there is nothing more healing and validating than to talk to others who "Get It" and understand firsthand what it’s like to be in a relationship with a narcissist.

With a yearly subscription, you can post comments and submit questions in any of our forums. A full description of each forum and additional forum guidelines can be found in the "Guide to the Six Steps" which is sent to all newly subscribed members of our site via e-mail upon activation of your yearly membership.

YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS:

To prevent spam and malicious users, we ask all members to download and reference a copy of the "Guide to the Six Steps" which is included in the purchase of either a Standard or Premium Yearly Subscription. This helps us ensure we only provide access to members who are serious about their recovery and will not use our site for other reasons. The "Guide to the Six Steps" is an important reference, which will help you understand how to work the steps and discuss your recovery with other support group members.

Upon activation of your yearly subscription (options below), we will e-mail you a PDF version of the "Guide to the Six Steps," which you can download and print immediately. Please be sure to check your spam or junk folder in case you do not receive the activation e-mail, which will include your password to log-in to our forums and begin posting and private messaging other members and moderators.

STANDARD MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION
$12.99 Yearly
Access to post in our forums and submit questions
Access to private message members and moderators

PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION
$19.99 Yearly
Access to post in our forums and submit questions
Access to private message members and moderators
Access to our Instant Chat Room

FORUM GUIDELINES

CHOOSING A FORUM NAME:
Please do not use more than one forum screen name. We consider anyone who has numerous IDs in the forum to be a troll. Trolls are not allowed on our site and will be banned for security purposes.

Please be sure to sign up with a forum name that your narcissist will NOT recognize. We do not want anyone's narcissist to come here, read your posts and then use them to further abuse and attack you. Please be mindful of what you disclose. If you need to change your forum name at any time for any reason, please Private Message (PM) a moderator and they can do this for you.

Please do not disclose any personal information in your posts. Keep your name, your email address, your phone number and your location private. Please never use the real name of your narcissist at any time.

YOUR PROFILE:
There is a "Profile" tab for all registered users. It can be found in the left hand margin half way down. This allows you to edit your profile and preferences more easily.
Notification of private messages can be e-mailed to you if you choose to receive such notifications via e-mail or you can access them in the bottom right hand corner of our site under "Messages" beneath your forum name. You can edit your preference for notifications under your Profile tab.

PRIVATE MESSAGING OTHERS:
All registered users have the ability to send Private Messages to other registered members and moderators on our site. Simply click on the person's forum name you wish to send a message to, select “Send this user a message,” draft your message and then select “Send message.”

INSTANT CHAT ROOM:
A Premium Yearly Subscription gives you access to our Private Chat Room where you can instant chat with other Premium members and moderators at any time. Please note this is only available to members with a Premium Yearly Subscription.

TREATING OTHERS WITH RESPECT:
Please know the topics here can be very personal, intense and challenging. Advice is given freely to those who ask for it. We ask everyone here to respect everyone else's advice. Please do not post an entire post in ALL CAPS. It looks as if you're shouting, and it is hard to read. Occasional CAPS for emphasis are fine, however.

While we are experiencing something similar, please remember everyone is different. This means everyone has their own recovery style. What works for one may not work for another. We encourage everyone to share what has worked for them as long as they are not disrespectful in any way. If you disagree with any advice offered, we ask you to kindly refrain from commenting. While it may not be helpful to you, it may help someone else tremendously.

Please always treat others with respect. We expect heated discussion of many topics, but those discussions must remain civil. Please keep your language clean. If you run across someone who irritates you, we suggest you stay away from that person's posts or report it to a Moderator in a Private Message (PM).

If you experience ongoing conflict, confusion, or questions regarding another moderator or member, please send a Private Message to our Lead Moderator, Goldie or myself directly. We will address and respond to you promptly. Please never use the site to Private Message other members or moderators with unsolicited and/or abusive messages.

PROSELYTIZING:
Proselytizing is not allowed on our forums. This is not a place to try and convert others to your beliefs. Share your opinion but please do not push or force your beliefs on anyone.

CITING OTHER AUTHORS:
Knowledge is power! If you do want to share an article or quote from an outside source or third-party website you believe is helpful, you must give credit to that author by citing the author's name and posting a link directly to that source on the internet. Please PM a moderator prior to posting.

We are not responsible for postings that do not give specific credit to the author. If we find such a post, it will be removed immediately or cited if we can easily identify the author. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third party websites posted to our site by our members.

TERMS OF USE:
Please note: We are not mental health professionals and our on-line forum is in no way a replacement for professional therapy, legal or medical advice. We are an on-line support group offering assistance based on our own personal experiences.

By using this forum, you expressly relieve us from any and all liability arising from your use of the free advice. Any opinions, advice or statements expressed or made available by members, moderators, and third-party resources including information providers, are those of the respective author(s) and not Lisa E. Scott.

If material posted to the forum by members is deemed inappropriate, offensive or triggering to other members in any way, please note that moderators have the right to delete these posts at their discretion. This allows us to ensure our forum remains a safe place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of judgment or criticism.

Under no circumstances will our forum be liable for any loss or damage caused by a reader’s reliance on information obtained through this site. It is the responsibility of the reader to evaluate the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, opinion, advice or other content available on our forum. Please seek the advice of a mental health professional, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, opinion, advice or other content.

ABUSING FORUM GUIDELINES:
We reserve the right to ban any members who abuse the “Forum Guidelines” and “Terms of Use” stated above. We understand you are going through a situation which is very stressful. We need to vent and "Get It Out," which is why we created this site. However, please be mindful not to abuse others on the forum in the process.

We do not tolerate anyone insulting other members or moderators on our forum in any way, shape or form. If you insult or degrade another member on this site, you will be given a warning. If after three warnings, you continue to ignore forum guidelines and fail to adjust your behavior, you will be blocked from posting on the site. We believe this is the only way we can ensure our forum remains a safe and supportive place for our members.

Emotions are running high here, but the last thing we want anyone to do is take their anger out on other members. We have suffered enough abuse in our past relationship with a narcissist. Therefore, please note we do reserve the right to block any members we feel are creating a hostile environment as this is not conducive to recovery or healing.

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS:
As a newcomer to our forum, we realize it can be confusing to read posts with abbreviations you do not recognize. Therefore, we hope the following key is helpful:

N/Narc - Narcissist
P - Psychopath
NP - Narcissistic Psychopath
NPD - Narcissistic Personality Disorder
PA - Passive Aggressive
NS - Narcissistic Supply
APD - Antisocial Personality Disorder
BPD - Borderline Personality Disorder
Bi-P - Bi-Polar
NC - No Contact
NW - Narcissist Wife
NH - Narcissist Husband
XN - Ex narcissist
EXNH - Ex narcissistic Husband
EXNW - Ex narcissistic Wife
XNW/WNH - Ex N Wife/Husband
NM - Narcissist Mother
NF - Narcissist Father
Nc - Narcissist child
NSib - Narcissist sibling
ACON - Adult Children of Narcissists
OW - Other Woman (Narcs with female supply)
OM - Other Man (Narcs with male supply)
Narcdar - The ability to spot narcissists
CD - Cognitive Dissonance
D&D - Devalued and Discarded
MC - Minimal Contact (for those who co-parent with PDIs)
PDI - Personality Disordered Individual
PD - Personality Disordered
LDR - Long Distance Relationship
ST – Silent Treatment
HOOVERING - Being manipulated back into a relationship with threats of suicide, self-harm, or threats of false criminal accusations.