What is a manipulative relationship, and how can you save yourself from it?
A manipulative relationship is one in which the other person uses you as a means to serve his or her own purpose, to fulfill his or her dreams or desires. You are treated like a toy in their hands. You begin to listen to everything they say and believe everything they tell you, even when it harms you.
A manipulative relationship is never your conscious choice. You are somehow tricked, influenced, or cheated into forming such a bond because of your need for emotional attachment, or your search for emotional support from another person. Such relationships almost always have two roles: one person becomes the victim, while the other becomes the perpetrator.
At first, you may feel you are receiving emotional support from the manipulator, but this is only a tool. It is their way of extracting your time, your money, or your energy—resources that are deeply valuable to you. What appears as support is actually a subtle form of exploitation.
Manipulation in Families
Many times, manipulative relationships are not just with strangers or partners; they occur within families. It is painful to accept, but true.
The reason you may find yourself entangled in manipulative family bonds is karmic. You have karmic accounts to settle with certain people, and those accounts take shape as manipulation, control, and power games within your family system.
For example, consider a case study: a mother who manipulates her daughter continuously. This mother did not have a good relationship with her husband. Instead of resolving her own wounds, she projected them onto her daughter. Subconsciously, the daughter began to adopt all the mother’s traits.
When the daughter married, the mother interfered and manipulated her to such a degree that the daughter also developed a broken relationship with her husband. Eventually, this ended in divorce. This is an extreme example, yet it reveals the power of manipulation: the capacity to hijack another person’s destiny.
There are countless other cases. A husband manipulates a wife into submission. A wife manipulates her husband through guilt or emotional blackmail. Parents manipulate their children as they grow older, clinging to control instead of granting freedom. In all of these examples, the victim loses the ability to live according to their own destiny.
Manipulation in Work and Society
Manipulation is not confined to personal life. It appears in professional environments as well.
Suppose you have created a comfort zone at your workplace. You fear leaving your job, even though you feel stuck. That comfort zone becomes a trap, and soon your organization or colleagues begin to manipulate you. You are taken for granted. You are exploited.
By staying in such a situation, you stop your growth as an individual and as a professional. You lose the ability to see opportunities, to create wealth, and to move forward.
The Subtle Dangers of Manipulative Bonds
Manipulative relationships are not just inconvenient. They are dangerous. They kill you sublimely, silently.
Your mindset is eroded. Your way of thinking becomes narrow. Your perspective of life grows negative. Spending too much time with manipulative people makes your brain stop functioning rationally.
You begin to believe that you are a helpless victim, incapable of change. You lose trust in your own power. You feel trapped in a depressive state, unable to take the first step out.
This is the greatest danger: the illusion that you cannot live without the manipulator.
The First Step: Awareness
The best way to protect yourself is to develop awareness.
Ask yourself: Who in my life creates constant trouble for me? Who makes me feel drained, depressed, or small in their presence? Who vibrates negatively whenever I am with them?
The moment you identify such people, step back. If possible, stay away from them for a period of time. Notice how your energy shifts in their absence.
If the manipulator is a family member and you have the option of staying permanently away, then that is the most effective solution. Not everyone can take this step, but for those who can, it opens the doorway to freedom.
Breaking the Illusion of Victimhood
You are not born to remain a victim. You are not here to live a mediocre life, chained to someone else’s control. You are born to create abundance and progress.
If you feel your career is stagnant because someone constantly manipulates, blackmails, or drains you, then the time has come to decide. Stay away from such a person permanently. Protect your growth.
Love yourself so much that you find the courage to take this first step. Remember, no one else will come to rescue you. No one will remove the cage that has been built around you.
The cage is illusionary, created by the manipulator’s emotional dramas. They make themselves appear valuable, convincing you that life without them is impossible. When you try to move away, they recruit others—friends, relatives, colleagues—who bombard you with “rights and wrongs,” who try to guilt-trip you into returning.
Recognize this for what it is: manipulation in its most deceptive form.
Settling the Karmic Accounts
For those on the path of Kundalini Awakening, manipulative relationships often become even more intense. The energy of awakening exposes all the hidden manipulations around you.
Why? Because karmic settlements demand attention. Just as financial liabilities must be cleared before you can focus on building assets, karmic debts must be resolved before higher spiritual progress can unfold.
Manipulative relationships are like EMIs you keep paying. And not only do you pay the principal, but also the interest. If you cannot pay, the bank seizes your assets. Similarly, if you do not resolve the manipulation, your life force, your freedom, your very existence can feel seized.
The Way Forward
Awareness alone is not enough; you must also act.
- Identify the Manipulator
Look closely at those who make you feel depleted, anxious, or guilty. These are the ones whose vibration is harmful to your growth. - Create Distance
Take time apart, even if temporary. If the relationship allows for permanent separation, choose it. - Rebuild Self-Love
Strengthen your inner being. Remind yourself that your life is not meant to be lived under someone else’s script. - Seek Guidance When Needed
Some manipulations are deeply karmic and complex. In such cases, you may need external guidance to read your inner patterns and design a concrete action plan. - Choose Progress Over Comfort
Comfort zones are deceptive. Choose growth, even when it feels uncomfortable. Growth is the only path to freedom.
Creating a Life Beyond Manipulation
Once you begin to free yourself, you will notice a profound shift. Your mind grows clearer. Your spirit feels lighter. You discover that abundance and unlimited possibilities were always waiting for you.
You realize you no longer need to live with limitations. You no longer have to carry the heavy burdens placed upon you by manipulative people. You see how much time, energy, and love you had been giving away to those who only sought to drain you.
And most importantly, you recognize your power: the power to create the life you want to live, instead of the life designed by someone else.
