Lonely and Isolated Themselves: The manipulator may be extremely isolated and fearful of being abandoned, leading them to latch onto the person in rehab as their primary (or only) source of emotional connection. They might have an untreated mental illness, such as depression or anxiety, that fuels their need to keep the other person close at all costs.

Struggling with Their Own Trauma: Often, people who manipulate others have unresolved trauma or emotional wounds of their own. Instead of addressing their pain, they may seek control over someone else as a way of avoiding their own feelings of helplessness.

Subconsciously Afraid of Being Left Behind: The manipulator might see the other person’s recovery as a threat. If the person in rehab gets better, they may move on with their life and leave the manipulator behind, worsening their feelings of loneliness and abandonment. To prevent this, they may subtly sabotage the recovery process.

Addicted Themselves: In some cases, the manipulator may also be struggling with addiction. They may encourage continued drug use because they’re not ready to give up their own substance use, and they feel safer in a dynamic where both people are using.… Read More When control become dangerously blurred