From Obedience to Ownership: Reclaiming the Self Beyond Abuse and Indoctrination

When you grow up in a world that rewards obedience and punishes authenticity, silence becomes survival.

That’s where my guest, Brooke Kekos, began her story — inside a high-control religious system that mirrored the same emotional and psychological patterns found in narcissistic families and relationships. What she discovered on the other side is the very heart of this conversation: that healing isn’t about who broke you, it’s about remembering who you’ve always been.

🔥 When Abuse Feels Familiar

Brooke shares that her childhood conditioned her for abuse. With a narcissistic father who controlled every aspect of family life, obedience wasn’t just expected — it was required for love and belonging.

“Abuse didn’t feel like a threat,” she said. “It felt familiar.”

That familiarity followed her into adulthood, making her the perfect candidate for narcissistic partners. The nervous system, wired for survival, will always choose the familiar — even when it’s painful.

If you’ve ever wondered “Why did I stay so long?” — this is why. It’s not because you’re weak. It’s because your body was trying to keep you safe the only way it knew how.

🌀 When Religion Mirrors Relationship

What struck both Brooke and me was how similar religious indoctrination and narcissistic control truly are.

The silencing. The gaslighting. The fear of punishment for questioning authority.

As Brooke explained, “Cults and narcissists use the same playbook — fear, isolation, and control. In both, love is conditional and obedience is survival.”

We see this mirrored in homes, marriages, and even communities where conformity is disguised as devotion.

But there’s a difference between faith and fear. Between belonging and bondage. Between being loyal and being lost.

🪞 The Mirror of Family

For many women, the first narcissist they ever met was a parent.

When love came with conditions, you learned to shrink, to please, to stay quiet. That’s not weakness — that’s a trauma response. A child will always trade authenticity for attachment, because survival depends on it.

Brooke spoke powerfully about the ways narcissistic parents use guilt and shame to control, teaching their children to regulate the parent’s emotions at the expense of their own.

And it doesn’t end there. That pattern becomes the blueprint for adult relationships — one that can only be rewritten when you finally recognize it.

🌿 From Victim to Victor

The turning point in Brooke’s story — and for so many of us — came when she chose to stop seeing herself as a victim and start embodying her power.

“I had to grieve, to feel the rage, to sit in the pain,” she said. “But I also had to rewrite the story. I started to tell myself, ‘I am enough. Every version of me that survived deserves love.’”

This is the reclamation process — the movement from silence to sovereignty.

💫 The Magnetic Connections Pathway in Action

The conversation beautifully mirrors the Magnetic Connections Pathway — the framework I use in my work with women reclaiming their power:

✨ Presence — Feeling your truth in your body, noticing what no longer aligns.

✨ Agency — Choosing yourself, even when it’s uncomfortable.

✨ Empowerment — Rewriting your story from self-compassion, not shame.

✨ Magnetic Connection — Attracting relationships that meet the healed version of you.

This is how we move from obedience to ownership. From survival to self-trust. From silence to sovereignty.

🕊️ Taking Your Power Back

Brooke’s story isn’t just one of survival — it’s one of deep reclamation. Today, she helps women heal their nervous systems, rewrite subconscious beliefs, and create the kind of connection that starts from within.

And that’s the reminder for all of us: taking your power back doesn’t start with someone else’s apology — it starts with your permission.

💖 Ready to Reconnect with Your Power?

If this conversation stirred something awake in you… if you’ve done the work but still feel disconnected from your truth — you’re not broken. You’re just ready for your next evolution.

Book your free Magnetic Connections Call and learn how to reconnect with your body, your truth, and your power.

And watch the full conversation on YouTube here: From Obedience to Ownership: Reclaiming the Self Beyond Abuse and Indoctrination

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