Dropping the Bar: How Manipulation Sneaks Into Relationships Before Violence Ever Does

Outwitting the Manipulator · Sep 23, 2026 · 39m

In this episode of Outwitting the Manipulator, hosts Dennis Becker and Robin Golinski sit down with Stephanie MacAlister, founder of Virtua Connect Counseling Clinic (a cross-Canada virtual counseling practice), who has counseled both perpetrators and survivors of domestic violence. The conversation traces how verbal manipulation and isolation typically precede physical violence in relationships, with Stephanie introducing her "dropping the bar" framework - the gradual process by which couples normalize escalating bad behavior, from yelling to name-calling to intimidation.

The group digs into…