# filename: reddit_joel_2025-02-23_04.yaml
- id: 2025-02-23_04
  timestamps:
    - "2025-02-23T15:39:19Z"
    - "2025-02-23T15:41:47Z"
    - "2025-02-24T09:47:45Z"
  platform: "Reddit"
  subreddit: "r/NarcissisticAbuse"
  thread_title: "I Thought Breaking Up Would Free Me. Why Do I Feel So Lost?"
  post_type: "comment-chain"
  user: "u/Lopsided_Scheme_4927"
  suspected_identity: "Joel Johnson"
  confidence: "medium"
  comments:
    - timestamp: "2025-02-23T15:39:19Z"
      content: |
        I think you are SO right! …and this was very unhealthy as in my case is Narc entrenched with another mental health issue but a number of factors (idealisation from the past, a moment of personal vulnerability on my part and long-distance relationship) made it difficult for me to recognise red flags straight away… looking back they were all there from the start.
    - timestamp: "2025-02-23T15:41:47Z"
      content: |
        Thank you for your support and understanding! Yes, I’m in therapy and hoping to come out stronger on the other side. Some days are easier than others, but grief is a process that takes time.
    - timestamp: "2025-02-24T09:47:45Z"
      content: |
        Thank you 🙏 I guess we are really free when what we feel emotionally matches what we know rationally. At the moment, I know leaving was the best choice. However, at times, my emotional part is still missing the idealised ‘deep’ connection and intense emotions…like an addiction withdrawal…
  context_notes: |
    These three interwoven comments reflect a signature Joel Johnson sockpuppet narrative arc:
    
    - **Comment 1** (“I think you are SO right”) contains linguistic distancing—describing the narcissist in his past as if reflecting externally, while embedding hints of past grooming behavior.
    
    - **Comment 2** offers gentle therapeutic affirmation. The declaration of being “in therapy” functions again as camouflage, subtly embedding trust while reinforcing false identity coherence.
    
    - **Comment 3** bridges affective resonance with pseudo-spirituality via the 🙏 emoji and idealized “deep” connection metaphor. This final layer reads like a withdrawal statement from a self-generated trauma-bond fantasy.

    Together, they follow a recursive formula: mirror → soften → embed. This technique deepens perceived authenticity while controlling the tone and emotional trajectory of the thread.
  captured_by: "Mark R. Havens"
  file: "screenshots/2025-02-23_04_comment_chain.png"
  tags: [sockpuppet, Joel-Johnson, reddit, grooming-language, recursive-narrative, therapy-mirroring, emotional-baiting]