The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook Archiv

Old wounds - Australian director Ian Walker had to leave a hotel in the middle of the night and fly home from Europe due to the abuse he suffered while filming Sam Vaknin for the documentary I, Psychopath in the late 2000s. When Isla Traquair reached out to him in 2025 to inform him of her investigation, seeing Sam Vaknin's name on the email brought back awful memories. In this fascinating interview Ian and Isla look back on his experiences and examine what has happened since. The most chilling aspect, Ian received similar claims from women two decades ago that Sam had been abusing them under the guise of therapy.

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I,Psychopath watch here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oxRwDFmjXKU&ra=m

STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

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https://solacewomensaid.org/

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Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

The Wolf - there's no coming back from this explosive episode as the fake professor Sam Vaknin damns himself with his own words. For a man who claims to have an IQ higher than Einstein, he's been incredibly careless. There is no more hiding in plain sight. We see him, we see his lies, we see his stupidity and like he feared, the outcomes will be horrible. 

Following the recording of this episode, it was learned that no scholarship has been awarded through the foundation and the accounts showed a balance of 200 Euro. 

Although this is conclusion of the main investigation there is a lot more to come including another victim who has offered her voice after listening to the podcast. Also Ian Walker director of I, Psychopath, Professor Graham Hill, Evan Rachel Wood, Doug Buggle, HG Tudor, Lee Hammock and more. There are also two special analysis episodes filmed in London where Isla, Richard and Mark go through the early part of Sam Vaknin's smear campaign. 

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

Herculean Task - Sam Vaknin appealed to the filmmakers to focus their documentary on differentiating between the credentialed and the non-credentialed and goes as far to say it should be a crime to talk about narcissism online unless you are licensed. Investigative journalist Isla Traquair took on that challenge and in what is one of the most crucial episodes in the entire series, she unravels the fake persona he's spent a lifetime building. By the end of the episode, she tears it down leaving no doubt who and what Sam Vaknin is. 

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

The horrors come to light - Richard Grannon was left grappling with his new reality after learning the details of the allegations of abuse against his former business partner. He's also shown written proof that Sam Vaknin knew he was infecting his patients with a cancerous strain of HPV. As a result of these revelations, Richard contacts the filmmakers and asks to be removed from the documentary but they have other plans. 

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Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

Collateral - having returned to Sam Vanknin's sphere, Richard Grannon found himself detaching again from the chaos of the malignant narcissistic following further professional challenges. But not before Sam obtained collateral on him and played a therapy patient and Richard like puppets. This was the catalyst for their public fall out and the beginning of the collapse of Sam's house of cards. 

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

Betrayal - Richard Grannon describes how his world fell apart when he discovered the man he'd been working with for seven years had been accused of sexually abusing therapy patients and had been accessing women through their seminars designed to help victims of narcissistic abuse. Richard reflects on the fact he too had been groomed and brainwashed by Sam Vaknin with devastating consequences. 

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

The Destruction Package - "There is an infinite power in eradicating another person. A God-like power." This was Sam Vaknin's intention with every target he set his sights on. In this episode former patient Ann explains how her mind and later her body were hijacked by the fake professor. You will also hear parts of a recording of a "therapy"session in which he splits a patient and sexualises the new version of the young women who'd gone to him for help at one of the the most vulnerable moments in her life. Later Sam's triangulation of patients backfires as the women begin to connect and Ann is saved from her nightmare by discovering she was not the only one who had been abused. 

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

The lure - Sam Vaknin tells tall tales and it's these fantastical stories about his life which create intrigue and admiration for his victims. Triumph over adversity, branded a genius as a child but then abused, going to prison and coming out a reformed man who works as a healer, educator and activist. He's a wolf pretending to be a saint while still being a wolf. 

You'll also hear the nuances of what happened during the shift in his dynamic with patient Ann. The man who wouldn't allow you to greet him with a hug or stand close if getting your photo taken with him couldn't possibly be a physical threat? This was the trap. 

Trigger warning - child abuse is covered in this episode. 

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

Ann's story - in a moment of crisis, she reached out for advice to a psychologist recommended by her own therapist as an expert in Cluster B personalities. She sought a deeper understanding of narcissism to come to terms with what had happened her life, but instead invited in a greater evil. Ann was quickly told she was very unwell and only he could help her, and thus began a seven year nightmare with Sam Vaknin. Her abuse took time, her story takes time and will continue on into the next episode. 

For extra content including evidence and analysis click on Patreon link below:

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

Vindication - A former therapy patient of Sam Vaknin witnesses her abuser being held accountable. Emotions spill out on both sides of the video call with journalist Isla Traquair. And filmmaker Mark Vicente shares his feelings about the significance of finally being believed following his own experiences in seeking justice against his cult leader of NXIVM who was eventually jailed.

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

An unexpected video call - investigative journalist Isla Traquair talks to a former therapy patient of Sam Vaknin and explains what happened when she confronted her abuser on camera. The woman knew nothing of the investigation that was going on behind the scenes and is told why she was kept in the dark. Richard Grannon, Sam's former business partner, also weighs in with his thoughts on what will happen next for the man who betrayed him.

For extra content including evidence and analysis click on Patreon link below:

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

The aftermath - With the adrenaline still pumping and the crew in shock at the bizarre reaction of Sam Vaknin, investigative journalist Isla Traquair calls the film producers to give them the news they've been waiting for. On her return to Scotland Isla meets Sam's former business partner, Richard Grannon for the first time who give his insight into the confrontation video. Then finally, one of Sam's victims is taken aback when she learns over a video call that a stranger has been secretly investigating her case and has confronted her abuser.

For extra content including evidence and analysis click on Patreon link below:

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

The confrontation - Deep into the interview with a renowned psychologist, investigative journalist Isla Traquair finally reveals the list of accusations that have been made against him by multiple patients who claim he sexually and psychology abused them, threatened them, infected them with a cancerous strain of HPV and more. Everyone expected a narcissistic rage attack but what happened surprised everyone. Prepare for an edge-of-your-seat listening experience.

For extra content including evidence, behind the scenes and analysis click on Patreon link below:

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com

Part one of the interview begins. After nearly a year of planning, investigative journalist Isla Traquair finally meets the predatory professor. Her mask is on as she delves deep into the topic of Narcissistic Personality Disorder during the interview with the world-leading expert who's alleged to have abused multiple patients. Every question is bringing her closer to the critical moment.

For extra content including evidence and analysis click on Patreon link below:

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STAR Network - If you are affected by any of the issues in this podcast please check out the free global support network, including daily meetings, information and resources at https://starnetwork.org/

Join a virtual trauma support community and break free from the trauma before it breaks you. 

If you need immediate help:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/suicide/suicide-prevention-hotlines-resources-worldwide

https://www.samaritans.org

https://womensaid.org.uk/

https://solacewomensaid.org/

https://www.thehotline.org/

Stalking support and advocacy UK

https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/

To rent the documentary The Narcissist's Playbook: Empathy Not Included visit www.narcissistsplaybook.com