So, in your response above...basically you're advising me to seek a life coach via this compassion course? I'm insulted now, especially because you snuck in that course as a suggestion without respecting me enough to explain your reasoning for posting a link to it. I don't need a life coach to guide me. Thanks.

Just today, I was at the grocery store and an old guy was looking for pudding in the pet food aisle. So I walked him to the baking aisle and found the pudding he was looking for. He tapped me on the shoulder and told me, "Thanks but you don't need to be so nice." So, I'm good with compassion. Thanks.

What I need, is to find people who I don't need to defend myself against. If you'd advertised a Hogwarts School course on magic spells that would be more applicable. I'd like to cast curses on the people who've used and manipulated me.

I have worked hard to get where I am but it still hasn't prevented me from being socially manipulated, emotionally abused, shunned, lied to and alienated by others.

Manipulative people are experts at faking empathy for others. They pretend they want to help you; they pretend to be your friend, or to have a romantic interest in you. There is just no way to discern who is real and who isn't, anymore. It's just not possible. The only way I can discern who is real and who isn't, is by judging people based on their actions, because, as the lyrics go, "words are very unnecessary/they can only do harm." Actions always speak louder than words. And usually, it's only after someone does something to me that I can discern their level of genuineness.