The more I think about it, the more I realize that the soul mate language must be used for this manipulation to be effective. You must truly believe that you're meant to be together forever or when things start going downhill, you'll check out. I can see that this was a pivotal belief I held that kept me coming back long after I normally would have. I literally believed that we were made for each other and, therefore, would have done anything to salvage the relationship.