The problem with being driven by emotions are that they are very fickle, but at the time can feel like the most compelling and powerful force on earth.

Thich Nhat Hanh talks about fear, and how from the moment we are born we are fearful, trying to grasp at our survival. As babies we figure out how to get those around us to give us what we want for survival, and as we grow up we can often feel afraid or alone inside and feel the craving to rely on the acceptance of others for survival.

I see this with our younger generation especially. Too scared to come home to ourselves, too scared to get in touch with our suffering, instead we lose ourselves in the mass of media and idle consumption where the only thing that matters is being liked. This life is easy because it requires constant upward attachment, rather than coming home and feeling the raw emotion.

And when you are beautiful in this world, it can be very difficult. People say 'I wish I was better looking' But having your whole life - and survival based not on skill, but on quickly fading looks can cause a lot of suffering. If we rely on being liked through our looks then we can become horribly attached to every detail, and it can warp our sense of reality and change the landscape of how we deal with people.

Now the girl in question may well be experiencing that - needing to conform to other peoples views in order to be liked - to survive.

But the question is - what can you do?

And sadly the answer is probably very little. If you stay and help this girl live out these delusions and constantly bathe in the three poisons you serve only to bring both of you suffering and stress.

It's very likely if you do stay, that she will continue to use you and manipulate your emotions to get what she wants. This will only push her further away from coming home and bring you such a great deal of suffering.

So if I was you (and I have been - in both positions) I'd explain to her that as her friend you have a lot of love and concern for her. She is going down a path that will not lead to happiness, that she needs to realize that people who are truly close to you in life are precious, and not to be used as a pawn for further gain, and that you are no longer willing to suffer to be in her life. Tell her the problem with living to appease others is you'll never know the 'real you'.

Then you have two choices - cut all contact and move on with your life. Realise its for the best and wish her well.

Leave one line of communication open - If you still want to be there for her when/if all of her emotions catch up with her then you may wish to tell her to write you a letter. Unlike a phone or social media she cant get instant gratification or send you many messages. The hope is that when she can bring her self to do something out of the ordinary like writing a letter she is ready to bring change. If she is only trying to use you do not engage - only help when she's truly ready to bring change.

Personally I sometimes find myself torn by the decision to cut all contact. But deep down I know it was for the best. I felt a lot of powerful emotions and love for this woman yet like a thunder storm our volatile love was destructive and brought much suffering, and I had neither the wisdom nor compassion at the time to truly heal us - to heal her.

When people become to good at manipulation of emotions for survival it can be hard for them to know what a true emotion is themselves.