The first thing children learn when they have a narcissistic parent is how to blame themselves. We know that this childhood abuse — whether overt psychological warfare, covert emotional manipulation, or the …
Risking Imperfection as a Survivor of Narcissistic System and Scapegoating Abuse
Do you ever feel the paralyzing effects of perfectionism? When I was doing my doctorate, my burnout levels were so high that I ended up having to write my entire …
Rumination: The Invisible Trauma Bond That Re-Attaches You To Toxicity
My phone tells me how many hours I spend online. The weekly report offers comparisons from one week to the next; Was I up 33% from last week? Was it …
Rejection Sensitivity: How Abandonment Wounds Distort Your Social Life And The Way You See Yourself
Imagine a moment when you walked into a room and it suddenly got quiet. Or that time in the elevator when you overheard whispering. When your friend didn’t text back …
When No One Believes You: Working Through The Betrayal And Injustice Of Narcissistic Abuse
There are truly no words to describe the agony of not being believed. I worked for years as a trauma therapist specializing in abusive relationships and toxic families. Day in …
Are You Playing The Victim, Or Just Gaslighting Yourself?
It wasn’t so bad, was it? Stop playing the victim. You’re an adult now, they don’t own you. It’s in the past. You are strong. Pick yourself up and keep …
Are You The Assh*le?
“The truest marker of an unhealthy dynamic is when the emotionally mature person starts thinking they’re the asshole every time they choose to prioritize their wellbeing”. If you have never once asked …