First published in Psychology Today April 30, 2020 Children of narcissists endure profound ongoing neglect and abuse that result in disrupted attachment, insecure identity formation, unstable self-esteem, and complex traumatic stress. Adding to the trauma, such children are usually told in myriad ways…
The elegance of an emergency is the clarity of purpose it presents. As the coronavirus pandemic gains momentum, cooperation is our best hope of mitigating mass-scale disaster. Yet Donald Trump’s narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) means he is incapable of realistic…
The healthy family model is turned on its head to support the parents rather than foster the children’s development.
We’ve all experienced insensitive talkers who dominate conversations with excessive chatter and poor listening. But if you’re treated to regular aggressive ear-bending disguised as “conversation,” you may be dealing with the soul-crushing verbal bullying of narcissistic monologuing. Not all narcissists…
As the daughter of a narcissistic mother you face countless assaults to your identity, integrity, and individuality. One of the most pernicious forms of assault plays out on the battlefield of your body. Before we peer into the black hole…
For so many of us, the holidays elicit complex emotions about our core human needs for home, family, love, and belonging. For those with narcissistic family members, this time of year tends to intensify our hopes and fears about fulfilling those needs,…
Released today, December 3, 2019, from Da Capo Lifelong Books/Hachette Book Group, Julie L. Hall’s The Narcissist in Your Life: Recognizing the Patterns and Learning to Break Free lands with urgency on mental health bookshelves to help survivors of narcissistic abuse and…
First published on Psychology Today November 10, 2019 As a narcissistic abuse recovery coach, I offer several fundamental insights to clients that anyone working to recover from long-term narcissistic abuse needs to know. 1. A larger pattern is at work. If you have a history…
First published in Psychology Today 10/14/19 Children of narcissistic parents, particularly children who are routinely devalued or scapegoated, commonly internalize feelings of vulnerability, hopelessness, and imminent threat that create a sense of foreshortened future. Like other long-term trauma sufferers, children from narcissistic families…
Covert narcissism can be difficult to identify, even in someone you think you know well. Use this checklist to recognize the covert narcissist in your life.