You may be wondering if your spouse has narcissistic personality disorder. They may not have full blown narcissistic personality disorder, but you are sure they have toxic narcissistic personality traits. To note, your spouse is emotionally abusive of you. You feel like your spouse with narcissism takes their tension out on you. After being together for a while, your long-term relationship dynamics feel unhealthy. Parts of you feel stuck, hurt, and not sure what to do. Your spouse has traits of narcissism. Sometimes, you feel crazy, doubt yourself, and anxious. But, you are now reading up on crazy making, gaslighting, and narcissistic abuse. At Wisdom Within Counseling, you can work with therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Right now, you may be feeling a lot of different emotions in a marriage to a narcissistic person.
Your spouse disregards your emotions and lacks empathy. As well, you struggle with confusion, self-doubt, anger, shame, sadness, and loss. A part of your feels that you are grieving the marriage and spouse you thought you had. Another part of you feels shame for being in a marriage to a narcissist.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
When your spouse suffers from narcissism, you may also be struggling with guilt and blame.
You have horrible, painful memories from your own childhood. Growing up, you had narcissistic parents, and were emotional and psychologically abused. Thinking back, your parents criticized you in the same way your narcissistic spouse is hurting and criticizing you. Your own mother or father was a narcissist, and you tried to create a better life for your children than you had growing up.
Parts of your struggle right now is raising children in this emotionally abusive, toxic environment. Counseling can help you accept and reflect upon what you feel. It is okay that you feel deep sadness, shame, distress, and grief about your marriage and relationship.
Your NPD specialist at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you find healthy outlets for all that you feel.
The therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder help you find positive coping outlets from your intense emotions.
When you are married to a narcissist, you might feel like your boundaries are not being respected.
As well, you might feel like your feelings have been really hurt when in a relationship with a narcissist. Part of you may feel like you don’t have a voice in your marriage or relationship to a narcissist. When you are walking on eggshells at home, individual and couples therapy can help break these negative relationship patterns.
The therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder help you understand cycle of emotional and psychological abuse
there are four phases to abusive relationships. In an emotionally and psychologically abusive romantic relationship, the person is so kind and mean. There are always good times and bad times in every abusive relationship. When you are in a marriage to someone who has narcissism, you will get both good and bad times. The good times feel very, very good. When things are going well, you feel close and happy. However, when things go badly, you get the silent treatment, they are lying, explosive and anger, and you are walking on eggshells. The bad times in your relationship are very, very bad.
Extreme cycles of good memories and bad times are very common in abusive relationships. This is why it is very important to work with the therapists at Wisdom Within Counseling who are trained in narcissistic personality disorder. When you work with a more generalist therapist, who does not have specific NPD training, they may convince you to stay in a relationship longer than is healthy for you. The four phases of abuse include the calm phase, the tension building phase, the explosive/abusive incident, and the reconciliation phase.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Calm phase
During the calm phase, no abuse or emotional trauma occurs. This is the time when everything feels good and close. You and your spouse who has narcissistic personality disorder may even be intimate and sexual. And, you may feel safe again with your spouse who has NPD. calm phase is when you and your spouse might be doing hobbies together. Laughter may be occurring on a regular basis. However, the calm energy does not last forever. Soon, you will be in the tension building phase where you can sense that something is wrong. But, your spouse is not verbalizing their feelings.
Tension building phase
In the tension building phase, communication is often getting unhealthy and indirect. Your spouse with narcissistic personality disorder might tell you that they are upset by slamming doors. When you ask about their feelings, they walk out of the room, shutting you out. Additionally, and the tension building phase, you may suffer from anticipatory anxiety. You might be knowing that a big explosive argument is coming soon, but you are not sure when. And, you sense fear and anxiety. While tension is building, a victim of narcissistic abuse will often be submissive to the abuser. You might try everything possible to make your abuser happy. Communication is often deteriorating from both people at this time.
You can learn about the effects of narcissistic abuse from working with the therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder
More over, you may have a lot of different complex emotions from being in a relationship with a narcissist. What are your parents are narcissistic or your spouse is a narcissist, your body may have symptoms. Emotional, physical, and psychological symptoms are often present after narcissistic abuse. You may have a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder too. At times, you may experience irritability, mood swings, depression, or depersonalization. Other times, you experience high levels of anxiety and stress.
You may always be living in fear of the next explosive argument. Somatic symptoms and body pain are also common in victims of narcissistic abuse and toxic relationships. Many victims of emotional abuse and narcissistic abuse experience headaches, trouble sleeping, and appetite changes. More so, from narcissistic abuse, you may have chronic pain and chronic health issues.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
If your parents had narcissistic personality disorder, you may be a highly empathetic person
Growing up with narcissistic parents and having a narcissistic spouse can lead you to develop a high level of empathy. In your upbringing, with narcissistic parents, your parents required a high level of validation. You had to be your parents emotional support, even while they were emotionally neglecting you. Now, you have a lot of empathy skills.
As well, you may be a very overly forgiving person from narcissistic abuse. Additionally, you may find yourself stuck in a cycle of being overly accommodating. It may be difficult for you to identify and express your emotions or set boundaries after living with narcissistic people.
In counseling for emotional abuse and narcissistic abuse recovery, you can learn how to set boundaries. You can learn how to identify which phase of the cycle of narcissistic abuse you might be in. Instead of getting sucked into trying to please your abuser in the tension building phase, you can learn how to practice self-care.
By identifying which phase in the cycle of narcissistic abuse your relationship is in, you can feel a sense of confidence
Due to narcissistic abuse, you may lack self-esteem, and have very little self-confidence. You might find yourself tearful, anxious, and crying at different times of the day. These experiences might even be post-traumatic stress disorder flashbacks. When you have been in a series of toxic relationships, with your parents and with a spouse, narcissistic abuse counseling can help.
To note, it is normal to feel scared, confused, angry, and need professional help. At Wisdom Within Counseling, you can work with the therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder and NPD abuse.
After the tension building phase, a narcissist will have an explosive and abusive incident. A spouse or parent with narcissism will exert power and dominance. After the tension building phase of abuse, your narcissistic mother or narcissistic spouse will explode in anger and emotionally abuse you.
Explosive or abusive incident comes after the tension building phase of narcissistic abuse
Furthermore, the explosive, abusive incident often creates emotional, psychological, sexual, and physical trauma for a victim. For each abusive person, an explosive incident can look different. And, each abusive, explosive incident can be different each time. There might be anger and aggression during an abusive, explosive incident. Name-calling, yelling, or severe criticisms are common during abusive, explosive incidents. As well, during the abusive phase, arguing moves to a dangerous, high conflict level.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
During an abusive incident, a narcissistic person may use threatening language.
A person with narcissistic personality disorder may threaten to divulge secrets you’ve shared with them in confidence. If you have come out to them as bisexual or gay, they will threaten to out you to people who do not know that you are gay or bisexual. A person with narcissistic personality disorder will try to use the secrets that you have told them in confidence against you during fights.
They might threaten your physical safety or threaten to leave the relationship. Intimidation tactics are also very common in abusive, emotionally traumatizing fights. There is almost always emotional and verbal abuse in an abusive incident. Your partner may speak to you in derogatory or shaming ways during an abusive, traumatic incident.
To note, the emotional, physical, verbal, and psychological abuse tactics leave a lasting impact on a victim of narcissistic abuse.
The therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder at Wisdom Within Counseling help couples break this traumatic cycle. This type of negative interaction does not feel good for either person.
Reconciliation phase
During the reconciliation phase, a narcissist may use love bombing techniques. A narcissist may know they have messed up, but they often lack the skills to truly and genuinely apologize. Gifts, buying expensive meals, and love bombing tactics are common in the reconciliation phase. A narcissist may take their victim out to dinner or buy expensive wine. Victims of abuse often need help seeing these lavish gifts as love bombing. Instead of changing abusive behaviors, during the reconciliation phase, a narcissist may give a fake apology by blaming their victim. The apology is fake because a narcissistic person doesn’t make permeant positive behavior changes. There may not be much reconciliation from your spouse with narcissism.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
When your spouse has narcissism, they will blame you for their emotional abuse tactics and anger outbursts.
As well, a narcissist will often minimize the severity of the emotionally or physically abusive incident. A narcissist will tell their victim that the abuse wasn’t as bad as they claim. Furthermore, victims of narcissistic abuse often receive undue blame. As a result of being blamed for a narcissist mistakes, you may become extremely sensitive. Victims of narcissistic abuse might be incredibly empathetic and perceptive of changes in other people’s moods and emotions.
With post-traumatic stress disorder from having a parent or spouse with narcissistic personality disorder, you may have many symptoms.
As well, you may have jumpy reflexes or find your heart rate increases quickly. Victims of narcissistic abuse and emotional abuse are always on the lookout for danger. As a result of a narcissist in your life blaming you for their emotional anger, you may feel overwhelmed more easily. When trusted people in your life for you and emotionally abusive ways, it is normal to always be constantly judging the safety of the world.
Additionally, part of narcissistic abuse counseling is seeing the people in your life or who they really are. Your narcissistic parents may have been well-meaning, however they may have also been emotionally abusive and narcissistic. When you have a parent or a spouse with a narcissism, narcissistic abuse recovery counseling can help you see toxic family patterns and negative communication styles.
Instead of always being stuck trying to please an abusive person, you can learn to see narcissistic abuse for what it is.
Therapy with a narcissistic abuse specialist at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you see your parents as abusers.
You can look at what dysfunction occurred in your family growing up and also identify the same unhealthy traits in your partner.
Self-regulation tools and positive coping strategies from narcissistic abuse counseling can help you if you have more sensitivities to sound, sights, and smells. With PTSD, you might always be on the lookout for danger and always anxious.
Counseling after narcissistic abuse can help you develop a strong sense of self worth and self-esteem again.
Instead of living in a state of high anxiety after emotional abuse, you can learn to live with confidence.
As well, counseling with a specialist in narcissistic personality disorder can help you live a beautiful, healthy, and confident life.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Denial is common in the reconciliation phase when it comes to narcissistic abuse
Or, a narcissist may deny the abuse occurred all together. “I didn’t do that,” is a common phrase narcissistic people may say to their victim. “Nothing happened,” is also a common phrase narcissistic people may say to their victim. These are a forms of gaslighting and crazy making.
After the reconciliation phase, the abuse cycle repeats. So, you and your spouse with narcissism shift back into the calm phase. Your marriage may seem peaceful for a short period of time during the calm phase. For some couples, the calm phase may last one day. Or, it may last a few months. Over time, abusive, explosive incidents may become more and more frequent.
Who can be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder?
When we talk about traits of a person who has narcissistic personality disorder, there are many to look at. Anyone of any gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status may have narcissistic personality disorder. Caucasian males are not the only people that can be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. And, anyone of any gender, race, religion, or socioeconomic status may become a victim of narcissistic abuse.
Your parents may have narcissistic personality disorder. Or, your grandparents may have narcissistic personality disorder. You may have a sibling who has narcissistic personality disorder. Your husband or your wife or even your boyfriend or girlfriend, may have narcissistic personality traits. Having a narcissist in your life can be traumatizing.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Traits of a person with narcissistic personality disorder
People with narcissistic personality disorder have two extreme sides of their personality
To note, a person with narcissistic personality disorder is often very charismatic and charming at the beginning of a relationship. Overtime, you see the worst side of your narcissistic spouse. When your spouse has narcissism, when they are dissatisfied, they will be aggressive and mean. The way they talk to you is belittling.
Your narcissistic spouse is highly critical of you. In social settings, and narcissistic person may also be very friendly and outgoing. Neighbors and other families may perceive your narcissistic spouse as the hero. However, behind closed doors, your spouse with NPD, is mean and aggressive.
In conflicts, your spouse with narcissism knows exactly what to say to emotionally kick you in the stomach.
A person with narcissistic personality disorder is intentionally hurtful. They lack emotional relationship skills and lack empathy. When your narcissistic spouse becomes upset, they slam doors, criticize you, and yell. You might even have been chased around your house. Someone with narcissistic personality disorder may become violent and get into legal issues for domestic violence. You may have even had to call the police on your spouse with narcissism because of domestic violence.
Within a few hours or a few days, your spouse of narcissism is a totally different person. They are happy go lucky again and are excited to see you and very affectionate. You may experience a total flip with in your spouse who has narcissistic personality disorder. Sometimes they are aggressive, mean, and explosive. Other times, they are caring, loving, and affectionate.
Power and control in narcissistic people
Notably, a person with our narcissistic personality disorder may have the mentality, “My way or the highway.” They are not open minded to other people’s viewpoints or decisions. A person with narcissistic personality disorder will want to take a dominant stance all the time. They will need to be in control in the decision maker. When it comes to what type of food to buy the grocery store, the narcissist in your life will make that decision. You will feel like you don’t have a say or a voice. When you are married to a narcissist, they will need to decide where you go out to dinner. They will pick what is going to happen for your date night. Narcissistic people like to be in control all the time. If you try to offer an idea, they will often criticize you and belittle you.
Narcissists need to be in a position of power and control.
Usually, narcissist hold leadership positions at work. A narcissist may be perceived by others at work as the hero or the helper. But, within an intimate and romantic relationship, you see a whole different, angry side of the narcissist. In a professional, work environment, narcissist can excel. They may be the person getting the next promotion. A narcissist is very good at being in a position of power and control.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
There challenges that occur with wanting power and control all the time in a family and marriage.
Narcissist may be executives, or even CEO’s of companies. In these career roles, their desire for power and control can be used in a positive way. However, at home, with a spouse, and children, and narcissist will need to learn another way of being in relationships. Relationships with children and a spouse require compassion, gentleness, nurturing, and humor.
Exerting power and control over a spouse or children leads to emotional distance and fear. Children who have a parent who is narcissistic may grow to fear them. Instead of having a healthy parent child relationship, children may fear their narcissistic parent. Children learn to walk on eggshells at home when a parent does not relate in an empathetic or compassionate way.
Chronic lying and denial
Also, when you are dealing with someone who has narcissistic personality disorder they will often lie to you and blame you for it. A person with narcissistic personality disorder will frequently lie. Whether or not this behavior is a negative one learn from childhood, lying is unhealthy.
Secret keeping can lead to major marital issues. Constant and chronic lying is a trait of narcissistic people. For instance, when you catch a narcissist lying and bring it to their attention, they will still deny it. Even if you have evidence that they are lying, a narcissist will continue to deny their lies.
It will be very hard for a person with narcissistic personality disorder to be honest in their communication.
Even when you find them in the middle of a lie, they will turn it into an attack. Additionally, a person with narcissistic personality disorder will try to justify why they lied. They will not be able to understand that lying hurt your feelings. Instead, they will try to tell you all of the reasons why them lying was acceptable. It will be very difficult for someone who has narcissistic personality disorder to take ownership and apologize. Apologizing requires a level of empathy and self-awareness.
Can someone with narcissistic personality disorder learn how to apologize and stop lying?
Yes. To note, counseling with a therapist who specializes in narcissistic personality disorder can teach healthy relationship skills. However, naturally, someone with narcissistic personality disorder struggles to apologize and empathize. Working with a therapist who specializes in narcissistic personality disorder can help someone with NPD to understand the value in apologizing.
As well, NPD counseling can teach empathy and social emotional skills that parents, society, and upbringing did not teach. Anyone at any age can learn social emotional and empathy skills to have better relationships. When you or your loved one suffer from narcissistic personality disorder, it is very important that you work with a specialist.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Love bombing
When you are dealing with someone who has narcissistic personality disorder, you may experience love bombing. Love bombing is a red flag in your relationship. Many times, a person who is narcissistic will not even realize they are love bombing you. Through marriage therapy for NPD, love bombing can become more conscious.
A person who is narcissistic will give you excessive gifts. Usually, you get a gift right after you feel incredibly hurt or betrayed. A narcissistic person will then put you down or belittle you. Then, they will shower you with expensive gifts.
Love bombing means that a person gives you gifts but doesn’t change negative behaviors. You might be asking your partner to stop calling you a derogatory name. But, instead of them changing their negative behavior, they just give you expensive gifts.
Experiencing love bombing from a person with narcissistic personality disorder can make you feel very confused
When you receive the gift, you might feel confused. A part of you might be happy you are getting a gift. But, another part of you might still want your narcissistic partner to improve. Love bombing means that a person gives you gifts but doesn’t change negative behaviors.
You might be asking your partner to stop calling you a derogatory name when they get mad. But, instead of them changing their negative behavior, they just give you expensive gifts. They never change their hurtful behaviors.
When love bombing you, a person might be saying all the things that you want to hear. They might be giving you reassurance and love on one day. However, the next day, they are ignoring you or criticizing you. Love bombing is something that you can look out for and can change. By going to couples therapy with a narcissistic personality disorder specialist, you and your partner can develop healthy relationship skills part of healing negative relationship skills like love bombing and become more conscious of them.
Crazy making and gaslighting
To add, crazy making and gaslighting are toxic, negative relationship tactics. As well, crazy making is a tactic that many people with narcissistic personality disorder use. This can also be conscious or subconscious. When you are experiencing crazy making, someone else and tends to make you feel insecure. You might bring up that something your romantic partner did last night really hurt your feelings. For many victims of narcissistic abuse, gaslighting and crazy making are interchangeable.
When you bring it up, they denied ever happened. Denying that it happened makes a victim of narcissistic abuse feel a sense of doubt. As well, gaslighting and crazy making lead you to feel a lack of confidence in yourself. You stop trusting yourself from gaslighting and crazy making abuse tactics. Going into the conversation, you felt confident, that you knew exactly what happened the prior night. But, because the narcissistic person is being so convincing, you start to doubt yourself.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Gaslighting and crazy are forms of narcissistic abuse that make you question your perception of reality.
As well, crazy making can be when your romantic partner asks you to do some thing for them. Then, they deny that they ever asked you to do that. They might even be mad that you completed the task. When you try to let them know that they asked you to do it, they make you feel stupid.
The therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder help you identify if you are experiencing a high level of criticism
Additionally, crazy making can be about criticizing you. You might feel criticized or belittled all the time. No matter what you do, it feels like your romantic partner with narcissistic personality disorder never appreciate you. You put effort in all day and give him an empty bucket at times.
Your spouse with narcissistic personality disorder criticizes your decisions. And, when you share about some thing you did that you would like praise for, they do not give you praise. Instead, your spouse with narcissistic personality disorder belittles you for the choices and decisions you make. When you want a compliment, the narcissist in your life will criticize you.
It’s very hard for people with narcissistic personality disorder to give praise to others. People with narcissistic personality disorder always want to be the hero. When you want attention, a person with narcissistic personality disorder feels like the attention is being taken off then. They see this as a threat.
Guilt and shame are common manipulation tactics when it comes to narcissistic abuse
Additionally, a person with narcissistic personality disorder will you shame and guilt to get you to do what they want. You might experience a guilt tripping behaviors. If you try to set a boundary, a person who is narcissistic will try to get you to violate your own boundary. They don’t care about your boundaries. Instead, a person with narcissistic personality disorder will shame you and manipulate you.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Deciding to stay or separating from the person with a narcissistic personality disorder in your life
When you are in a romantic relationship with someone who has narcissistic personality disorder, you might be raising children together. Parts of you may want to end the marriage and leave. But, another part of you knows that you will have to coparent with this person.
You are afraid that they would make your life even worse if you left them. You deserve to have a safe place to navigate being married to someone with narcissistic personality disorder. By attending counseling, you can have a safe place to reflect and collect your thoughts.
Working with the team at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you overcome anxiety and fear as a result of living with someone with narcissistic personality disorder. You can develop a sense of self respect. Instead of becoming so emotionally distraught or upset, you can learn to stay calm. As well, and make sure of individual and couples counseling and help you create healthy communication and relationship.
Why meet with therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder vs. a generalist?
Often times, people with narcissistic personality disorder do not get the specialty counseling they need. The therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder at Wisdom Within Counseling understand what you are going through. We frequently work with victims of narcissistic abuse, emotional abuse, and even sexual abuse. You might always be waiting for the other shoe to drop, after narcissistic abuse. As well, you may be able to pinpoint more than one person in your life who has narcissistic personality disorder.
You can learn to have a backbone and voice from working with the therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder
There may be unhealthy relationship patterns that you tend to fall into, like being too accommodating. If you find that you are submissive into accommodating, you can learn how to assert your voice. You don’t have to be dominant or yell.
But, counseling with therapists who are trained and narcissistic personality disorder can help you have conversations with a narcissist in your life, without feeling exhausted or frazzled. Boundaries are key in order to live with someone who has NPD. Often, victims of NPD abuse need help setting healthy boundaries. You can learn how to set and maintain healthy boundaries. As well, setting boundaries is not about anyone else, but yourself.
Counseling for NPD might be the first time in your life that you can talk about what boundary setting looks like for you. As well, you have a safe space, with your narcissistic abuse specialist, to talk about what your ideal, healthy relationship looks like. So often, victims of narcissistic abuse feel hurt, exhausted, and stuck. You might feel like you just have to take it, no matter what the narcissistic person in your life says or does. Instead, counseling for narcissistic abuse recovery can help you see variety of different options and ways to handle a difficult situation.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Working with the Wisdom Within Counseling therapists who are trained in narcissistic personality disorder helps you develop forgiveness for yourself
As well, you may feel a sense of shame or guilt after narcissistic abuse. You never thought that you would end up married to someone who is emotionally and psychologically abusive. Realizing that you were married to someone with narcissistic personality disorder can lead to shame and guilt.
You might feel like you are to blame. It might be hard for you to forgive yourself. Part of counseling for narcissistic abuse recovery means forgiving yourself. Working with a therapist who is trained in narcissistic personality disorder can teach you how to let yourself off the hook. You might be treating yourself and kindly or shaming yourself for ending up with an abusive person. It is not your fault that you love someone that psychologically abuse you or your children. From working with therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder, you can gain self-awareness tools and positive coping strategies in counseling.
As well, and counseling for narcissistic abuse recovery, you can identify healthier self-love skills.
Meeting with a therapist trained in narcissistic personality disorder, you can learn how to release shame, blame, and guilt.
Many survivors of emotional abuse and narcissistic abuse have a lot of self blame. With your narcissistic abuse specialist, you can work through self-blame and gain self-compassion.
Early on in the relationship, you may have tried to make sense of the emotional and narcissistic abuse by blaming yourself. As well, the narcissistic person in your life may have also blamed you. Narcissistic people are very good at flipping the blame back onto the victim. Even though you may have not been at fault, you may have learned to blame yourself.
Talk about fears with the Wisdom Within Counseling therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder
You might fear that having a spouse who has narcissistic personality disorder can make your children also develop this disorder. From counseling for narcissistic abuse recovery, you can learn how to teach your children about healthy relationship skills. Even though they may have a parent that has narcissistic personality disorder, counseling can help you feel a sense of empowerment to teach your children about relationship red flags.
When you feel that your spouse is a narcissist, you walk on eggshells every day. You don’t know when your narcissistic spouse will explode in an angry fit of rage. And, you worry that you are stuck dealing with emotionally abusive treatment for the rest of your future. A mixture of individual and couples therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling can help couples relate in healthier ways. Learning to communicate in healthy ways can help model positive communication for your children too. It might be easy to get sucked into a negative high conflict argument with your narcissistic spouse.
Wisdom Within Counseling specializes with people with NPD and their partners.
More so, work with a therapist who specializes in narcissistic personality disorder can help your spouse break emotionally abusive cycles. Counseling for NPD can help your spouse gain insight on their abusive childhood. Often, counseling can help you and your spouse in understanding the connection to childhood abuse and childhood trauma and narcissism. When your spouse demonstrates narcissistic and emotionally abusive tactics, counseling can help them talk about unresolved childhood trauma.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Working with the therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder can help if you or your spouse grew up with a narcissistic mother or narcissistic father
Being raised by narcissistic, emotionally abusive parents can influence a child. A child who is raised by a narcissist mother or father endures trauma and abuse themselves. Having narcissistic parents can lead a child to grow into an adult who has narcissism. What we watch and observe growing up in childhood influences up.
Emotional abuse in childhood can lead to low self-worth and low self-esteem.
What is emotionally abusive language?
As well, receiving an inordinate amount of criticism in childhood is emotionally abusive. When your narcissistic parents make you the target of verbal abuse, this is emotionally traumatizing.
Furthermore, name-calling, disparaging remarks, sarcasm, or other inappropriate verbal responses can lead to low self-esteem. Children you receive sarcasm may be something parents do to try to be funny. However, sarcasm is very hurtful and leads to low self-worth in children. In your childhood, your narcissistic parents may have made fun of you.
If you worked hard in a play or school performance, your parents made you feel that you had to be perfect. The bar was always set too high. You were made to feel that you could never be good enough in your parent’s eyes. Your narcissistic and emotionally abusive parents may have ridiculed you for your thoughts, perceptions, opinions, and feelings.
When you cleaned or vacuumed, it was not good enough. Your parents made you do it over, and over, and over. If you got an A-, it wasn’t good enough. Your narcissistic parents criticized your body shape, weight, and food choices. Often, criticism from narcissistic parents leads to body image issues into adult years.
When a parent ridicules your body or appearance in your childhood, this can leave a negative impact for years into the future. Your parents were narcissistic and emotionally abusive if they consistently ignored, neglected, and discounted your feelings. If you were told to “Stop crying,” this is a form of emotional and psychological abuse. Saying this invalidates a child’s emotional experience and causes a child to feel neglected emotionally.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Narcissistic abuse from parents can be very traumatizing
Your narcissistic parents may have punished you in a way that was cruel. As well, your narcissistic parents called your horrible names, and neglected you. They may have made you feel humiliated in a variety of ways. When you were punished by your narcissistic parents, basic needs like dinner was taken away.
Punishment that is cruel or inappropriate leads a child to feel worthless and lack self-respect. Your abusive, narcissistic parents may have putting you, as a small child, in isolation for long periods of time. Maybe, your narcissistic parents locked you in a closet or room. At the time, you felt upset, but you didn’t know you were a victim of abuse from your parents. You remember painful, emotionally traumatizing events from your childhood.
For instance, when you experience emotional abuse tactics in childhood and from your spouse, this can lead to low self-worth. Counseling after narcissistic abuse can help you love, accept, and appreciate how your strengths. You can start to see yourself as a survivor. As well, counseling can help you appreciate how you have survived horrible abuse in childhood. Self-love can be a beautiful benefit of NPD recovery counseling.
For both a spouse, and person with NPD, having abusive parents can lead to thinking these unhealthy communication styles are normal. Both narcissistic people may have role models who were abusive and normalized abuse. If your wife or husband is a narcissist, you are not alone. Wisdom Within Counseling is a group of therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder and couples therapy.
Where can Katie Ziskind and the team of narcissistic abuse therapists at Wisdom Within Counseling help you?
The team of family and marriage therapists at Wisdom Within Counseling are trained in narcissistic personality disorder. We help people in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansa, Louisiana, Tennessee North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Where in Connecticut do the therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder offer support?
Our therapists who are trained in narcissistic personality disorder support adults and couples with NPD in Andover, Norfolk, Shelton, Deep River, Mystic, Farmington, Middlebury, Scotland, Chester, Morris, Sprague, Weston, East Haddam, Wilton, Ellington, Bolton, Coventry, Seymour, Westport, Willington, Windsor, Barkhamsted, Southport, Simsbury, Bloomfield, Hartford, Southington, Bolton, Colchester, East Granby, Litchfield Hills, Woloctt, Hebron, East Lyme, Hartland, Bozrah, Durham, Ledyard, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Suffield, Mansfield, Waterbury, Meriden, Glastonbury, Watertown, Canterbury, Canton, Norwalk, Andover, Newington, Rocky Hill, Lebanon, Southington, Ansonia, Ashford, Eastford, Avon, Somers, Canterbury, Bethel, Stratford, Killingly, Plainville, Monroe, Prospect, Killingworth, West Hartford, Enfield, Stafford, Bristol, Hebron, Suffield, Burlington, Manchester, Tolland, Bethel, Brooklyn, Bridgewater, Milford, Bethlehem, Brookfield, Newtown, Sherman, Danbury, Branford, Darien, Derby, Greenwich, Groton, Griswold, Orange, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Haven, Chaplin, Columbia, Montville, Windham, Uncasville, Woodstock, Hebron, Plainville, Coventry, Killingly, Washington, Essex, Plymouth, Bethany, Cromwell, Clinton, Meriden, Waterford, Middletown, Stamford, Beacon Falls, Wallingford, Bridgeport, Wethersfield, Connecticut.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
In Florida, where can I work with therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder?
As well, in Florida, Wisdom Within Counseling is a group of counselors trained in marriage counseling and narcissistic abuse recovery therapy in Lake Mary, Tampa, Chattahoochee, Sarasota, Bradenton, Pensacola, Gainesville, Davenport, Caryville, Cedar Key, Melbourne, Naples, Cape Canaveral, Babson Park, Tallahassee, Apalachicola, Destin, Daytona Beach, Edgewater, Greenville, De Leon Springs, Jacksonville, Belle Glade, Cape Coral, Palm Bay, Vero Beach, Venice, Tarpon Springs Miami, Deerfield Beach, Orlando, Anna Maria, Bonita Springs, Marco Island, Dover, Webster, Ebro, Key Biscayne, Deland, Satellite Beach, Atlantic Beach, Cocoa Beach, Wildwood, Williston, Winter Beach, Lynn Haven, Melbourne Beach, Starke, Rotonda West, Stuart, Tavernier, Titusville, Beverly Hills, Bushnell, Bradenton Beach, Cooper City, Florida.
As well, in Florida, Wisdom Within Counseling specializes in narcissistic abuse recovery in Weston, Blountstown, Palm Coast, Ormond Beach, Sebring, North Palm Beach, Fisher Island, West Palm Beach, Bowling Green, Gulf Breeze, Branford, Zolfo Springs, Sanibel, North Port, Palm Beach, Port Saint Joe, Oviedo, Parkland, Holiday, Port St. Lucie, Leesburg, St. Petersburg, Pompano Beach, Hialeah, Lakeland, Lake City, Lacoochee, Indian Harbor Beach, Campbellton, Palmetto, Canal Point, Quincy, Reddick, Woodville, Longboat Key, Tavares, Keystone Heights, Marathon, Wausau, Roseland, Horseshoe Beach, Safety Harbor, Neptune Beach, Florida.
Additionally, we specialize in narcissistic abuse recovery in Live Oak, Ocala, Sanibel, Sweetwater, Sanford, Crystal River, Milton, Sebastian, Zephyrhills, Groveland, Pinecrest, Greensboro, Doral, Miramar Beach, Merritt Island, Panama City Beach, Micanopy, Mexico Beach, Key West, Jensen Beach, Waldo, Mulberry, Sunny Isles Beach, Boca Raton, Palatka, Coral Gables, Zellwood, Penney Farms, Coconut Grove, Yalaha, Tequesta, Englewood, Yankeetown, Holmes Beach, Minneola, Fort Myers, Lake Alfred, Big Pine Key, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Winter Haven, Winter Park, Dunedin, Florida.
After narcissistic abuse, you deserve to live a happy, safe, and loving life.
As well, you deserve to have a marriage where you feel support, care, and love. A mixture of individual and couples therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling helps couples break high conflict cycles. If you spouse has narcissistic personality disorder, you found the right place. Working with the team of therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder, you get to work with a NPD specialist. On an individual level, you can learn self-regulation and positive coping strategies. And, within your marriage, you can learn healthier communication strategies. There may be a variety of complex, intense emotions you are struggling with. Meeting with the therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you process shame, guilt, loss, and sadness.
At Wisdom Within Counseling, you can find healthy coping tools and release emotions in healthy ways.
After narcissistic abuse, you may experience shame, anxiety, and guilt. To add, it is normal to feel powerless, confusion, and loss of self-esteem after emotional abuse. Living with a spouse who is narcissistic can lead you to be submissive and overly compliant. Victims of narcissistic abuse and emotional abuse may be used to taking the blame for their spouse’s behavior. Instead of assuming blame, you can develop self-confidence and better self-esteem tools.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
The marriage that you idealized and dreamed is not the marriage that you currently have.
After narcissistic abuse, complex trauma therapy can help you grieve the loss of the relationship you thought you were creating. You might need to develop grief and loss coping strategies. The team of narcissistic personality disorder specialists offer a variety of holistic, somatic coping tools. Somatic therapies for trauma, like art, yoga, and meditation can all be parts of NPD recovery therapy.
Different mind body therapies help you ground and soothe yourself when you feel anxious and upset. Wisdom Within Counseling offers holistic, creative, life-long positive coping skills. Learning to connect your mind and body can be a great lifelong skill for depression too.
Learning mindfulness meditation skills can reduce symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.
Many victims of narcissistic abuse, whether in childhood or from a spouse, have symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. When you suffer from PTSD, you may have emotional flashbacks. You may become tearful or triggered at any moment.
Anxiety and panic attacks are very common symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.
Flight PTSD responses
You might have a flight response. A flight response is when you want to leave a situation, leave a conversation, or run away.
When you experience a flight PTSD response, you may physically find yourself getting away from the danger present. For instance, if you saw a giant wolf, you might decide to run away due to the danger. Enduring narcissistic abuse in childhood and from your spouse can lead you to feel anxious and stressed out all the time. Your body more quickly goes into a high stress mood after you have trauma.
Your brain with assess the situation and either moves into a fight, flight, or freeze. Instead of feeling like the only thing you can do is run, meditation and somatic therapies help you calm your body.
As well, working with a therapist training narcissistic personality disorder can help you have tools to calm yourself. Meditation can reduce traumatic symptoms and anger associated with PTSD.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Why do the therapist training narcissistic personality disorder offer somatic, mind-body therapies?
Meditation, music therapy, and creative expressive art can elevate your mood after trauma. If you are having a trauma flashback, using a song or playing a musical instrument can reduce nervous system activation. Music, art, and yoga therapy after narcissistic abuse and trauma allows for healthy emotional expression.
Somatic therapies involve both your mind and your body. Just sitting down on the couch and talking about the narcissistic abuse and trauma you have experienced causes you to relive negative experiences. Rather than reliving the negative experiences, you can use your body in therapy to release the memories of narcissistic abuse and trauma.
As well, art therapy, music therapy, and yoga therapy can be lifelong coping strategies for anxiety and depression. Our body holds on to memories of narcissistic abuse and trauma. When you do not deal with negative emotions and stuff them away, physical illness can result. Releasing emotions in healthy ways can have a positive long lasting effect on your body.
What are negative, numbing behaviors after trauma that therapy for narcissistic abuse recovery can help reduce?
When you have a PTSD flashback, you may experience flight symptoms. This means that you might try to numb away the feeling and run away from the emotion you are experiencing. When a victim of trauma tries to numb out, this can be dangerous. You might find yourself drinking alcohol in excess.
Developing alcoholism is a negative coping tool and common after trauma. You may also find yourself having reckless sex. Or, you may find yourself using recreational drugs. Developing a prescription medication addiction is also a common symptom after trauma. Technology addiction can also be a numbing behavior after trauma.
Additionally, numbing behaviors are coming through negative relationship with food. You may develop anorexia, binge eating disorder, purging, are fed, or dysfunctional relationship with food in someway.
After trauma, you may find yourself binge eating on junk food to numb away difficult emotions. Becoming aware of how you are coping in a negative way can be part of therapy. Therapy can help you deal with the emotions that come from trauma in healthy ways.
Becoming aware of numbing behaviors and negative coping tools is key in recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Identifying numbing behaviors can be a part of working with the therapists who are trained narcissistic personality disorder. Instead of numbing out, you can learn to cope with PTSD symptoms by using meditation and mindfulness practices. Somatic therapy and mindfulness practices can help you deal with what you are feeling in a healthy way. You can gain self acceptance and inner peace skills rather than numbing out.
Somatic therapies can help you recover from narcissistic abuse and overcome symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder
For instance, after sexual trauma, a person may have a freeze response during sexual activities, even with a loving partner.
Freeze PTSD responses
You may also have a freeze response suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. A freeze response is when you become a raccoon in headlights. With PTSD, your brain goes somewhere else. Your brain and body disconnect.
Because your parents screamed at you in childhood, you may be more affected by yelling from your spouse. When your spouse screams at you and yells at you, you have a PTSD freeze response. You might not be able to even lift a finger when your PTSD symptoms kick in. Your body feels paralyzed because your freeze response is trying to help you survive the danger present.
To begin, book a phone consult below to work with the emotional abuse specialists and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder.
Fight PTSD responses
After and during narcissistic and emotional abuse, or fight response may be common. I thought response as seen in high conflict fights. When you and your spouse have a conflict, it may escalate very quickly. Before you know it, you both might be yelling at each other and putting each other down. This fight response may be subconscious. PTSD counseling and mindfulness meditation skills can help with reducing this fight response. Instead of having such angry fires, you can both learn healthy communication skills.
As well, mindfulness meditation and breathing skills helps reduce stress. Learning to calm your nervous system can help reduce fight, flight, or freeze responses. After being in an abusive relationship, whether in childhood or with your spouse, your stress response will be elevated. Therefore, learning to calm your nervous system and reduce stress hormones can be beneficial for your health too.
Painting in a counseling session and doing a mindfulness meditation can all be healing. Alongside traditional talk counseling, you get a variety of different somatic, mind-body, alternatives help with trauma recovery.
Also, walk and talk therapy along the Southeastern Connecticut shoreline can help you release shame, loss, guilt, and anxiety.
Being able to go outside and breathe in the fresh air can be healing. After trauma, you may feel socially withdrawn with PTSD. You might have fears about leaving your spouse or more abuse occurring. Essentially, holistic therapy after narcissistic abuse encourages you to create a healthy lifestyle. You can strengthen your immune system by being outside in the fresh air with your NPD therapist. Meditating, walking and music therapy improve your ability to cope with your spouse with NPD. Learning how to cope in a healthy way can help you stay calm. Having a spouse with NPD can lead you to feel anxious all the time. Instead, with positive coping tools, you can feel like you can handle the emotional stress of spouse with NPD better.
Being in a marriage to a narcissist is confusing too because there are a mixture of good and bad times.
The good times feel incredible. But, the bad times with a narcissist feel awful. Having both individual and couples therapy can help you sort through all the skills you need to create a healthy relationship. Your spouse, with narcissistic personality disorder, can gain empathy skills from NPD counseling. Working with a narcissistic personality disorder specialist can help your spouse understand their complex trauma experiences from childhood. As well, your narcissistic spouse can pinpoint different role models they had that taught them to behave in these unhealthy ways.
Benefits of working with counselors and therapists trained in narcissistic personality disorder at Wisdom Within
Additionally, it can be healing for you to have a safe place to process all the emotions you are experiencing. You may have a variety of different emotions from being in a relationship with a narcissist. It’s okay if you love the narcissist that also hurts you. In counseling for narcissistic abuse recovery, all of your feelings are valid and okay.
It’s very common for victims of narcissistic abuse to report feeling attached or bonded to their narcissistic spouse. Some victims of narcissistic abuse report feeling that they are in a trauma bond.
So, it is okay if you are still in love with your narcissistic spouse, and also feel upset by their behaviors. Being in a marriage with a narcissist for decades can be an incredibly emotional experience. It is normal to feel a lot of different emotions at the same time. At times, you feel angry that we are spouse treats you in such a negative ways. You also feel partly cared for. The complex emotions that you are experiencing are normal after enduring narcissistic abuse from your spouse.
Narcissistic abuse therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you gain self-esteem and confidence.
Counseling after emotional abuse can help you understand narcissistic traits and emotionally abusive tendencies. Therapy with a narcissistic abuse specialist can give you a safe place to work through trust issues that can impact you. Working with a narcissistic abuse specialist at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you process negative, self-critical thoughts.
To add, meeting with a narcissistic abuse specialist can help you reflect and sort through the mix of angry, hurt, and bonded feelings you have towards their abusers. Overall, therapy with a narcissistic abuse specialist can help you build coping skills to help you navigate and heal from emotionally abusive relationships. Counseling with a narcissistic abuse specialist can support holistic strategies to overcome panic attacks.
You deserve to feel strong, resilient, and receive emotional validation in therapy.
