Narcissistic Abuse Recovery

You feel on edge. All the time.

You feel like you’re going crazy, asking yourself “Am I just too sensitive? Is this my fault?” You’re trying to move forward and heal, but feel weighed down by the chronic intrusive emotional, physical, and psychological pain. 

You’re tired of questioning your own thoughts and feelings. You don’t want to feel like this for any longer, and you know it’s time to reach out for support.

 

You are capable of a healthy relationship

 

Healing from narcissistic abuse is not linear, but through healing you can learn how to trust yourself again. On this journey, I will help you reclaim and rediscover your identity as we build back your self-esteem and your belief in your intuition.

You will learn how to attend to your own needs and create healthy boundaries. You will learn how to create an emotional space where you can feel safe to create connections with others that are rooted in mutual respect and support instead of shame and guilt.

 

How Therapy for Narcissistic Recovery Works

  1. Therapy starts with exploring attachment challenges and significant adverse childhood events or memories. We’ll also examine your triggers and begin to identify ways you can regulate your body, mind, emotions, behavior, and thought process when you are activated. 

  2. In the following sessions, we will learn to identify what qualities and attachment styles have not worked with you in past relationships. We’ll recognize toxic traits in your relationship and how to eliminate them. You will learn how to set boundaries that work for you.

 Have any questions?

  • I am very transparent with my patients that this will take time. This is not an overnight fix. A lot of the work begins with just being able to maintain consistency of “no contact” with the Narcissist. This has periods of relapse and that is ok. I usually tell my patients that if you really want to do this work it does require weekly sessions to get to the root of why we continue to engage in these toxic relationships.

  • If you are asking if you are the Narcissist, chances are you are NOT. Many times this does come up because the Narcissist does a really good job of making us feel crazy or selfish for vocalizing our needs or setting boundaries. There is a diagnostic criterion that needs to be done to come to an official diagnosis. Chances are if you are seeking therapy and want to change then you are not a Narcissist. Many Narcissists don’t seek therapy. Again, a lot of this confusion needs to be unpacked in session.

  • Narcissists tend to love people that are caring, sensitive, loving. These are beautiful qualities but a lot of times we also struggle with our own codependency patterns that Narcissists love to play upon when we enter a relationship. Many times, we have had a previous relationship whether with a family member, friend, romantic partner or even a professional relationship where we were exposed to the same patterns of a Narcissist. So, this is something familiar to you and it feels safe. That’s why when we begin our work together it is so vital to explore primary and significant attachments in your life as well as any other adverse childhood events.

  • Yes, I believe people need a space to start exploring this. It’s important that you have that space. I am a firm believer that shaming or judging someone pushes people away from seeking help. I do tell my clients that I don’t do collateral sessions with the person, I believe in protecting the therapeutic relationship. I also tell patients if they have left the relationship and return that I don’t judge them, but instead we retrace what happened and begin to find ways to slowly disengage again from the Narcissist.

  • No, unfortunately it leaves an opening for all the amazing work you did in therapy to become destroyed if you continue to try and have a platonic relationship with the Narcissist. Part of the work I do with clients is also creating a ritual almost a goodbye to the relationship so that you can understand and grieve the loss. But at the end of the day your healing is the moving piece forward.