Narcissistic Abuse Therapy
Reclaim your sense of self-worth.
Online counseling across Minnesota for adults who are seeking something more comfortable to walk on than eggshells.
No matter what you do for them, it’s never good enough… you feel like you’re going crazy.
You may have grown up with a parent who made your lived experiences all about them. They needed constant admiration, approval, and always had to be right, otherwise you were met with dramatic guilt trips or constant criticism. You noticed that in public they played the likable character of Dr. Jekyll, but once you got home you saw the real Mr. Hyde, leaving you feeling isolated and confused because no one you talked to about them really understood. To this day their sphere of control feels like a black hole: once you’re in it, can you ever get out?
Perhaps you’re struggling with a partner that doesn’t seem to regard your feelings and needs, yet erupts in a tantrum if you don’t validate or satisfy theirs. If you’re perceived to have done anything “wrong” and try to defend yourself, you’re met with the silent treatment, the victim “reverse card,” or comments that try to deny the experience you just had. If you’re on the road to recovering from such a relationship, you might even be feeling bewildered about why it affected you so much and why it’s so difficult to “move on.”
Does this sound familiar?
You always have to walk on eggshells around others for fear of upsetting them.
You somehow feel responsible for other peoples’ emotions and reactions.
Other people try to dictate how you live your life and how you should feel about it.
You feel like you have to hide or diminish everything you like or do – you’d either be met with criticism or it’s deemed “less important” than what they want to do.
It feels more and more like you’re losing a sense of who you are… is that really what I said? Did it really happen that way?
My approach to narcissistic abuse therapy is based on:
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Narcissistic abuse can leave you questioning your own lived experience. Part of the healing process is putting words to the behaviors you suffered from, the unsatisfied needs that you never received, and the emotions those evoked. When you can name it, you can tame it.
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When humans experience emotional pain, we often tend to intellectualize it – keep it all up in our heads where it bounces around indefinitely. Part of my job is to guide and support you in truly feeling your pain – getting into your body to process and release the emotions that have kept you a prisoner of your past.
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Healing from narcissistic abuse takes a tremendous amount of courage. You deserve to be shown the kindness and compassion that’s been withheld from you for so long. Only when you experience such grace can you begin to show yourself that same love.
At the end of the day…
I want you to know that you are good enough and that you do matter. Healing is a challenging process, but it may be the most loving thing you can do for yourself.
You have the strength and courage to live life on your own terms.
What you’ll gain
Narcissistic abuse therapy can help you…
Trust your own needs, feelings, intuition, and experiences.
Identify when your boundaries have been crossed and how to address those violations.
Break the cycle of generational trauma by becoming the best version of yourself for your own children.
Build the confidence to make decisions that are right for you (and your family).
Improve your relationships with the people who love the real you.
Look for the best in people instead of expecting the worst.
Get in touch
Recovering from narcissistic abuse is possible.
Click the link below and complete the form. I will respond within one business day with available options for us to schedule a free 20-minute phone call. During our consultation, I’ll ask you to briefly share what led you to reach out, and I’ll also be more than happy to answer any questions you have. If you feel like I’m the right fit for your needs, we’ll wrap up our phone call by scheduling our first session and I’ll share what you can expect for the next steps.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
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Narcissistic abuse is a type of emotional manipulation or neglect caused by someone with narcissistic traits and behaviors. The abuser can be a parent in relation to their child or an adult in relation to their partner. Identifying narcissistic abuse, especially as a victim, can be difficult because it often develops slowly over time in very subtle ways.
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The signs of narcissistic abuse can appear differently depending on whether the abuser is a parent or partner. Generally, though, both situations tend to include dynamics of power, control, and manipulation, and can manifest in challenges with anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and difficulty forming healthy relationships.
Examples of narcissistic abuse from a parent can include: conditional love; emotional neglect; the child being forced into a caregiving role or being responsible for the parent’s emotional well-being; designed rivalries between siblings to compete for the parent’s love; or the child’s activities being determined by the parent, leading to struggles with their identity and sense of self.
Examples of narcissistic abuse from a partner can include: statements designed to make you question your memories or perceptions; intense affection followed by devaluation and criticism; control over your daily life; possessiveness; constantly shifting the blame; or disregard for boundaries.
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The truth is, narcissism is a set of personality traits that exist on a spectrum, and all of us possess some degree of them. Most people demonstrate only some narcissistic behaviors every now and then; however, perpetrators of narcissistic abuse typically score very high on those traits and demonstrate a pervasive pattern of behaviors, which can include: an exaggerated sense of self-importance; lack of empathy; a sense of entitlement; arrogance; and an inability to accept responsibility.
At a deeper level, a narcissistic person is likely severely wounded themselves and unconsciously seeks to soothe that insecurity by bolstering their self-esteem at the expense of others. Unfortunately, this drive to satisfy their own needs tends to be outside of their conscious awareness and fueled by their inability to accept responsibility, which is why you might notice that even though they say they’ll change… they rarely ever do.
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Emotional abuse and neglect may be thought of as two sides of the same coin. Abuse is a hostile behavior that’s inflicted onto another person, whereas neglect is the absence of loving behavior that should have taken place.
Typically, both abusive and neglectful acts occur when someone suffers trauma from a narcissistic person, though each individual case is unique. In treatment, you and I will work together to create a path toward recovery that honors your individual experiences.
live life on your own terms
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discover your purpose
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live life on your own terms - discover your purpose -