Narcissistic Abuse Treatment

As a survivor, I truly understand the impacts and fallout from narcissistic abuse / antagonistic relational stress. After observing that many of my clients were also experiencing or survivors of antagonistic intimate relationships, friendships, family systems or work environments, I wanted to gain more knowledge to properly support them. As a result, I decided to pursue certification for treating clients and survivors of narcissistic abuse which I completed in 2025.

Definition

Narcissistic abuse is a form of emotional, verbal, mental and at times physical abuse inflicted by individuals with narcissistic traits or narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). These individuals often exhibit a lack of empathy and a strong need for admiration and control, leading to manipulative and harmful behaviors.

Signs / Behaviors

Some common behaviors to be aware of are the following: love bombing, gaslighting, manipulation, controlling, ignoring boundaries while exhibiting weak or rigid boundaries, projecting, lack of accountability, defensiveness, constant criticism, lack of consistency in behavior (creating instability in the relationship i.e. moving the goal posts or being impossible to please), exploiting emotional vulnerability and presenting deceptive facades outside of the relationship.

The Impacts

Victims of narcissistic abuse / antagonistic relational stress often experience anxiety and depression symptoms, confusion, feeling of dependency, cognitive dissonance, low sense of self / self-esteem, negative internal dialog, PTSD or complex-PTSD, suicidal ideation, health issues (autoimmune challenges), insecure attachment styles and cognitive issues.

Approach to Treatment

When treating narcissistic abuse, trauma informed therapeutic approaches are most effective. Trauma informed therapy includes [a] Talk therapy to address cognitive and emotional processing, [b] Somatic therapy to bring awareness to the body and for mindfulness practices and [c] Trauma therapy such as EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to directly treat the trauma.

Treatment Goals

Treatment goals are based on what the client feels is priority. Often that includes: managing and reducing physical and emotional symptoms, learning healthy coping skills, strengthening self-esteem, determining how to stay or leave the relationship and healing. The additional goals that I present to my clients include: reducing isolation, creating more independence, identifying a safe support system, radical acceptance and reconnecting to their intuition.

If these symptoms and relational dynamics seem familiar and you would like to discuss your concerns and possible treatment, please Contact Me to schedule a consultation.