Tag: Narcissistic Abuse

Abuse Victims MUST Watch This! (with Psychotherapist Renzo Santa María)

Professor Sam Vaknin argued that narcissistic abuse causes distinct, reversible trauma by imposing the abuser’s deficits on victims—eroding identity, agency, reality testing, and inducing internalized ‘introject’ voices that perpetuate suffering. He recommended initial self-work (identifying and silencing alien internal voices, rebuilding an authentic internal friend, body-focused interventions, and delaying therapy until the narcissistic voice is weakened), strict no-contact as the primary protection, and targeted therapies (IFS, schema, CBT, EMDR) for longer-term recovery. Vaknin cautioned against two common recovery mistakes—maintaining contact in the hope the narcissist will restore what was taken, and adopting a lifelong victim identity—and advocated building trauma resilience and proactive, preventive strategies. Abuse Victims MUST Watch This! (with Psychotherapist Renzo Santa María)

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Why Narcissists MUST Abuse YOU (Skopje Seminar Opening, May 2025)

The seminar, organized by the Vaknin Vangelovska Foundation, provided an in-depth, research-based exploration of pathological narcissism, its impact on victims, and the complex dynamics of the shared fantasy between narcissists and those they manipulate. Key topics included the distinction between narcissistic personality disorder and narcissistic style, the contagious nature of narcissism, and the profound psychological damage inflicted on victims, including epistemic injury and identity estrangement. The speaker also addressed misconceptions about narcissism, such as the myth of victim selection and the nature of narcissistic sexuality, promising further detailed discussions in subsequent sessions on coping, recovery, and healing. Why Narcissists MUST Abuse YOU (Skopje Seminar Opening, May 2025)

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Narcissistic Abuse: View from the Amazon (with Marcia Maia)

The meeting involved a detailed discussion on narcissism, its psychological impact, and distinctions from psychopathy and borderline personality disorder, emphasizing the deep trauma caused by narcissistic mothers. The speakers explored the unconscious dynamics of narcissistic abuse, the victim’s addiction to idealization phases, and the challenges of recognizing and healing from such abuse. Additionally, the conversation highlighted the complexity of narcissistic identity, the difficulty in differentiating it from related disorders, and the importance of alternative supportive models for affected children. Narcissistic Abuse: View from the Amazon (with Marcia Maia)

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Narcissistic Abuse: Un-Shadow Your Life, Mind (with Sara Martinez, Vine Sisters)

In this video, Professor Sam Vaknin discussed the complexities of narcissistic and covert abuse, emphasizing how victims are often trapped in a distorted reality due to the abuser’s manipulative behaviors like gaslighting and intermittent reinforcement. He highlighted the long-term psychological and physiological impacts on survivors, including identity loss, addiction to idealization, and challenges in trusting others, while assuring that recovery is possible with patience and support. Additionally, Professor Vaknin addressed broader societal parallels of abuse, decoding the manipulative tactics of narcissists as well as misconceptions about narcissism, its origins, and the difficulties in healing or changing the abuser. Narcissistic Abuse

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How to Resurrect Yourself After Narcissistic Abuse: 9-fold Path of Healing

The speaker presents a nine-principle path to recovering from narcissistic abuse, divided into three categories: body (attention, regulation, protection), mind (authenticity, positivity, mindfulness), and systemic functions (vigilant observer, shielding sensor, reality sentinel). Emphasizing the importance of self-awareness, emotional regulation, and grounding in reality, the framework guides survivors to reclaim their identity and rebuild mental and physical health. The approach stresses balancing acceptance of reality with filtering harmful inputs to foster healing and resilience. How to Resurrect Yourself After Narcissistic Abuse: 9-fold Path of Healing

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Why Narcissist Devalues YOU (Hint: Wants YOU “Dead”) – Binary Narcissism

In this video, Sam Wagner explained that narcissists devalue intimate partners because they resist conforming to the narcissist’s rigid internalized “snapshot” and challenge their grandiosity, which threatens their sense of control and exacerbates their deep-seated existential emptiness. He detailed the complex internal dynamic of narcissists stuck between overt and covert states, where an internal “civil war” leads to simultaneous idealization and devaluation of others, with the overt part interacting with external sources for narcissistic supply while the covert part preemptively devalues those same sources to protect itself. This internal conflict results in confused and damaging relational patterns, uniquely constituting what Wagner terms “narcissistic abuse.”Why Narcissist Devalues YOU (Hint: Wants YOU “Dead”) – Binary Narcissism

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Horrible Families Raise Horrible Adults (with Familias Horribles)

In this insightful podcast discussion, Professor Sam Vaknin delves into the complexities of narcissism, distinguishing between healthy narcissism and pathological narcissism, which arises from early childhood abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics, primarily influenced by the mother. He explains the roles of siblings in narcissistic families, different narcissist types, and the intricate psychological mechanisms like projective splitting and fantasy bonding that sustain narcissistic abuse. Vaknin also clarifies common misconceptions about narcissists versus psychopaths, the challenges of healing, and emphasizes the rarity of true narcissistic personality disorder amidst widespread misinformation. Horrible Families Raise Horrible Adults (with Familias Horribles)

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3 Reactions to Narcissistic Abuse: Pride, Defiance, Normalizing

The video discussed three primary coping mechanisms victims use to survive narcissistic abuse: embracing victimhood pride, responding with defiant reactive abuse, and adopting a submissive stance often marked by denial or self-blame. It outlined two phases of narcissistic abuse—gradual, imperceptible testing and abrupt, harsh devaluation—and examined how these induce pathological mindsets in victims, including professional victims who identify strongly with their victimhood. The conversation also highlighted the complexity of trauma bonding and how victims’ reactions impact their mental health and relationship dynamics.

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FREE BOOKS at Vaknin-Rangelovska Foundation

The Vaknin-Rangelovska Foundation offers six free downloadable books covering topics such as narcissistic abuse, psychological recovery, and revolutionary theories in physics, with support available for authors to publish expansions of Sandaknin’s work. The foundation also sponsors free seminars, lectures, interviews, and documentary participations to promote education in psychology, economics, and physics. Authors retain 100% of the income from published works, while the foundation manages all publishing and marketing processes at no cost to them.

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Solastalgia: Healing Shared Fantasy, Narcissistic Abuse

Sam Vaknin detailed the concept of narcissistic abuse as creating a dystopian, alienating environment that sets victims up for failure and emotional distress, coining the term “solstalgia” to describe the unique psychological pain caused by such oppressive environments. He related solstalgia, originally defined as distress from environmental changes, to the toxic psychosocial dynamics within narcissistic relationships, emphasizing its impact on mental health and the potential for therapeutic intervention. The discussion highlighted recent research on solstalgia’s links to complex trauma and proposed expanding its application beyond environmental issues to better understand and treat victims of narcissistic abuse.

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