Tag: Narcissist’s mental representations

narcissistic mortification

Narcissistic Mortification: From Shame to Healing via Trauma, Fear, and Guilt

The speaker explained narcissistic mortification as the traumatic, terror-inducing collapse of a narcissist’s false self when confronted with reality, often rooted in early object-relational abuse and unmet developmental needs. Mortification can trigger extreme defenses (grandiosity, denial, projection, revenge, or self-blame) and may be reenacted through relationships to recreate primary trauma; if endured and integrated it can allow healing by exposing the false self and enabling shame, guilt, and empathy. Treatment aims to convert overwhelming mortification into bearable shame and re-establish a tolerable self-state, often through controlled retraumatization that opens the possibility of therapeutic reintegration. Narcissistic Mortification: From Shame to Healing via Trauma, Fear, and Guilt

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