Tag: Practical Advice

“Bad” Relationships Are Opportunities (with Daria Zukowska, Clinical Psychologist)

Professor Sam Vaknin discussed dysfunctional relationships and reframed them as learning opportunities rather than “lost time,” emphasizing that growth requires emotional insight and embodiment in addition to cognitive understanding. He explained that negative self-concept arises from internalized hostile voices, can be countered by developing an authentic, supportive inner voice, and advised rebuilding trust slowly—testing partners and first reestablishing trust in oneself. He also noted that healthy relationships accept partners as they are and allow freedom and outside enrichment, and warned against pursuing relationships compulsively. “Bad” Relationships Are Opportunities (with Daria Zukowska, Clinical Psychologist)

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Into Narcissist’s Heart of Darkness (URL Podcast)

The meeting provided a detailed distinction between narcissistic personality disorder and psychopathy, emphasizing that narcissism is a severe mental illness rooted in disrupted self-formation and pathological dependence on external validation, while psychopathy is a socially deviant personality style without mental illness classification. It highlighted the hereditary and environmental factors contributing to narcissism’s development, the typical behaviors and risks associated with narcissistic individuals in relationships and society, and offered practical advice on recognizing and protecting oneself from narcissistic abuse. Finally, the discussion affirmed that recovery and healing from narcissistic abuse are highly achievable through self-awareness, therapy, and integrating traumatic experiences rather than erasing them.

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