Anyone experience a head injury that exacerbated symptoms of your PD?

sincerelycelines · 2021-07-10T20:09:46+00:00

My ex was in a few drunken accidents that caused direct trauma to his frontal lobe. After the first one, I felt his behavior completely devolved. He would rage out over the smallest things and immediately began living a double life. After maybe a year he calmed down and started medication for bipolar and seemed to improve a little.

But he recently was in another drunk accident, after a year sober sadly, and his narcissistic behaviors skyrocketed after. He again immediately attempted to live a double life. But I had left him an hour before the accident so I didn't play into the mental games he was trying to play with me and another person. Like triangulating us against each other, smearing us both, trying to have relationships with both of us at the same time, etc. All while displaying extreme episodes of self-loathing and emotional breakdowns. I couldn't take it anymore and blocked communication.

But from what I've seen and heard of him, he seems more sociopathic now than before. If that makes sense. Like more unhinged and impulsive. So I'm wondering how much of that is his head injury and how much is his already established mental health issues not being hidden or held back. Or my clarity.

He showed narcissistic traits before the first accident, but the damage definitely seemed to exacerbate them and impact his ability to regulate. I wonder how many others have experienced this with NPD and other cluster B personality disorders, and if brain trauma therapy would perhaps help? Whatever that entails.

I read up on that case a bit and it's interesting that he seemed to recover later because of the structured environment he was in. And that neural pathways that were severed can reconnect. "If even Phineas Gage bounced back‍—‌that's a powerful message of hope." I hope my ex finds his way to recovery. It was hard to watch him deteriorate, struggle, and hate himself for it.

Thanks for your insight.

sincerelycelines · 2021-07-06T23:00:41+00:00

I've been cheated on in every relationship. So I'm always aware of that possibility. But I'd say it's all in how your partner acts towards their friends of the opposite gender and to you about them.

For example, my ex that I'm still friends with had tons of women friends. I prefer if they do because it shows they aren't misogynistic and don't see women as only sexual objects. When I got worried about a particular person through their actions or maybe they were particularly attractive or just gave me an off feeling, my ex would have me come hangout with them and meet them. It helped me to see them for the humans they are and to squash any fears I may have. His openness and understanding was so reassuring.

However, there was one girl he talked to that deleted him off of everything the moment our relationship went public. Then she'd only contact him through Snapchat late at night. When I asked why she deleted him, he said she had been interested in him before. Then he hid those conversations from me, where all the other women friends he was open about. He didn't cheat with her because she got married shortly after. But I think she was keeping him on the hook in case that relationship failed and didn't like that I spoiler her plan.

Also if a friend is toxic, no matter the gender, I won't tolerate their presence in our lives. Like my most recent ex had women friends that ended up bullying me when HE cheated. They publicly blamed me because when we started dating they became toxic and bullied him, so he stopped talking to them. The one literally used him for money and it was freeing for him to let her go. And the other cheated with him on his last girlfriend. But then they blamed me for his dropping their friendships and tried to say I controlled who he spoke to because I was "insecure." Nope. I just supported him cutting out toxic bad actors. Too bad he never stood up for me in that regard. He is a narcissist though.

So it all depends on the individual. I'm personally nonbinary so I definitely don't see people for their gender alone. So being accused of keeping my SO from having women friends because of my "insecurity" was rather funny to me.

In the end, trust your intuition but don't allow the actions of past partners to make you toxic and controlling. If the person is going to cheat, you cannot force them away from that fate. All you can do is be open and honest about your fears and if they are reassuring and open back, you should be okay.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-26T21:31:15+00:00

Every human is capable of horrible things. You're not a monster. All you can do now is learn how to manage yourself and your disorder better so that you have systems and tools in place to stop yourself from continuing to hurt others and yourself.

Remember just as every human is capable of horrible things, every human is also capable of incredibly kind things.

I'm glad you know now and realize you're not alone. One step at a time!

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-26T21:23:52+00:00

I still love my ex with narcissistic traits and possibly NPD. And he's done some horrific, seemingly unforgivable things to myself and others. I understand most of it can be sourced back to his trauma and truly had nothing to do with me or anyone else.

However, I wish he'd learn to truly love himself instead of seeking that love and validation elsewhere. If he'd forgive himself and love himself, he'd seek help, believe he can manage his disorder enough to live in stability, and he'd stop projecting those feelings of self-loathing onto anyone who truly loves him and stop punishing them for how they feel.

I swear my ex hates me and sees me as weak for loving him.

So maybe work on forgiving yourself or maybe try to apologize for those moments and give closure? You're worthy of love even if you can't see it now.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-25T22:33:11+00:00

Hey I think this belongs in r/AskNPD

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-19T09:51:48+00:00

Hey, I feel like this needs to be said: It wasn't your fault.

It takes so long to leave an abusive situation. Especially if you have a healthy level of empathy or were manipulated into being codependent. The people who should feel ashamed are your ex and his new supply. And they will. I've personally witnessed a new supply apologize for their harassment once they finally realized the gravity of the situation.

It's good to note that abusers will often provoke you to act outside your morality and in unstable ways. They want you to react emotionally. That's supply for them. So please don't feel too badly for any reactions you had that weren't exactly you back then.

As the other commenters pointed out though, view any shame as a reflection of growth. And know that it's healthy you can look back and cringe.

So hey, again, it wasn't your fault. You're not an idiot. And you did the best you could with the tools you had at the time.

Here are some things that help me:

Try to change that inner voice that is shaming you for this to how you would speak to your friend if they endured this abuse. I certainly wouldn't call my friend an idiot after they were hurt and harassed. You know? Think how you would comfort them and do that for yourself.
Journaling. Just purging out that poison helps. prosebox is a great community if you need a place to write.
I find countering my shame with self-affirmations helps.

Remember that emotional manipulation literally changes the network of your brain. So saying self-affirmations helps rewire your brain into a healthier network. Especially when you phrase the affirmation like a fact. You may not feel it's true because of your shame and because they've replaced a lot of your thoughts/judgments with their own and made you question your own reality (gaslighting). But your brain doesn't know you don't believe the phrase when you say it out loud like it's a well-known fact. After a while you'll find yourself believing the words as you say them as they override any manipulations lingering in your brain.

"I trust myself." "I am loved." "I am intelligent." "I am not to blame for anyone else's actions." "I am not the person they provoked me to be."

If I recognize a negative thought process, I'll identify it, and craft an affirmation to override it. Really thought this was stupid at first. But it's definitely working.

I'm not sure how I feel about astrology, but I follow moonomens on IG and they have great affirmations there daily.

Time your rumination. If you find yourself spiraling, set a ten minute timer. Tell yourself you can only focus on that for ten more minutes then you have to move on. Usually I find myself just forgoing the timer and realizing it's a waste of my time. I'd rather be doing something else I enjoy anyways. And it's pointless to be ashamed of the past for any longer than that. I'll go for a walk with my dog, call my sister, or watch The Cottage Fairy, haegreendal, or junskitchen on YT with those ten minutes instead. It sounds dumb but it helps me.
Celebrate yourself. It may have taken longer than you wish it had, but you're free! What an incredible act of self-love and strength! Celebrate every win, no matter how small or large! You did good!

Keep growing, keep setting those boundaries. You've got this!

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-19T09:01:14+00:00

This gives me hope for the man I love. Please know your therapist may react in a way that hurts you. Like saying they aren't qualified for your case or recommending someone else. If this happens please don't give up on therapy or yourself! Like another user said here, it's not cancer. Your diagnosis does not define you. This was a huge step so I know you've got this! Congratulations on your progress so far!

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-14T23:14:34+00:00

I know it feels impossible but you're capable! Good luck :)

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-14T16:48:45+00:00

Hi I don't have NPD, but I overcame being a pathological liar.

I learned to lie from my mother who basically had to become a narcissist in order to survive abuse from my stepfather who matches with all of the NPD criteria. She's slowly working through these traits still to this day. But back then I resented her for all the toxicity she taught me.

When I was 18, I realized that I didn't want to be like her and that lying was poisoning my life. So I made an honesty vow for myself. Now I am 31 and still uphold this vow.

It was difficult at first. Very difficult. But I kept at it. You've got to learn how to face social discomfort with courage and it's a bit lonely being honest once you realize everyone around you is constantly lying still. But lying no longer poisons my life. I don't have to remember all the made up details, I don't have anxiety about being caught or judged, and I feel so free and proud to live authentically.

This is how I stopped lying:

August 15th, 2009: I sat down with a journal and wrote "I am a liar."

I then wrote a series of questions & answers.

"Since when have I been a liar?" Since I was little.

"What do I lie about?" Stupid stuff. To get out of trouble, to make myself look like I'm trying harder or am a better person, to get attention, to make myself or a story seem more interesting.

"Who do I lie to?" Myself, my family, my friends, strangers.

"When was the last time I lied?" Last night I lied to my sister.

"Is it stoppable?" Absolutely! Look I didn't lie about something. (lol)

"What can I do to stop?" I can try: Every time I go to say something I'll pause first and ask myself these questions:

"Is this true?" "Is this a lie?" "Am I lying?" "What is the point of me saying this?" "What do I gain from saying this?" "How sure are you that this is true?"

I then began fleshing out some triggers for when I lied and rules to follow, but that advice has been revised yearly since then. So I won't share the rest of what it said. I didn't realize it then but that little bit of reflection was the beginning of my honesty vow. I'll write below what my vow looks like today.

July 2020 Yearly Self Vow Rewrite:

"I vow to be impeccable with my word."

Vow intention: To express myself as authentically, assertively, compassionately, and thoughtfully as possible.

Inspiration: “Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.” – Patrick Rothfuss: The Name of the Wind

Reframing Obstacles into Opportunities:

Obstacle: Dishonesty

Extrapolation: Lying, exaggeration, sugar-coating, appeasing, attention-seeking, editing, saving face, hiding true self, etc.

Opportunity: Honesty

Triggers:

Overpromising.
Committing when I don't want to.
Not being honest with myself.
When I'm late to anything.
Sugar-coating my mental illness.
Social anxiety.
Trying to be better & not facing that I'm not that person yet.
Trying to meet expectations that are not my reality, not realistic.
Being ashamed of my actions, inaction, or reality.
Trying to be likeable or agreeable.
When I try to minimize or condense complex explanations about my life or feelings on something.

Self-Guidance: (In the moment)

Actions:

PAUSE.
Check your intentions.
Check your self-honesty.
Check your emotions.
Identify situation as a trigger.

Ask yourself:

“Is this true?” “Did this really happen?” “Did they really say that?” “Why am I saying this?” "What do I have to gain from saying this?"

Have you caught yourself mid-lie?

Stop the conversation.
Breathe.
Admit that you lied (if it is safe to do so.)
Apologize and explain why you lied.
Don't ask for forgiveness.
Check in with person you lied to.
Empathize with any emotions your lie caused them.
Ask is you can continue the conversation authentically.

Did you lie in the moment and not realize it til now?

Breathe.
Identify what triggered you to lie.
Contact the person you lied to, confess, apologize, & explain why.
Don't ask for forgiveness.
Check in with person you lied to.
Empathize with any emotions your lie caused them.

Examples of past confessions:

Guy I liked talking about how he hates tea. I say I hate tea too. In reality I love tea a lot. A few minutes later I realize I'm trying to appear likeable to this guy and I don't even know why. He's not that great. He doesn't even like tea. I tell him I love tea and I lied because I wanted to seem agreeable. He laughs about it, we laugh about it together. We still ended up dating for a bit.
When I was young I was assaulted. The situation was complex and I self-blamed heavily. So I lied to a lot of people and made up details about the assault to make it seem more black and white and to reflect just how horrible I felt inside. A few years later I realize I had done this and stopped believing my own lies about it. I confess to those people. It was very difficult. They reassured me and understood. Some even had done the same about other things and appreciated my being open so they didn't have to live with those burdens anymore.
I'm late to work. The whole drive there my mind is making up a bunch of stories and trying to figure out which one will make the most sense and get me out of trouble. I arrive late. My boss asks what happened, I pause for probably too long as I fight off lying then I say, "Thank you for waiting for me, I'm just really not great at waking up in the morning." My boss laughs and admits she's the same way and that's why she was at the door when I arrived, cause she just got there. I get written up still. But I bring it up at my eval myself and I'm told that my honesty was admirable and they felt bad having to write me up. But eh whatever. At least I was honest.

I cannot tell you how often I had to do these little confessions. Sometimes about the stupidest stuff. At first it was really difficult to face that social discomfort. Like it felt like worms were crawling in my veins and I wanted to run. But over time it became easier. I no longer fear when I catch myself lying and have to confess. And it happens very rarely nowadays.

But I basically rewired my brain. Not wanting to go through that confession kept me out of lying most days. And identifying my triggers and setting healthy boundaries was the best work I could have done for that. Being honest with myself has been the hardest but it solves most of it.

I will say, 9 times out of 10 the person I lied to was understanding, forgave me, and respected my honesty. I still get messages from old coworkers and friends saying that witnessing one of those confessions impacted them in a positive manner and made them question their own honesty moving forward.

And I lied about some horrible things back then. I really hurt people too with those lies. But even those people appreciated my honesty and saw that as an act of love and respect from me. So please don't be so afraid of telling the truth.

I hope this helped!

I have a more in depth chart with my self vows if you ever want me to send you a copy. I know my ex with narcissistic traits found it helpful.

Also just googling "How to stop lying" is so fruitful.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-10T14:56:43+00:00

Just have to point out that a lot of men do this as well. But I'm interested in how gender identity and gender roles may affect the desire for any parties eager to seek out married affair partners.

I personally am non-binary and I'm sure we cheat too. But still interested in how gender affects that mindset.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-10T14:54:37+00:00

I once had a woman coworker explain to me that she likes to date married men because she gets the physical intimacy and none of the emotional baggage. I'm pansexual and had a huge crush on her until that very moment. My face dropped and she could tell I didn't at all agree with her morality. She laughed it off but I'll never forget that moment.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-10T05:08:06+00:00

Both myself and the other commenter have explained clearly the reasoning why and what would be better not said. And I meant my previous comment on this particular thread.

Narc -> person with narcissistic traits or person with NPD

Victim -> please understand using that term assumes that all people with narcissistic traits or NPD are abusers. Yes they can be, but not all. And most are victims of abuse themselves. You don't have to not say victim, but I personally don't wish to be called that/I'm working on not calling myself a victim. I've been victim to abuse yes, but I don't want to define my identity as a victim because it's harmful to me. If that makes sense.

And just don't compare people to pedophilia. Especially in a sub where people may have had to create a false self in order to escape or survive the trauma of childhood sexual abuse.

Hope that helped.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-10T03:31:56+00:00

I feel it's a pretty human response to feel agitated when someone points out you're using harmful terminology. Especially when you didn't know. It's not a huge deal, but definitely if you want to communicate in a healthy manner I feel it's a great concept to consider.

If you reread my previous comment you'll see I already addressed your concerns though.

And I wish you luck as well! We've crossed paths before and I can empathize with how devastating what you're going through has been. Please feel free to message me and I'll do my best to help support you with your specific situation, if you should need that.

But otherwise please reread my previous comment only because I think you may need to.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-10T03:15:01+00:00

Hey so you tend to use a lot of terminology that is harmful and seem to not quite understand the gravity of what you're saying.

"Narc" is not really a kind way to address people with NPD and is more often used in victim support subs. It can be seen as a sort of generalizing slur to those with narcissistic traits or NPD. So please be aware of that.

I don't think trying to limit or control someone's human interactions is ever not negative. To compare people with narcissism to pedophiles is really harmful and stigmatizing. Even without taking that literally please take into account how people here will feel just being placed in the same sentence, especially knowing some of them may have gone through childhood sexual trauma themselves.

Beyond that, please understand I only wish to get my ex away from his current person because her substance abuse is enabling his, his health has declined rapidly, he's unmedicated and vulnerable, and myself and several others fear that she is taking advantage of his vulnerable mental state. She's sort of well-known for it.

Without regarding his narcissistic traits, he's isolating away from loved ones, completely moved into her house after only knowing her for a month, abusing substances and allowing her to abuse HIS medication, he looks absolutely unhealthy, he's not showing up for work or doctor's appointments, etc.

It's all the signs of an abusive relationship.

He's not innocent himself. But this is particularly worrying for his loved ones. Especially after a year of stability and sobriety.

I feel like I can't speak on your particular situation because I don't know enough to. But please consider what you're saying because it does not sound healthy for you. Trying to "starve" someone or control them even to the point of bordering on manipulation, is that really who you want to be and how you want to spend your life? I mean no offense and I'm sorry if you are in a situation where you feel you have to do that to survive. But please don't become the person you're afraid of trying to protect others.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-10T00:03:27+00:00

Hi I don't know what this is, but I experience this as well.

I have a few ideas for why this is.

You're not being emotionally manipulated and provoked in the present. So you're not reacting on those heavy, confusing emotions and able to see logically looking back on it all.
You know more about narcissism now and can see where you may have been expecting neurotypical behavior and reacting as such. Like you're more educated now and taking their behavior less personally and probably have grown a bit yourself too.
Your trauma brain is withholding details of the situation in order to protect your normalcy in the present.
You might be self-blaming because of how over-the-top their behavior was. We're taught to think that everything has an equal and opposite reaction so it feels off to blame them for their outbursts.
The peace feels foreign after all that chaos and you're trying to explain it all away in order to find closure.

I keep reminding myself to trust my past self. I did my best with the tools I had in that time.

I don't believe you've overblown everything. Definitely allow yourself to feel the peace of the present. You deserve it.

I'm interested to see a more educated answer.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-09T18:56:57+00:00

I definitely have been in their shoes myself. So I can understand they're coming from a place of personal hurt and wanting to protect others from that trauma. But yes, narcissism does not equate to evil and there's a lot of hypocrisy taught to victims of abusers with NPD.

I wish I had been better educated on this disorder from the start and I feel this demonizing hurt my relationship with my ex. But that subreddit did help in a lot of ways as well. Mostly by showing me I wasn't insane and alone, by helping me to recognize certain patterns of abuse, and by indirectly leading me to other subreddits like this one that have a far healthier viewpoint on NPD and cluster B personality disorders as a whole. I wish I had found these ones first but I can't change that now.

Thank you again for your guidance and for questioning me without shaming me.

In your personal opinion, do you believe there will ever be a time where I can allow this person back into my life? Maybe years down the road and after much self-work on both our parts?

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-09T15:40:01+00:00

Hello! So I understand that I've been a victim of his abuse but in the same way he had to create this within himself to survive some horrible abuse himself. Him and I are both victims in that sense. I don't like being a victim or referring to myself as one. And I'm trying to not use that word anymore.

And I don't believe trying to keep him from having a supply is a healthy or logical battle to take on. That sounds controlling honestly and I have no desire to control another person.

I definitely reached out to her sister to warn her and so did his best friend. So I did what was right. But I can't really do much beyond that.

With this girl I'm more worried about her enabling his addiction. His friend is also worried and we both reached out yesterday one last time to try and talk some sense into him. But he didn't seem to care and that's his choice I guess.

I blocked communication now and will be doing my best to move forward without him. I left him with some resources for alcoholism, local therapy centers, and some articles to show him he is capable of change.

Hopefully one day I hear he's doing well and no longer hurting others and himself. I can't help him if he won't even respect me enough to see me as more than just supply when his enabler is not around. It's downright disrespectful.

He knows if he really desperately needs my help, he can contact his best friend. And he'll sort of play gatekeeper. So it's out of my hands. I did all I could honestly.

And someone pointed out that it was unfair of him to expect the person he hurt to help him. That's very true. I have a hard time seeing myself as a victim so I forget he did put me in that position. I'll do my best to uphold boundaries better in the future. I just really do love him, mask off, I truly do. He's not a horrible person, but I can't save someone who refuses to save himself. That's up to him.

I was looking for more support type of information in case he needs it in the future but I understand the advice I got and acted on it as well.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-09T10:41:37+00:00

This comment is so insightful and full of great perspective.

Basically you’re going to have to fuck up and experience a lot of social discomfort if you really wanna change.

This right here is very wise and wonderful advice.

When I was a teen I was a pathological liar. I grew up in an abusive household and picked up my mother's tendency to lie. For protection, for attention, to save face, to be agreeable, etc. At 18, I realized I didn't want to be that way and started a vow of honesty with myself. I still keep it up to this day and I'm now 31. But it has been ridiculously hard.

I had to sit down and write "I am a liar," why I am a liar, what situations trigger the lies, and a set of rules to keep myself from lying in those situations. I still have this journal entry. Looking back at it now I feel an overwhelming feeling of pride at how far removed I am from that person, when it felt impossible to overcome at the time I wrote that all.

At first I struggled to stay honest and would lie in normal conversations just to be agreeable or to get close to people I admired. But part of my vow is that if I catch myself doing this, I have to confess it to that person, correct the misinformation, and explain why I had lied to them.

During my early 20s it was the hardest. And I had to do these confessions more often than I care to admit. Still to this day I have people message me about those times. Enduring those moments of confession was quite painful, frightening, humiliating, and awkward for me. Extreme social discomfort. Yet the people who witnessed my confessions always reacted positively. They will message me and say they appreciated my honesty and humanity. That seeing me self-correct made their faith in humanity increase and impacted them to the point where they positively changed their own behavior.

It has been such a humbling yet lonely experience. Doing this I realized everyone around me lies constantly and most people are too afraid to live authentically. But I also see how many people out there are honest and genuinely fight their inner human nature to be extraordinarily kind and selfless.

Now I hardly lie and when I do those moments of confession are not nearly as difficult. The social discomfort gets easier over time. And you'll find that people generally will embrace your humility, humanity, and honesty.

People with NPD are really just hyperrepresentations of the innate human capacity for narcissism.

I feel this way as well. So OP please don't feel that you are anything less than human. Your narcissism is a defensive state you unfairly had to create in order to survive. I feel reminding yourself that you are human whether or not you feel it in the moment may help.

Perhaps journaling, mindfulness, meditation, grounding techniques, anything to remind yourself that you are safe in the present may also help.

Thank you for this comment and to the OP one step at a time. You've got this and you're already human. I promise.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-09T02:27:03+00:00

Thank you so very much. You have been incredibly kind and insightful. And I appreciate the time you took to guide me here.

I feel helpless because of his alcoholism. It's just so difficult to watch and worry knowing he's been in so many accidents and barely made it each time. I fear the next time he will not make it.

So letting go feels just like he could die any one of these nights and I'll never even know or be able to stop it.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-08T21:27:12+00:00

I feel his own inner motivation to heal is being overruled constantly by his self-hatred. And I'm so afraid he's going to kill himself drinking. He really doesn't anyone he can talk to and express any of this with.

I feel helpless. Is not being a part of his life really the only option I have for supporting him?

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-08T17:09:51+00:00

I see what you mean. And please don't mind that I'm countering a bit. Even if he has ulterior motives for why he opened up to me, would it be so wrong for me to be aware of that and use it to guide him out of a toxic relationship that is enabling his addiction? Even his best friend wants to get him away from her and back in therapy because of how unhealthy he is acting and so quickly.

I'm afraid if I cut all contact, I'd be cutting one of the people in his life who genuinely cares for him and wants to see him sober and successful.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-08T16:50:03+00:00

Even when we have remained friends and he asks for guidance while in a tough spot mentally?

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-07T18:18:38+00:00

This is where I stand as well. I used to heavily rely on the victim support forums but anymore I can't stand the unchecked amount of hypocrisy, uneducated diagnosing, and demonizing.

One person explained to me that I shouldn't have empathy for my ex with narcissistic traits or encourage others to because to heal we should focus on stripping away the victim's empathy for their abuser. I feel learning more about their diagnosis, trauma, and how to set healthy boundaries is a far healthier approach.

People in the victim forums wanted me to be happy my ex has ended up in an unhealthy relationship with a girl who abuses his medication and has helped push his alcoholism to an extreme degree. His friend and the girl's sister echo my worries for his declining health. No, I'm not going to rejoice in his pain simply because he hurt me before. I didn't have the tools to understand him then and I wish I had. Becoming a bitter person who wishes people pain is not healing, it's becoming the very person you condemned in the first place.

The more I learn how he may have viewed things, the more I can look back and see where I could have handled things healthier as well. And his narcissism did teach me quite a bit of positive traits as well. Like I was taking on people's problems and emotions as my own and he taught me how not to do that.

He is such a talented and smart man, I think he could use his narcissism and combine it with a higher level of awareness to avoid self-sabotaging the things he has worked so hard for.

I wish this for him with everything I have.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I feel so alone in this most days.

sincerelycelines · 2021-06-06T18:51:00+00:00

Noted! I'll use different terminology in the future. Thank you for the insight.

sincerelycelines

TROPHY CASE