Six Surprising Ways to Heal Your Heart After Narcissistic Abuse
When I was in the thick of it, I thought I’d be forever broken
Having a narcissistic parent (though I didn’t know what narcissism was ’til my 40's) taught me not to trust anyone with my hopes, my dreams — the things that mattered to me. Sharing those things was a sure-fire way to end up feeling badly in the future.
As a teenager, I knew I put walls up. I just didn’t know why. I believed something was wrong with me. I didn’t understand that my lack of trust wasn’t the problem. The problem was the untrustworthy people in my life. I just knew I was determined to “fix” my problem.
When I met the covert narcissist who stole my heart, he reassured me I could let down my walls, that he was different, that I could trust him. Eventually I did.
It took me decades to see the impact of this decision — the poor self-esteem, diminished self-confidence, lack of self-worth, confusion, indecision, poor sleep, physical symptoms, deteriorating relationships with others (because of behind-the-scenes triangulation and from hiding my struggles and his behavior from those I loved), financial fallout, and more — despite being an award-winning doctor and the breadwinner of our family of seven.
