You may regularly feel furious, confused or alone if you are in a relationship with a narcissist.
Narcissistic abuse happens when a narcissist gradually manipulates and mistreats others to gain control over them, resulting in a poisonous atmosphere filled with emotional, financial, psychological or bodily harm. Narcissists take advantage of those around them by sabotaging, gaslighting, lying, love-bombing, twisting situations and lying. Victims of abuse may suffer long-term consequences and it will worsen the situation even more. Here are some signs of narcissistic abuse you should look into to avoid such a situation in your own life.
Verbal and emotional abuse
A narcissist frequently emotionally or verbally abuses you to maintain power and tear you down. Emotional abuse is defined as behaviour that is intended to harm you. This could manifest as insulting you, threatening you or lying, name-calling and insulting you, threatening you, or lying. Name-calling and insults are examples of verbal abuse.
Gaslighting
Narcissistic gaslighting is the deliberate manipulation of a person's perceptions of reality or the belief that they are mentally ill. Narcissists will employ precise, targeted gaslighting statements to do this. It is a sort of covert emotional abuse in which the abuser or bully misleads the target by building a false narrative and making them doubt their judgements and reality.
Projection
Instead of accepting responsibility, narcissist transfers their problems to their victims. A narcissistic abuser, for example, may accuse their spouse of lying when they have lied (this is referred to as DARVO: deny, attack, reverse victim and offender). Or they make a partner feel guilty for doing nothing wrong and this leads to misunderstanding.
Physical violence threats
Narcissists are prone to rage, although this does not always translate into physical violence. Threats of danger may be used by narcissists as a control tool to keep you from leaving or spending time with your family. They scare you by threatening you with violence to acquire what they want.
Attempts to cut you off from loved ones
Narcissists isolate you from your family and friends, forcing you to become dependent on them. Detaching yourself from your support system gives them authority over you. They may claim that they dislike your friends or family, that you spend too much time with loved ones, or that they make unfavourable comments about loved ones' behaviours/interactions with you to affect how you feel.
Healing from narcissistic abuse can be a difficult process, but you can recover and live a full and happy life.