Recovery from Narcissistic Abuse, Gaslighting, Codependency and Complex PTSD (6 in 1): MasterClass, Workbook and Guide for Healing from Trauma and Toxic ... and Recover from Unhealthy Relationships)

The term narcissism is used so often it’s true meaning gets confused. It’s most commonly related to people who have strong personalities, whose confidence borders on arrogance.

That is the recovery plan template in a nutshell. It may be very useful to have a journal or two to keep track of your progress, or even to write down thoughts or feelings. These things need to go somewhere, which is what therapy is good for.

You freeze. When you emotionally remove yourself from the abuse, you’re freezing. It’s a coping mechanism to reduce the intensity of the way you’re being treated by numbing out the pain.

It’s normal to go through different stages during the recovery and healing process, and it’s also normal to move back and forth through stages as old feelings come up needing to be dealt with. There are no set rules in how you recover, or how long it should take.

You’d think a person who treated you unworthy of being with them would have no problem letting you go, right? Wrong. In fact, they may even initially beg you to stay, make promises to change, share their sob stories, or even go back to love-bombing you to change your mind. If you fall into their trap, though, it won’t take long until they go right

They give you the silent treatment.

Be assertive. This is something that depends on confidence, and will take practice, but it’s worth it.

The first stage—actively deciding to heal—you are already doing.

you aren’t doing what they expect you to do because the information you’re getting is to get away from them and to heal