Narcissistic Abuse
Finding your way back to yourself after a relationship that left you questioning who you are.
Narcissistic and antagonistic relationships can leave you feeling confused, depleted and disconnected from yourself.
You may find yourself questioning what happened, whether you can trust your own perceptions, or whether you were somehow responsible.
Understanding narcissistic abuse
Narcissistic abuse can involve ongoing patterns of manipulation, invalidation, blame, control and disregard for your needs or boundaries.
Over time, these experiences can erode your sense of self and your trust in your own perceptions, feelings and instincts.
The focus isn't on diagnosing the other person, but understanding what you experienced and its impact on you.
You may recognise experiences like...
You question your own memory, perceptions or judgement.
You wonder whether you're too sensitive or overreacting.
You walk on eggshells, anticipating another person's moods or reactions.
You find yourself repeatedly explaining, defending or justifying yourself.
Your needs or boundaries are dismissed, criticised or turned back on you.
You feel responsible for another person's feelings, behaviour or reactions.
You feel confused by the difference between moments of closeness and how you're treated at other times.
You've become less certain of yourself, your needs or who you are.
How I work with narcissistic abuse
Therapy can offer a space to make sense of what you've experienced without minimising it or blaming yourself.
Together, we can understand the patterns within the relationship and work towards rebuilding trust in your own perceptions, needs and boundaries. We can also work with the body and nervous system, noticing protective responses that may have become habitual and creating space to respond differently.
The goal isn't simply to understand what happened. It's to reconnect with yourself and reclaim a sense of agency — so you can respond with greater awareness and choice.
What healing can look like
Over time, therapy may support you to:
trust your own perceptions, feelings and instincts
develop greater clarity about what you experienced and how it affected you
recognise and honour your needs and boundaries
trust yourself to decide what you are and aren't responsible for
reconnect with who you are and what matters to you
make choices about how you want to respond, relate and move forward
