What narcissistic abuse looks like

What is below the surface of the abuse that Narcissists hand out?

Narcissistic abuse is all about power.

Narcissists use a pattern of control that uses connection, confusion, and fear to beat you down over time.

You might not even realize it’s happening until you’re already deep in it—confused, exhausted, doubting yourself.

Your brain slowly starts to catch on fire.

Narcissistic abuse slowly breaks down your identity

At first, the narcissist might seem confident, charming, and attentive.

But after all the love bombing, the game changes.

You start getting criticized for small things, made to feel guilty or shame, and told your version of events is wrong.

The game is fixed. Whatever it is you’re doing, it’s always wrong.

They twist your words, flip blame onto you, and make you question your memory.

They might act like the victim, use what you’ve shared against you, or maybe even isolate you from people who care about you.

Gaslighting, emotional control, and unpredictability keep you stuck

One day, you’re feeling love and connection.

But as time goes on, you’re always walking on eggshells, bracing for the next outburst or cold silence.

This constant emotional unpredictability keeps you off balance.

You start focusing all your energy on keeping them happy or even neutral will do — just to feel safe.

But it never works for long.

How narcissistic abuse affects your brain and body

The trauma doesn’t just live in your head, the intrusive thoughts, the hypervigilance, fear of something that might set them off.

The trauma also lives in your body.

You might feel jumpy, foggy, exhausted, or numb, triggered.

Feeling flashbacks, anxiety attacks, panic, bad feelings in your body, and emotional shutdown are all common.

Many survivors feel disconnected from themselves, their emotions, or even their memories.

You may not recognize yourself anymore, and that’s because trauma changes how your brain.

It’s like being in a smoke-filled room that is on fire. You are in survival mode but you can’t see clearly enough to find a way out. You’re stuck and triggered AF.

Long-term effects of narcissistic abuse

Here are some of the long-term effects of narcissistic abuse:

• Chronic self-doubt
• Hypervigilance
• Depression
• Shame
• You may struggle to trust others—or yourself
• Forming healthy relationships can feel impossible

Even after leaving, survivors often feel emotionally tethered to their abuser. This is known as trauma bonding, and it’s one of the hardest parts of recovery.

Physical symptoms of narcissistic abuse most people don’t recognize

• Chronic stress takes a physical toll:
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Stomach issues
• Muscle pain
• Fatigue.
• chronically tension
• Irritable
• Emotionally shut down
• Triggered AF

Your brain and body have been in survival mode for so long it doesn’t know how to relax.

Why healing from narcissistic abuse takes time

You don’t just bounce back from this.

The effects run deep—psychologically, emotionally, physically.

Therapy with someone trauma-informed can help you start to rebuild your sense of self and safety.

You need to stop the fire and cool down your brain because you’re in alarm mode and the fire is stealing all the oxygen from the thinking part of the brain.

You can’t heal when your brain is on fire.

We have Neuroscience-backed technologies that help your brain cool and calm down so that it can start to heal.

Let’s connect.