Losing a parent is an incredibly painful and difficult experience under the best of circumstances. Losing a narcissistic parent is not only painful and difficult, but also filled with complicated emotions and circumstances. ""When a Narcissistic Parent Dies"" is designed to help the reader find ways to cope during this challenging time, create ways to deal with people who do not understand, as well as help the reader make difficult decisions such as whether or not to visit a dying parent or attend the funeral.
A resource for daughters of mothers with narcissistic personality disorder explains how to manage feelings of inadequacy and abandonment in the face of inappropriate maternal expectations and conditional love, in a step-by-step guide that shares recommendations for creating a personalized program for self-protection and recovery. 50,000 first printing.
The FULL TEXT of Sam Vaknin's classic, groundbreaking BIBLE of NARCISSISM and NARCISSISTIC ABUSE, now in its 9th revision. Tips and advice as well as the most complete clinical background. Narcissistic Personality Disorder and its effects on the narcissist, the psychopath and their nearest and dearest - in 100 frequently asked questions and two essays - a total of 680 pages! Updated to reflect the NEW criteria in the recent fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).
Multi award-winning and bestselling author Nick Nolan's No Place like Home: Coping with the Decline and Death of Toxic* Parents offers professional perspectives on the dying parent who was seldom - if ever - emotionally supportive of their child. While chronicling his violent father's decline and death from diabetes and probable Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (Concussion Syndrome), Nolan interviews three adult survivors of child abuse, as well as eight licensed clinicians specializing in family systems, women's issues and Christianity, People of Color, LGBT clients, military PTSD, child sexual abuse, and neurology. Whether the dying parent was wounding, absent, narcissistic, or toxic (or was the parent who looked the other way), No Place Like Home offers multiple standpoints on the anger, guilt, and resentment survivors of familial abuse and neglect often feel when aiding their offending parent. With contributions by Adrian Aguilera PhD; Aaron Aronow MD; Cissy Brady-Rogers LMFT; Carol Cushman LCSW; Teresa DeCrescenzo LCSW, LMFT; Lawrence J. Martin PsyD; Edward Reed EdD; and Allen Ruyle LCSW.*Wounding/Absent/Narcissistic/Toxic
A memoir by American former actress and singer Jennette McCurdy about her career as a child actress and her difficult relationship with her abusive mother who died in 2013
Combining clinical analysis with psychological profiles of famous narcissists, here is an indispensable guide to recognizing, coping with, and ultimately overcoming the destructive behavior of narcissists. Everybody needs some healthy narcissism. But in a society obsessed with appearance, wealth, and status, it's easy for problematic narcissists to thrive. Many people who seem to "have it all" are suffering from one of the most common--and overlooked--personality disorders of our time: high level narcissism. Typified by an obsession with perfection, a desperate need for admiration, and a willingness to use and exploit others for personal gain, high level narcissism can spell devastation for anyone who crosses the narcissist's path. In Freeing Yourself from the Narcissist in Your Life, psychotherapist Linda Martinez-Lewi presents an in-depth and supportive plan for identifying, understanding, and dealing with high level narcissistic behavior in those close to you. Martinez-Lewi helps you to liberate yourself from draining personal relationships with narcissists, and shows how to regain a sense of peace, balance, and well-being. Drawing on detailed profiles of famous narcissists, including Pablo Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Armand Hammer, and Ayn Rand, as well as expertly rendered case studies from her private practice as a psychotherapist, Martinez-Lewi shows how to: - understand where narcissistic behavior comes from; -learn to spot narcissistic traits, even in the early stages of relationships; - realize why attempting to change a narcissist is fruitless; and - protect yourself from the narcissist's opportunism, manipulative behavior, and lack of empathy.
A guide for parents whose adult children have cut off contact that reveals the hidden logic of estrangement, explores its cultural causes, and offers practical advice for parents trying to reestablish contact with their adult children. “Finally, here’s a hopeful, comprehensive, and compassionate guide to navigating one of the most painful experiences for parents and their adult children alike.”—Lori Gottlieb, psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone Labeled a silent epidemic by a growing number of therapists and researchers, estrangement is one of the most disorienting and painful experiences of a parent's life. Popular opinion typically tells a one-sided story of parents who got what they deserved or overly entitled adult children who wrongly blame their parents. However, the reasons for estrangement are far more complex and varied. As a result of rising rates of individualism, an increasing cultural emphasis on happiness, growing economic insecurity, and a historically recent perception that parents are obstacles to personal growth, many parents find themselves forever shut out of the lives of their adult children and grandchildren. As a trusted psychologist whose own daughter cut off contact for several years and eventually reconciled, Dr. Joshua Coleman is uniquely qualified to guide parents in navigating these fraught interactions. He helps to alleviate the ongoing feelings of shame, hurt, guilt, and sorrow that commonly attend these dynamics. By placing estrangement into a cultural context, Dr. Coleman helps parents better understand the mindset of their adult children and teaches them how to implement the strategies for reconciliation and healing that he has seen work in his forty years of practice. Rules of Estrangement gives parents the language and the emotional tools to engage in meaningful conversation with their child, the framework to cultivate a healthy relationship moving forward, and the ability to move on if reconciliation is no longer possible. While estrangement is a complex and tender topic, Dr. Coleman's insightful approach is based on empathy and understanding for both the parent and the adult child.
Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations demystifies the diagnosis and treatment of personality disorders. It offers clear and practical advice on how to differentiate and treat clients who have made Borderline, Narcissistic, or Schizoid adaptations. Elinor Greenberg begins with an overview of the topic of personality disorders, reframes these disorders as adaptations, and then explains the treatment interventions that work best for each type of adaptation. Later chapters describe how to do specific interventions that deal with commonly encountered treatment issues such as: such as: "How to undo a Narcissistic shame-based self-hating depression," "How to judge a Schizoid client's sense of interpersonal safety from their dreams," and "How to help Borderline clients reach their goals." Each type of intervention is explained in detail, ample clinical examples are given, as is how and when to utilize the method in the client's treatment. Both beginning therapists and experienced clinicians alike will find this book a useful resource that will expand their understanding and effectiveness with this often challenging group of clients.
PLEASING GOD WHILE PROTECTING YOURSELF Adult Children of narcissistic families often find themselves in predicaments that people with normal families never have to face. They spend a lifetime being stuck in no-win situations, forced to make uncomfortable choices, and then being made to live through the consequences with no support and no appreciation. Offering encouragement, comfort and wisdom, and filled with helpful suggestions, step-by-step guides, and just-right scripture verses, Narcissistic Predicaments is exactly what you need to help you set boundaries and free yourself in accordance with biblical principles. Including The 21 Rules of No Contact and 102 Questions to Ask Yourself When Deciding Whether to End an Abusive Relationship, here are the answers you’ve been looking for. When you try to set boundaries, have you been accused of not being a “good Christian,” because: *You are not honoring your father and mother? *You have to “forgive and forget,” even though your relatives refuse to stop their abuse? *You must forgive unrepentant evildoers because Jesus said “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do?” *You are taking revenge by enforcing consequences? *You have to “love your enemies?” In Narcissistic Predicaments, the author will help you let go of the guilt, learn effective strategies for protecting yourself, and find out what the Bible really says about dilemmas such as: *Should you let your estranged relatives have contact with your children? *Dealing with the family meddler who tries to intervene between you and your abuser *Working in the family business *What to expect when you upset the apple cart by getting married *What to do about holidays, weddings, and family celebrations *Does your abuser’s apology automatically cover those who took her side against you? *What to expect from estranged relatives who want to drag you back in *Reconciling on your terms, not theirs *If you leave, who will take care of your abusive parents in their old age? *Visiting a dying abuser *When your abuser or estranged relative dies- funerals, condolences, obituaries Just as a single narcissistic abuser refuses to allow others their autonomy apart from him, the narcissistic family does not see and accept its members as separate individuals. The uniqueness of each person and their differences are not celebrated. Instead, individuality and free-thinking are perceived as threatening and not allowed. Anyone who breaks from the group mentality will be shut up or shunned. There is one way of thinking, one opinion for all. If you offend one of them, you offend them all. If you set a boundary and say something to one, it’s as if you said it to the whole clan. If one is mad at you, they’re all mad at you. If one isn’t speaking to you, they’re all not speaking to you. And if one suddenly decides that they are speaking to you again, then everybody is speaking to you again. The only wild card they never consider is whether you will want to speak to them again. They simply assume that you will passively go along with whatever the group decides, just like all of them do. In the Bible, God instructs his children on how he wants them to relate to and live in peace with each other. He is not instructing the children of God on how to be loving and forgiving toward, live in peace with, and maintain relationships with the children of Satan. As Christians, we are to take up the full armor of God and fight the dark forces of evil, not peacefully co-exist with them. A breath of fresh air for Adult Children of abusive families, this compelling book will help you find the peace our heavenly Father promised you, His beloved child.
Some readers may recognize their mothers as well as themselves in this book. They will also find specific suggestions for creating healthier relationships. Addressing the adult children of borderlines and the therapists who work with them, Dr. Lawson shows how to care for the waif without rescuing her, to attend to the hermit without feeding her fear, to love the queen without becoming her subject, and to live with the witch without becoming her victim.
