narcissism
Accepting the unacceptable
Watching the news the last couple of weeks has been like watching an extra-long episode of Black Mirror. Every day has brought new information, sweeping changes to our daily lives, and new waves of uncertainty. From “wash your hands” to “all non-life-sustaining business must close,” we’ve come face to face with the unthinkable in the…
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Grief in the Season of Joy
Everywhere you look, the signs are there: The holidays are here. Turkeys, holly berries, lights, and snowmen are showing up in every store – and on some front lawns – as we roll into the season of joy. At least, it’s supposed to be a season of joy, or so we are told. …
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Seeing the Hidden Picture: Narcissistic Families in 3D
Do you remember those old-school 3D puzzle pictures that used to be printed in the comics section of the newspaper? (Remember physical newspapers?) They looked like a bunch of squiggly lines, or a frozen kaleidoscope at first. There was a trick to seeing the image within the squiggles – you had to let your eyes…
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When You’re Too Much and Not Enough (At the Same Time)
It’s happening again. Your heart is starting to pound, your palms feel sweaty, and that little voice in your head won’t stop shrieking the same thing: It’s happening again! Those same little “jokes” that always seem to contain a sharp little jab; that same somehow challenging laughter as everyone looks at you expectantly, waiting…
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Anger is not your enemy
When I decided to focus this week’s article about how anger is not your enemy, I poked around for some suitable quotes to illustrate my position. Unsurprisingly, many of the quotes that came up condemned or advised against anger. There are many variations on the theme that anger is harmful, negative, and to be avoided…
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When love is mingled with grief
Last week, I wrote about Aragorn and his journey from nameless ranger to noble king. Today, I want to revisit the Lord of the Rings from a different angle. Today, we will explore a concept spoken by the Elf Queen Galadriel: love, mingled with grief. In the first first movie of the Lord of…
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There’s a Name for That: A Glossary of Toxic Relationship Terms
Toxic relationships can be hard to define Being in a toxic relationship but unable to pinpoint what is unhealthy about it can be crazy-making. When you know something is wrong but you can’t put your finger on it, you may second-guess yourself. Second-guessing can keep you in unhealthy relationships longer, leading to more pain…
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Asking Scary Questions: Is My Parent a Narcissist?
How do I know if my parent is really a narcissist, or if I’m just reading too much into it? What if I’m exaggerating or overreacting? Dear brave soul, how courageous you are to ask these questions! The pendulum swing from eye-opening amazement that there may be a name for your experiences to cringing…
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Mother Knows Best? Narcissism in Disney’s “Tangled”
Mother Knows Best? 5 Traits of Narcissistic Parents Q: What does a narcissistic parent look like? A: Mother Gothel in Disney’s Tangled. In this re-telling of the classic Rapunzel story, Mother Gothel is a narcissistic, emotionally abusive sorceress who abducts the infant Rapunzel from her crib. Mother Gothel raises Rapunzel as her own, isolating her…
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