7 Common Things the Narcissist Says to Undermine You
Narcissistic people can turn the most confident person in the world into a messy ball of doubt and confusion. They are experts at the verbal games they play. Learn their tricks and walk away from them!
7 COMMON THINGS THE NARCISSIST SAYS TO UNDERMINE YOU
Narcissistic people are extremely skilled at making you doubt yourself. They can turn the most confident person in the world into a messy ball of insecurity. Without even realizing it happened! All of sudden you realize that you are doubting every thought you have, every word you say, every memory you hold, everything. Your entire reality gets extremely blurry!
I have had so many people say to me that my story sounds just like theirs. The similarities between all these different relationships are striking. So many of us could simply swap the names in the stories and tell our life history as one massive book. It is as though there is a script somewhere that narcissistic people learn, a story line that they then live out.
When you tell a narcissistic person how they are treating you, you have crossed a horrible line. They cannot accept any blame, shame, or responsibility of any kind. Nothing is EVER their fault, so you instantly become an enemy. With a covert narcissist, they will turn you into an enemy in such a subtle and manipulative way that you probably won’t even see it coming. I know I didn’t!
Here are 7 common things they say
“You didn’t let me finish what I was saying.”
When they don’t like what you are saying, this is one of the ways they shift the blame to you. It’s your fault that they didn’t communicate in a healthy and productive way. It’s your fault that they didn’t finish their thoughts.
The normal give-and-take of a conversation is impossible with a narcissistic person. My husband would sit in complete silence for several minutes, right in the middle of a “conversation.” If I spoke in that silence, I was reprimanded for interrupting him. The fact that he wasn’t speaking at the time was irrelevant. If I used that space of silence to object to some of what he was saying, then he instantly stated that I didn’t let him finish.
But there is NO finish with a narcissistic partner. They will go on and on, through countless cycles of word salad and painful silence. There is no “my turn” to talk. Anything you say is an interruption in their eyes. I found myself trying to explain, to a full-grown man, the natural flow of conversation. And of course, all of my attempts at talking were constantly interrupted and cut short.
Misunderstandings and interruptions are a normal part of every relationship. But with a narcissistic person, you never get a sense of gentleness and compassion. Reciprocity never happens. Forgiveness and understanding never appear. Meeting in the middle? What middle? There is NO middle!!
When they say that you didn’t let them finish what they were saying, this simply means that they want you to stop objecting to them, so they can go back to inflicting more damage to you and to the relationship.
“Just because I didn’t do what you wanted and when you wanted.”
This is a great one for making you feel guilty for having feelings in the first place. You instantly doubt yourself, thinking maybe you were being unreasonable and selfish. Please hear me - you are allowed to have feelings and desires! You are allowed to voice those!
When you are voicing that your feelings were hurt, a healthy person validates you. They acknowledge your feelings and express that they did not intend to hurt you. When you are voicing this to a narcissistic person, you receive immediate defensiveness. You receive no acknowledgement of your feelings and desires. In fact you are made to feel guilty for having them in the first place. Boundaries?? No way. You aren’t allowed to have boundaries.
“What about your issues?”
This was one of the main ones I heard all the time. Every time I tried to talk to him about his harshness and lack of empathy, it always circled around to this statement. “Well, what about you? Don’t you have any issues?” So I would answer. Yes, I had issues and I was/am working on them. One time, I named some of the specific things I was working on in me. Wow! Was that ever a mistake! He jumped on that so quickly and used it all completely against me. He told me that he knows all these issues I have and that it is because of these issues that he acts like he does. Everything was all my fault! Somehow we never got back to talking about the problem we were talking about in the first place!
Pointing everything back at you is a purposeful way to not take responsibility. It takes the focus off of them and their faults or weaknesses. By the time the conversation has looped around a few times, you can honestly begin to feel that all of this is your fault to begin with. This tactic causes many victims to doubt themselves and work overtime to please the abuser.
“I’m sorry, what more do you want from me?”
Apologies from covert narcissistic people are not genuine. They are not accompanied by words, attitudes, and gestures that align with an apology. They are typically followed with words that place all the blame back on you again. They make you feel that your expectations are unreasonable and out of reach for them, that they are doing everything within their power to make you happy. How could you possibly want more?
Don’t be surprised if the words “I’m sorry” are followed by a sob-story of the horrible childhood they suffered. Don’t get me wrong. I hate what my ex went through in his childhood. It was terrible, and no one deserves that! However, when he continuously uses that us an excuse for not being better, this is extremely damaging to his current relationships. While it is okay to extend compassion and support, it is NOT okay to permit them to stomp all over your feelings because of their hurtful childhood.
“What could I have possibly done any differently?”
As though their behavior was the ONLY logical behavior for the situation. You are made to feel like an idiot for even considering there would have been a better approach.
They then place it on you completely to figure out how they could have behaved differently in the first place. They make this to be your “job.” And they will carry it out to the very end. You find yourself telling them every last word they should have said, how they should say it, how they should look, and what their voice should sound like. You realize that you are explaining basic common decency to a full-grown adult.
Not only that, but they then combat everything you say. They tell you that they did do everything you are suggesting, when they clearly did not. Or they tell you that your suggestion would never work because you would react to it, continuing the belief that everything is your fault, no matter what the situation.
“You’re the only person who thinks like that.”
I was told that I am the only person who sees anger in him. He said that he asked his friends and co-workers. Friends?? He has no friends. He doesn’t do anything with anyone, ever. He sits in the house and plays video games, night after night. When I finally asked him who he was talking about, he named friends from high school that he hadn’t seen in years. He named a friend who lives on the other side of the world, with whom he stays connected through email.
What about the co-workers? They have no social interactions outside of work. We don’t go to social activities. They only know him in the work environment, and most of that is computer interaction.
Saying that you are the only person who thinks like that completely invalidates your feelings. This can make a victim feel extremely crazy and isolated. In reality, it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. This relationship with this person is your relationship. No one else’s. If you don’t like the way you are being treated, who cares what the friends and coworkers think? This isn’t about them in the first place.
“Why can’t you just get over the past?”
He set me up with this one many times. I would talk to him about how his words and attitudes hurt me and our boys. In his defensive tone, he would ask for specific examples. So I would give him some. Then he would go down his list of attempts to discredit everything. He often started by telling me that it never happened. If that didn’t work, he would tell me that I am remembering it wrong. If that didn’t work, he would find a way to make it my fault. When all else failed, he would then tell me that he can’t believe how badly I hang on to things from the past, things that we already “resolved.” He would say, “We already worked that out, but you can’t forgive me for not being perfect. I can’t believe you are still hanging on to that!”
So to prevent all of this, in other conversations, when he asked for examples from the past, I told him that I couldn’t come up with specific examples. Of course, that never went very far. His words were, “Well, how in the world I am supposed to answer for something you can’t even remember? You can’t expect me to fix something when you can’t even tell me what I am fixing.” I was then made to feel mean and crazy, and his unacceptable words, attitudes and behaviors simply continued.
No Approach Works!
A relationship with a narcissistic person is a constant word battle. There is NO approach that works, NO magic words to help them see, NO argument that will resolve peacefully.
So what do you do? You walk away! Keep your words short and simple, honest and void of emotion. When they engage in their manipulative tactics, you simply leave. I used to sit for hours, trapped in these conversations from hell. Then, one day, I realized that I just didn’t have to do that anymore. I simply walked away!
The Distorted View of an Abuse Victim
When we have experienced abuse in our life, our perspective of reality suffers. Abuse comes in many forms and from many different types of relationships. It can be physical abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, narcissistic abuse, child abuse, spousal abuse, and so on. When any of these happen, life gets blurry for the victim, and you often don’t even realize it. Seeing life from outside of your own perspective is a large part of the healing process.
A Distorted View of Reality
When my son was around 9 years old, he apparently needed glasses. We did not know that he needed glasses. He was not aware that things were blurry to him. He thought that what he saw was reality. For example when he looked at trees he saw a green blurry mess. For him this is what trees looked like. He did not know any differently. This was a distorted view of reality, but it was all he knew. He had no way of knowing that what he saw was not reality. So to him it was reality!
When we discovered this, of course we took him to the eye doctor to have his eyes checked. The doctor confirmed that he needed glasses. He put on his new glasses, and we walked outside. He immediately exclaimed, “Wow! The trees have leaves!” For the first time, he could see clearly the individual leaves of the tree. He was so surprised at this and found it to be very enjoyable. Now he was seeing a clear picture of reality.
Check Your Symptoms
Before getting glasses, you might experience bad headaches and not know why. These headaches can cause you to be frustrated and tired. Yet you still do not know where this is all coming from. Kids can even start having bad grades as a result of vision issues. If these things are going on with your child, you start trying to figure out why rather than fuss at them for not being good enough, right?
So take a look at yourself. These are some of the symptoms you need to be checking.
Do you feel like everything is your fault?
Do you feel that you are never good enough?
Do you doubt everything you do, say, or think?
Do you see yourself as worthless and hopeless?
Are you losing motivation in life?
Do you struggle to get out of bed?
Do you feel you have no purpose in life?
If you are experiencing these symptoms, then you need to start exploring. It may not be from abuse, just like your child might not need glasses. There can be other reasons for headaches and bad grades. And there can be other reasons for your symptoms. One big thing to ask yourself is - Are you especially experiencing these symptoms around one particular person in your life and noAbust around others?
The Distorted View of Abuse Victims
Victims of abuse definitely experience a distorted view of reality. Not physically, like my son’s eyes. Rather, your distorted vision is turned inward. You do feel like everything is your fault and everything is your job to fix. You feel that no matter what you do you are not good enough and never will be. You doubt everything you do, say or think. You see yourself as worthless and your situation as hopeless. You have an extremely tough time seeing a clear view of reality, and you might not even be aware of it. Your vision is extremely distorted.
A distorted view of reality absolutely affects you physically, mentally, and emotionally. You find yourself with no energy, tired all the time, not feeling well, and all sorts of physical ailments.Yet you do not know why. Your mind goes into hyper-drive until it reaches a point of total exhaustion and shuts down completely. Emotions become too painful to feel anymore. Your relationships suffer. Consequently, you lose all motivation to even function. There seems to be no purpose in life anymore. Building the strength to even get out of bed can prove quite challenging. You easily become more and more isolated from the world, and even from those you love, and yet you continue to blame yourself for all of this. This has a disastrous effect on your life.
Gaining Perspective
You are just like my son, trying to decide if what you are seeing is real or not. Are the trees really a blurry green mess or do they have individual leaves? Are the words on the board at school written with a blurry marker or are they clear? Is all this your fault or have you been manipulated to believe this? Are you completely worthless or is there great value in you?
Our son would never have known he needed glasses if he had not spoken up to someone, anyone. He asked me if I could read the words on the movie screen. “Yes, of course,” I replied. “What does it say?” he asked. I was surprised. “You read it,” I said. He responded, “I can’t. I can’t see the letters.” So the process that lead to contact lenses began.
You also need an outside perspective. You need to open up about what you are going through. Start talking about it. Start asking questions. Don’t keep it inside any longer. Even if your friend or family member doesn’t understand, that’s okay. The more you can talk about your feelings, the sooner you can start getting some clarity on them. Quit assuming that you know all the answers already. Let go of the belief that you can tough your way through this.
You must admit that you need help. There is absolutely no shame in that! Join support groups. Read books on healing from abuse and on mindfulness. You need tools that can help you get a better perspective of what reality is. You have to be able to get out of your own mind and see life from a healthier perspective. Just like you would go to the eye doctor to check your view of reality, don't hesitate to go to a counselor, therapist, psychologist, or any other form of help to check your view of reality.
Keep picturing those blurry green blobs that my son saw as trees. Accept that your own perspective may be every bit as blurry. There is a reason you are here looking for answers. You are not alone on this path! I wish you much peace on your journey of healing!
Others have it much worse than me, shouldn’t I just be grateful?
It is so easy to talk ourselves into staying in a painful and abusive relationship for way too long. Just because someone else may be in a worse situation than you does not mean that you shouldn’t tend to your own pain and get help.
A Recurring Perspective
One perspective that keeps surfacing from my readers goes something like this, “I read other people’s stories and hear the nightmares they are living. Physical abuse, alcohol and drugs, sex addiction and cheating. Mine simply isn’t that bad. Sure, he gets mean and sharp sometimes, but he is tolerable most of the time. That doesn’t mean he is a narcissist. He often can actually be a very nice guy, as long as we make sure he feels special. Shouldn’t I just be grateful and keep my mouth shut? Shouldn’t I stay in the relationship because it really could be far worse? Maybe I don’t really belong in a support group. Maybe this isn’t even abuse.”
When I hear these things, I start asking them why they ended up in the support group to begin with and what brought them there in the first place. Almost always, they start describing emotional, verbal, and mental abuse. They are beaten down emotionally and mentally. They are confused and exhausted. They feel crazy and want answers. Yet they continue to justify the actions of their abuser, by saying that it really could be worse.
I Used to Say it Too
I totally understand this because I have lived it myself. I know these thoughts personally, “At least he isn’t beating me. I don’t think he would ever hurt me or our boys. I don’t think he is cheating on me. Every marriage has its issues. You know, this could be a whole lot worse. How could this be narcissistic abuse?”
And yet he continued to talk so meanly to the boys and me. He blamed us for everything that ever went wrong and many things that weren’t even wrong to begin with. He verbally and psychologically abused the boys, making them so afraid of ever upsetting him. He never listened to any of us when we tried to explain how he made us feel. He only continued to slaughter us with his tongue, while holding no empathy for his family. We walked on eggshells, always afraid of his anger, for years.
Could things have been worse? Yes, I think someone who is walking on eggshells and terrified for their own life and the lives of their kids is in a worse place. Does that make how we were living okay? Absolutely not!!
Analogy of a Broken Leg
If you have a broken leg, you don’t think, “Well, some people lose their leg, so since it could be worse, I’ll just tough it out and keep my mouth shut about it.” You don’t chose to be grateful and thus not fix your broken leg simply because their situation is worse. This wouldn’t make sense to anyone around you. Your entire family and circle of friends would be all over you to get to the doctor and take care of your leg.
Pain is pain, and healing is needed!
It is, of course, okay to recognize that things could be worse. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being grateful that they aren’t worse. But this doesn’t mean you have to stay or put up with abuse just because it could be worse. This doesn’t even make sense. Yet how many of us rationalize this way? How many of us have family and friends that even try to convince us of this?
Analogy of a School Shooter
If a shooter in one school walks into a classroom and kills just one person, while another in another school kills 30, one of these is clearly worse than the other. However just because the first situation could have been much worse, this does not take away the pain of the family of the one that was killed. That family still suffers and grieves. Their pain is very real. They are greatly affected, and it will take some time to heal.
Because one situation is “worse” also does not take away the fact that both shooters must be held accountable for their actions. The shooter of the one person will still go to jail and face punishment, as they should. Can you imagine a judge saying, “Well, at least you only killed one. It could have been worse. You are free to go?” What!!! Media would have a heyday with that. I can see the picket lines and rioting already.
No More Justification
I think we could all find someone that we think has a worse situation than we do. That’s okay. There is no need for comparisons here. It is okay to be grateful that your own situation isn’t worse. It is okay to feel compassion for those that are in a worst situation. You also don’t have to pretend that your situation is worse than it is in order to justify leaving.
It is also okay to walk away from your situation and your abuser. Please do not use the justification that it could be worse as a reason to stay in an abusive relationship.
Abuse is abuse, and healing is needed!!
I Can’t Fix This!
One of the best things that happened to me on this journey is the day that I truly realized that I can’t fix this broken relationship. It was extremely humbling and yet very freeing!
My Shit-Sweeping Broom
So the first 10 years of our marriage were seen by him and the world as nearly perfect. We never fought and hardly ever disagreed. We were told repeatedly that we were such a wonderful fit and seemed so happy together.
Why? Because I was using a shit-sweeping broom that I didn’t even know I had. I didn’t realize that I was cleaning up after him, sweeping away the dirt he left behind.
He offended people right and left. I apologized for him. He sure never did.
He distanced himself from family members to play video games. I apologized for him, explaining that he doesn’t do crowds, that he just needs some alone time, that he will come back shortly.
He aggressively upset other drivers, flipping them off, honking, flashing his lights, yelling. I waved an apology with a shake of my head and a shrug of my shoulders.
He offended our friends, storming out of social volleyball games over minor disagreements. I apologized to them. He’s just tired, next week will be better.
He verbally abused our children, emotionally attacking them, often for things they didn’t even do. I apologized to the kids. I explained to them that he had a bad day, a rough childhood, no siblings. Or he was tired or not feeling well. I smoothed things over with them and then laughed and played with them, quickly moving on.
He emotionally attacked me for small, minor things. I explained to myself that he had a rough childhood and didn’t really mean it.
A Match Made in Heaven? I Don't Think So!
So in his eyes, our early marriage was a match made in heaven. Not so in my eyes. I cried myself to sleep many nights, thinking, “I’ll never bring that subject up again….ever!” . I carried horrible pits in the bottom of my stomach, wondering when his next explosive reaction would be. I cringed at the slightest disagreement or the smallest hint of anything that would offend him.
So how did I spend my time? Working overtime to keep him happy, to shield him from anything that would upset him, to make sure he felt good about himself and life.
So YES, he thought this was great! Who wouldn’t? He had someone who commited all of her time to making him happy, to baby-sitting his feelings, and to smoothing over all his relationship boo-boo’s. It was a great deal for him. He gets to act like an ass and have someone to sweep up after him all the time.
All My Fault
I even reached the point that everything he did wrong was my fault.
It was my fault he was addicted to gaming. I should have fussed at him more for being on the electronics.
It was my fault he got mad at the other driver. I should have warned him and calmed him before they cut him off. Or I should have been the one driving.
It was my fault he stormed out of the volleyball game. I should have called that shot, telling everyone whether it was in or out, playing the peacemaker that I am.
It was my fault he abused our kids. I should have kept our children quieter around him, making sure they were only peaceful and happy in his presence.
It was my fault that he is being an ass. I should have anticipated all these little offenses and stopped them before they reached him or before he started to react.
This way of living is simply not sustainable. It is exhausting and takes a horrible toll on your life, your energy, your health, everything.
Our 10th Wedding Anniversary
On the night of our 10th wedding anniversary, we went to a Taekwondo sparring class. As a family, we were training in martial arts. Due to busy schedules, we often would celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other such days on a different night. We were red belts and approaching out next promotion. So we decided we would attend class that night and celebrate our anniversary over the weekend.
At class, my husband was sparring with one of our older Black Belt men. This man punched him in the side of the helmet, harder than my husband clearly wanted to be punched. My husband stormed off, throwing his helmet to the ground. The Black Belt was walking quickly behind him saying, “Hey, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” My husband never turned around, never acknowledged him, and never spoke. He went to the back room, changed his clothes and left.
Now, let me briefly explain a few things about Taekwondo. First, you are going to get punched and kicked. Sometimes it might be a little hard and hurt a bit. That’s part of the training and how you develop your own toughness and skills. Second, respect is a huge part of the training. We are taught to respect each other, no matter what the rank. Add to that, though, the rank of Black Belt holds a position of tremendous respect. Finally, along with that respect, you NEVER just walk off the floor without the permission of the head instructor, much less actually leave the building. What he did was not okay in so many ways. And I will say, if one of our boys had behaved like that, he would have climbed all over them!
I really did not want to come home that night. The pit in my stomach was gigantic! After classed dismissed, I changed in the locker room. The head instructor was waiting for me by the door. I knew I had to say something to him. I still remember the words coming out of my mouth, “I’m sorry for his behavior, Sir.” He simply said, “What he did was not okay.” “Yes sir. I know,” I responded. He then, compassionately, asked me, “Is everything okay? Are you okay?”
I knew the answer to that was no. I knew that I was in a mess of a marriage. But still not willing to face it, I told him that we were fine and that everything would be okay. He smiled and nodded, but I sensed that he saw right through me.
When I got home, I found my husband upstairs in our loft. He was sitting in the dark, crying. He told me how upset he was that no one cared about his feelings. It was all about his feelings and how “badly” everyone had treated him, all of which were perceived slights and not reality. Not only was there no apology for his behavior, the thought of an apology never even crossed his mind.
Though I still didn’t know the extent of what was to come, I now knew that we had a real problem here. I realized that I was apologizing for his rudeness, again and again. How was all of this possibly my fault? How was it all my job to fix and to clean up the messes? Why wasn’t he taking any of that responsibility?
It was still another 6 years before I actually heard the word narcissism. By this time, I had become a true expert at taking the responsibility for his behavior. My shit-sweeping skills were nearly perfect. The better I got at it, the more I felt it was my duty. After all, if I was the healthy one in the relationship, then I had to be the one to fix everything. He sure wasn’t going to do it.
I Can Fix Anything.....Except This
Up to this point in my life, I had the mindset that I could fix anything. For 45 years of life, there wasn’t hardly anything I couldn’t do. If I put my mind to it, it would get done. I know some of you, and perhaps a lot of you, can relate to this.
I remember the night, New Year’s Eve 2015. My family had all gone to bed. I was up, thinking about life and feeling very overwhelmed. Dreading spending yet another year this way. Then it hit me, “I can’t fix this!” I fell to the floor, buried my face in my hands, and sobbed. “God, I can’t fix this!” I repeated over and over.
This was extremely difficult to accept but a very necessary moment in my journey. As long as I was still trying to “fix” this, then I was still making it all my responsibility and my fault. It seemed like a defeated statement to say, “I can’t fix this.” But rather than feeling defeated, I felt liberated. For the first time in my marriage, I was releasing myself from this gigantic burden, the burden of carrying him.
If you are carrying all the blame for your narcissistic partner, then say it out loud, right now, “I can’t fix this!” Listen to your own words. Find your own path to this powerful realization. You can’t fix them. You can’t fix the relationship. You can’t cover all their faults. And it isn’t your job!
Narcissists and Emotions
Narcissists seem to have absolutely no emotional intelligence, inside themselves or with the world around them. They continuously stomp all over your feelings and don’t show an ounce of care about it. They can talk harshly and callously one minute and be confused as to why you don’t want to make love with them the very next minute. The confusion this creates is crazy-making!
Narcissists seem to have absolutely no emotional intelligence, inside themselves or with the world around them. The general consensus is that they have no understanding of basic human emotion, especially other people’s emotions. They continuously stomp all over your feelings and don’t show an ounce of care about it. They can talk harshly and callously one minute and be confused as to why you don’t want to make love with them the very next minute. Even when you try to explain it to them, they seem completely incapable of connecting the dots. In fact, just trying to talk with them about it can quickly start you on a never-ending downward spiral of verbal abuse. And again, the next day, it all just disappears, as though it never even happened.
My own teenage son once said to me, “Dad only has two states of emotion, anger or zombie. It’s all I ever see on him.” Genuine happiness, healthy pride in his sons, peaceful conversation with a glass of wine on the patio, these are non-existent. Other emotions that never show up are remorse, regret, compassion, joy, and many more.
I recently watched a video that was extremely helpful to me. It is a youtube video by the Little Shaman titled Stop Explaining to the Narcissist. She explains that the narcissists actually see the world through their own emotions. It just happens to be though that those emotions are generally quite negative and out of control. The narcissist views their own emotions as fact and completely reliable. So if they are feeling negative, which is most of the time, they will see whatever you are doing as negative. If you offer to wash their car, they will find a reason not to trust that. It must mean that you want something, because you can’t be doing it simply out of kindness.
Not only do they question your current actions and words, but those in the past too. An event from the past that might have been fine at the time can become yet another point of trouble in a heartbeat. I’ll give you a personal example. One year for our wedding anniversary, my husband took me to a beautiful restaurant. It was converted from an old farm building out in the country. It was gorgeous. I ordered duck, and that was fantastic! Conversation stayed positive, and we had a very enjoyable evening. We desperately needed some positive time together. I told him several times how much I enjoyed it. He also seemed light-hearted and happy, and I was very glad. I thought we had a great evening, and I genuinely thanked him.
A few days later, however, we were back in one of those circular conversations. You know, the ones where you find yourself defending everything you have ever done or said. He was on the attack over everything he could think of. To my surprise, he told me that I didn’t even appreciate the dinner he took me on the other night. “What are you talking about?” I asked. He responded, “You didn’t like the food, you didn’t like the conversation, you didn’t like the restaurant….you were just unhappy the whole time.” This was a shock to me. I really liked the restaurant and the food. I really appreciated that he kept conversation positive and upbeat. I so badly needed an enjoyable evening out with him.
When I watched this video by Little Shaman, this situation made sense to me now. In her words, “Events viewed through the lense of emotion are altered by the narcissist in order to fit the emotion. If they are angry at you, everything you do will be perceived negatively no matter what it is. Even things you did in the past that were okay at the time are now viewed through this lense and found to be evil. The narcissist’s “truth” changes with their emotions.”
My narcissistic husband was not remembering clearly how the evening had gone. He was only viewing it through his current negative emotions. Since right this minute he was angry and upset, then that evening must have been negative too. Everything can turn bad in the blink of an eye, leaving you rather perplexed and confused.
Most people realize that feelings are unreliable, unpredictable and fleeting. Our emotions shift around constantly and sometimes rather abruptly. The way we feel often does not make sense and is not based on thought or logic. Thus we do not rely fully on our feelings to view the world around us. This is not true with narcissists. They rely 100% on their feelings, and those feelings come from a lifetime of internal abuse and negativity. They believe these feelings and thus believe that all of the world is against them. They expect to be treated badly and will find it in every situation. Trying to rationally explain things to them is crazy-making. They are not interested in rational thinking and reality. They only care that their feelings have been hurt, no matter whether that is justified or not.
In essence, due to the enormous amount of internal negativity they carry, narcissists do not know how to feel loved and cared for. They do not know how to have a positive connection with someone. It does not matter whether it is you or someone else. They cannot have that kind of connection with anyone. They simply aren’t capable of it.
To watch the entire video by the Little Shaman, follow this link. It is well worth your time.