Survivors of narcissistic abuse in childhood, who are later retraumatized by narcissistic or sociopathic predators in adulthood, can also show symptoms of complex trauma.
Dealing With PTSD After a Narcissistic Relationship
If you are experiencing PTSD, your symptoms might include: Reliving the trauma—through nightmares, night terrors, flashbacks, or dissociation (i.e., “zoning out” or “spacing out”).
PTSD from Childhood Trauma
If you have grown up with a narcissistic parent, there are many instances in which they may have traumatized you throughout your childhood. This can lead to PTSD or cPTSD in adulthood. PTSD can result from overt abuse and neglect, emotional neglect, and gaslighting.
Recommended treatments include psychotherapy and somatic therapy. There is often a stabilization period in the initial stages of beginning psychotherapy for C-PTSD. During the stabilization period, the therapist will work with clients to help them shift out of a crisis.
"Narcissistic abuse syndrome can take a severe toll on a person's emotional health over time," noted Dr. Parmar. It can lead to other mental illnesses—like depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
The damage to the amygdala of the victims of narcissistic abuse become trapped in a permanent state of fear and anxiety and react badly to environmental triggers that remind them of the violation by the narcissist. This means that victims of narcissistic abuse are constantly alert to the danger that does not exist now.
In other words, the longer you stay with an emotionally abusive partner, the more deterioration you can expect of your hippocampus. It can be easily understoodhow this neurological process may enhance feelings of confusion, cognitive dissonance, andabuse amnesiain victims of narcissistic and psychopathic abuse.
As a narcissistic abuse survivor, you will likely have symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Your brain will be on high alert, looking out for danger. This is because the traumatic events triggered a fight or flight response within you. As a result, anything associated with those memories can trigger an anxiety attack.
As mentioned above, the four types of trauma responses are: fight, flight, freeze or fawn.
Recovering from narcissistic abuse takes time, so you will have to remain patient. This process could take months or even years, but it's worth all of the hard work and effort. You can and will move on to find healthier and happier connections with others.
Victims of narcissistic abuse have been reported to experience symptoms similar to PTSD, known informally as narcissistic abuse syndrome. Symptoms include intrusive, invasive, or unwanted thoughts, flashbacks, avoidance, feelings of loneliness, isolation, and feeling extremely alert.
However, some studies have also pointed out that narcissistic characteristics may not only arise from childhood environments characterized by neglect/abuse, but also from environments in which a child is sheltered or overly praised [11,14,15].
Victims may experience trust issues, self-doubt, shame, and embarrassment. Repeated emotional trauma can shrink areas of the brain responsible for memory and learning and grow areas responsible for fear, guilt, and shame. These changes can lead to cognitive problems, such as concentrating on tasks and memory loss.
The condition may last months or years, with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions. This is very similar to what victims of narcissistic abuse go through, namely Post Narcissist Stress Disorder (PNSD).
The aftermath of narcissistic abuse can include depression, anxiety, hypervigilance, a pervasive sense of toxic shame, emotional flashbacks that regress the victim back to the abusive incidents, and overwhelming feelings of helplessness and worthlessness.
Through ongoing gaslighting and demeaning of the partner, the narcissist undermines the individual's self-worth and self-confidence, creating extreme emotional abuse that is constant and devastating.
Signs and Symptoms of PTSD
If you or a loved one has just gone through a breakup with a narcissist, watch out for these signs of PTSD: Episodes of panic and fear that come out of nowhere. Extreme reactions—physical or emotional—to traumatic reminders. Difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
What Is Trauma Bonding? Trauma bonding occurs when a narcissist repeats a cycle of abuse with another person which fuels a need for validation and love from the person being abused.
In the case of narcissism, a person cannot tolerate disruption to their belief that they're perfect and above everything. But a person with CPTSD is often so hurt, they feel they can't afford even one more bit of criticism, that it will destroy us.
Is it possible to fully recover from narcissistic abuse? It can take years to fully recover from the damage that was done because of the psychological manipulation that you have endured. That being said, moving past the abuse and achieving full recovery is entirely possible with professional help.
Victims of narcissistic abuse often present with symptoms of CPTSD such as emotional flashbacks, where they feel the same emotions they did following traumatic episodes, and difficulties controlling their emotions, specifically shame, fear, and anger.
Narcissists and psychopaths dissociate (erase memories) a lot (are amnesiac) because their contact with the world and with others is via a fictitious construct: The false self. Narcissists never experience reality directly but through a distorting lens darkly.
Perhaps most distressing is the fact that narcissistic abuse can cause neurological issues – also known as brain damage. On the plus side, the neurological changes caused by this long-term trauma can be reversed, thanks to our brain's neuroplasticity.
Life with a narcissist can be extremely stressful, leading to depression or anxiety. It can also make you physically sick. You may feel it in the pit of your stomach. This isn't surprising, as stress and dismay are often coupled with a gut disturbance.