A narcissist puts all the blame on the empath and feeds on the guilt and fear created as a result in the empath. It is known as 'gaslighting', that is, manipulating someone psychologically into doubting their own sanity, creating guilt and fear and then feeling empowered by doing this.
Narcissists manipulate empaths by stringing them along with intermittent hope. They will integrate compliments and kindness into their behaviour, making their victim believe that if they behave in the correct manner, they will get the loving person back who they once knew.
Narcissists are notorious for overreacting to even the slightest bruising of their ego, and the retaliation could potentially impact an empath's career, social circle, and housing. If children are involved, they may also be used as a way to manipulate the empath.
The narcissist sees the empath as loving, devoted, and agreeable. The narcissist is drawn to empaths because the latter are emotional sponges. An empath in love will listen to the narcissist with undivided attention and a desire to understand them.
Kim Saeed, a narcissistic abuse recovery expert, says that narcissists prey on empaths and highly sensitive people. Empaths operate predominately from love, humility, and giving.
Simply put, an empath attracts a narcissist because the capacity of an empath to love is immense and all that a narcissist needs is someone to worship them. The void of love and admiration in a narcissist is a magnet that immediately pulls an empath close into a neverending cycle of a toxic relationship.
Their honesty and frankness and self-love stump the narcissist when their harsh cold insults used to devalue them don't work. Super empaths have a strong enough self-image to use their empathic powers to defeat even the most cunning and calculated narcissists.
In fact, narcissists prefer to target someone who is strong-willed, and who has talents or characteristics they admire, because they believe it makes them shine too. "Narcissists are drawn to those who can boost their own self-esteem and validate their sense of importance," Wasser told Insider.
No noise, bright lights, phone calls, texts, emails, internet, television, or conversations. It's sometimes important to just feel your own energy without anyone else around. You are being your own best friend, which is a way to nurture yourself. By decreasing external stimulation, it's also easier to clear negativity.
Toxic empathy, also called hyper-empathy syndrome, is a type of empathy disorder where one struggles to regulate their emotions and empathizes with others so much it impacts their well-being. This contrasts empathy deficit disorder (EDD), where one lacks the ability to empathize with others.
What is empathy fatigue? At worst, empathy fatigue is a person's inability to care. It's the negative consequence of repeated exposure to stressful or traumatic events. It can manifest both emotionally or physically.
As empaths, we are more in tune with our own energetic bodies and tend to feel emotions at a deeper level. In fact, we also have the tendency to absorb others' energy. When we are under a lot of stress in our own lives or there is a lot of stress around us, we can feel sadder or even depressed.
Because empaths quite literally feel what their friends are going through, they can become overwhelmed by painful emotions, such as anxiety or anger. Empaths have a tendency to take on the problems of others as their own.
Narcissists often look for victims who struggle with insecurity and low self-esteem. People who think less of themselves and struggle with the “I am not enough” mindset tend to attract toxic partners. People with self-esteem issues tend to think of themselves as imperfect or unlovable.
Empaths, generally, would rather receive a handmade gift or item of sentimental value than to be showered with expensive items. Empaths would likely place gift giving as their least desired love language, whereas narcissists would place it at the top of the list.
Type As can also be dangerous to narcissists
Although they can be targeted, type A people can also become a narcissist's worst nightmare. One of the most important defenses against dark personalities is having strong boundaries yourself, and type A people are usually aware they have the right to build them.
Although narcissists act superior, entitled and boastful, underneath their larger-than-life facade lies their greatest fear: That they are ordinary. For narcissists, attention is like oxygen. Narcissists believe only special people get attention.
A key trait of narcissists is confidence – they are attractive because they think of themselves as attractive. They believe in their own value, so this confidence and charisma become qualities that pull others in, that makes them the life and soul of the party.
The best way to shut down a narcissist is to walk away from them. If all else fails, you can physically remove yourself from the conversation. Even if they keep talking, simply turn around and walk away. If they follow you, close the door.
Dark empathy is characterized by emotional distance disguised as charm and understanding. It is usually motivated by personal gain. Dark empathy is related to the dark triad personality traits. The dark triad refers to the malevolent personality types of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
Keep Setting Boundaries
Boundary pushing for the narcissist is intentional, they want to get a reaction out of you. Anytime you react, it lets them know they are still in control. But if you want to protect yourself as an empath, you will need to keep setting boundaries.
A tactic that narcissists will often use once they realize that they've lost control over you is self-victimization. When a narcissist victimizes themselves it means that they label themselves as victims and blame their problems on external factors.