The end goal of a narcissist is to control the other person’s behavior. They may try to control you by withholding money, giving the silent treatment, trying to isolate you from friends or family, or by spreading lies about you, along with verbal, physical, and passive-aggressive behaviors. Experiencing narcissistic abuse can be extremely damaging. It can lead to long-term emotional and physiological damage including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. If you are a narcissistic abuse survivor, please know that with the right support, recovery is possible.

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Boundaries communicate what is okay and what is not okay in a relationship. You can set boundaries with just about anyone — friends, partners, co-workers, bosses, family members, even strangers. Ideally, boundaries are established to protect our well-being. They allow us to cultivate trust, safety, and respect in relationships. You might set emotional, intellectual, physical, sexual, and even financial boundaries. Boundaries can apply to any aspect of your life where they are needed.

Unresolved trauma refers to traumatic experiences that you have not yet let go of. When scary or distressing things happen to us, we just want to forget they happened. We try to push down the memory and avoid situations or people that remind us of the trauma. Unresolved traumas could be unresolved childhood trauma or events that happen in adulthood such as heartbreak, divorce, accidents, etc.

For people who have experienced trauma, triggers are a reminder of the traumatic events experienced throughout life. Although triggers are often harmless, they are perceived as dangerous due to their association with the original trauma and thus can cause emotional disturbances or physical discomfort. Learning to identify and manage your triggers can feel difficult at first, but it’s an important part of the recovery process.

Coping skills are behaviors that are designed to help you feel better when you are struggling. These skills may be learned or engaged in unconsciously as an attempt to reduce distressing emotions. Coping skills can be classified as healthy/ or adaptive or and unhealthy/ or maladaptive.

Emotions are an essential part of who we are, so essential that we are born with them. As we grow older, emotions can become complicated, confusing, and dysregulated. It is important for individuals to learn to identify emotions and be able to talk about them. Using emotions as messengers can be healthy for our emotional well-being.

Trauma can distort our ability to give and receive love in a healthy manner. Trauma survivors may be suspicious of the 5 love languages framework, having been manipulated, taken advantage of, or endangered in the past. Any of the love languages can be triggers — reminders of times they felt unsafe, coerced, or manipulated.

Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) can significantly impact one's mental and emotional well-being, but with the right tools and support, the journey toward healing becomes a more manageable path.

Trauma manifests in various ways, and understanding the signs is crucial for both individuals who suffer from PTSD or complex PTSD (C-PTSD) and for those supporting them.

It’s totally normal to feel anxious after experiencing something traumatic.