Ptsd after dating a narcissist

Updated: Sep 23, There is no doubt that being in a toxic relationship with a narcissist is traumatic. Narcissistic abuse and gaslighting are particularly maddening and traumatising forms of psychological abuse. What is Trauma?

I asked the Facebook Community for their thoughts, and before long there were many responses and replies. If you would like to join in on these discussions, you can join my Facebook page here. The topics requested ranged from trusting your intuition, co-dependency, boundaries, recovery, narcissists in the workplace and more. Reading these posts, my stomach started to churn. I totally emphasise, I understand it, I used to be there. I know what it is like to be helpless and feel powerless, and be stuck like a deer in the headlights thinking you have to learn all about your enemy in order to survive. I know how horrible that place is … because the issue is: when you ARE stuck in fear, pain, trauma and survival, you have no POWER to create your life.

When you are in a relationship with someone who has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, you may find yourself affected by Post Narcissist Stress Disorder. Understanding these two conditions and how they may affect your relationship and your personality is important for you to get the help that you need. Narcissistic Personality Disorder NPD describes someone who has a wounded self-concept that manifests as a personality disorder, giving that person an inflated sense of self-worth. This self-concept can often manifest as a deep need for attention and admiration from others.

All people have some narcissistic traits. They can help you become a tougher person, give you the right amount of confidence, and allow you to set limits on how others treat you. And this is not all; narcissists want to control others, usually by separating them from the ones who support them. And all of these actions are more or less abusive.