The TOP QUESTIONS A Narcissist CAN’T ANSWER! (Spot The Narcissist) | Dr. Ramani

[@LisaBilyeu]

How do you protect yourself from narcissists?

[@sunnyvibez5062]

Knowledge is power. I wish the signs of psychological and emotional abuse would be taught at school along with meditation and other self care methods. Thanks for sharing this video. To everyone reading this: sending extra love and light your way. Keep filling your cup with self-love. And keep actively healing your trauma. Therapy is for everyone& contributes to a less ignorant, more loving society. Which changes for a better future can YOU make today?! 💛🌞🌻

[@joannap9554]

I distance myself and focus on detaching. That’s the ONLY way trust me. It’s hard but it’s doable and when you realize that you can only heal in their absence, it’ll become automatic. The danger is when they try coming back around and turning up their charm. This is where this content becomes helpful.

[@jamiepatton9334]

When my ex left me 20 years ago it was the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me. I defend myself by remembering how I felt at that time, I've protected myself above all others which has resulted in fabulous, narcissistic free relationships. Celebrating 16 years married to the exact opposite of my first husband. There is hope, putting your mental health before all others is not selfish, it's necessary.

[@radhicalaukaran]

Dr. Ramani ❤ A gift to the world! Lisa Bilyeu ❤ A perfect host! With profound gratitude, I thank you both! Namaste with much love ❤

[@Revolution-tl5wo]

Tell them "no" early and often. Do it to things they want, not just benign stuff they can blithely smile and nod to. Watch how they respond to your boundaries. Even the most veteran, sneaky narcs will give themselves away if you show on multiple tries that you prioritize yourself over their whims.

[@evelina787]

“You can't force someone to respect you, but you can refuse to be disrespected.” “You will never really see how toxic someone is until you breathe fresher air.” “Stay away from people who can't take responsibility for their actions and who make you feel bad for being angry at them when they do you wrong.”✨☘️🙏

[@Kimberly-im6on]

Amen!

[@evelina787]

@@Kimberly-im6on God bless you dear Kimberly ✨☘️🙏

[@karengodan5205]

So well written, “ but you can refuse to be disrespected “. That is profound!

[@evelina787]

@@karengodan5205 God bless you dear Karen Godan, thank you :-Hope & pray, life's being extremely good to you in more recent times & praying you will be abundantly blessed forevermore ✨ ☘️ 🙏

[@karengodan5205]

Your warmth is so appreciated. God bless you too and always love yourself and all your blessings.

[@sandyriley4047]

One of my favorite lines from the Narc, "Noone will ever love you like I do". My reply: Thank God!

[@user-wi9hv2pb2q]

One of their greatest fears is you will find a happy, better life with someone else, so they invest a lot in convincing you that you won't.

[@TheEllaTB]

My line of terror was hearing my husband say "I want to return to my first love for you" after I confronted him about his narc issues and told him it was over. He actually thought he would convince me that was a good thing!

[@InshasChoice]

"You think you're all that because I'm talking to you." 🤡

[@Annabelvasquez1001]

You will never find anyone like me

[@willow1698]

And you believed that??

[@SebastianJArt]

I’m eternally grateful for my narcissistic ex. I now have discernment to the point of being psychic. Learn what you’re supposed to from these relationships.

[@mojomeme3116]

Same with me I’m grateful because I have learned so much I can smell their BS before I see them Super thankful !!!!

[@vitorinaldi5038]

Y brain is fryed from them

[@aparsons6495]

Same, I can see them so easily now.

[@vitorinaldi5038]

Did any of u guys have them give u gifts

[@aparsons6495]

@@vitorinaldi5038 oh yes that's a huge trick so they can have control over you!

[@TheBrighterSpider]

What did I learn? That I was half the problem. Nobody wants to admit this, but narcs can only do what they do because we let them. I attracted one narcissist after another, friends, roommates, lovers... male, female. And the common thread between all of them was me. I'm not victim blaming here. For me the big turning point that changed my life and empowered me to the stars was acknowledging that I was creating my own mess. I was as much a victim of myself as I was of my narcs. I could simply define my boundaries and enforce them. But to actually do such a scary thing, I had to become willing to be alone. Once I made the decision to be alone rather than ever tolerate narcissistic behavior again, an amazing thing happened. The narcs disappeared (except for my mother) and healthy, respectful relationships materialized. My life is so different. I cannot stress enough the empowerment that comes with realizing that if you created the mess, you can create something different by making different choices.

[@millsykooksy4863]

I love this

[@theDurgaLove]

Exactly!

[@AngiO-f1s]

I have slowly realized this as I've been healing the past 9 months!! I'm the creator of my existence and I want a happy, loving, peaceful one 💞 it starts with loving and caring for myself first

[@heatherh5639]

Having been through similar,, on reflection i realize the narrative i grew up with was unconsciously directing me towards and keeping me in unhealthy relationships. You are right that change and empowerment happens when you start to take an honest look at yourself and your narrative. That's when the growth begins ❤️

[@ashr8801]

This is 100% true. Once you become steadfast in who you are, how you will be treated, and what you will tolerate… the people who don’t like that will just stay away. They will realize there’s nothing for them here and move on. Now, I will say, the ones you already attracted might be a nightmare for a while. I did this, and one particular narc just won’t let it go. They STILL call me and leave nasty messages after changing my number twice over the past 3 years. But, a nasty message here and there is definitely worth the freedom I have in every other regard.

[@Bailey_G]

"You've got to judge the relationship on its bad days, not on its good days." - Bingo! That really got to me...

[@calizaggirl29]

Sugar just makes the poison taste better. It's still poison

[@idk-rx6ic]

yes cause i would always feel bad because of how much he claimed he’d done for me🤦‍♀️

[@BamaSquirrel]

I tend to embrace the whole. The good memories are not only about him, they are the experiences and days I had too ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🔥 Also, I find myself grateful for learning how narcissists work even if it was my ex whom I seen on porch swing in my mind forever thing…it was what I envisioned and that doesn’t always mean the other person feels same way. To learn to put my feelings aside and to actually see what he was envisioning and doing was not the same with his words being just that…just words to keep it all sweet in my ears since he knew I believed him. It turns violent when they discover you see through all the bs so y’all be smart and safe with the “walk away” stage 🙏🏻❤️‍🩹❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[@Christian_Princess]

"They don't want you to be strong ,they don't want you to succeed,they don't want you to be independent . Narcissm is all about dominance ,power and control ."

[@1Seriouslyserious]

I am so grateful for my husband, who is the opposite of a narcissist. I was just thanking him yesterday for all the times he has encouraged me to take a class, travel, see my friends & family, start a business, and do whatever makes me happy. No only that, but he has fully supported me when I did these things - making my meals, doing the laundry, driving so I could do something fun, or anything else he can think of to help me. Having grown up in an abusive household with a narcissistic parent, it's like I am living in an alternate universe. I never, in my wildest dreams, could have dreamt up a husband like him. There are amazing people out there; may y'all find someone amazing to share your life with, if that's what you want. 💚

[@Mal-be6ei]

Right? F them all

[@lvr5266]

Wow, can you clone him please? @@1Seriouslyserious

[@kittycato2023]

Yes yes! How do you leave and walk away when it's your own parents and elderly. They have been abusive my entire life. They now are taking control threatening to ruin my life where I can lose my home and trying to split up my wonderful relationship with my brother.

[@kluv7725]

I really never paid to much attention to this stuff about narcissists until I heard the true meaning of it, and it just hit me, Yes, this is my father… my whole family does not know a thing about how he treats his family. My poor mom… the crap we had to deal with and watch as my father sat there and made my mom cry all the time is really heartbreaking. If I could just record him so my aunts can see how he really is…. He thinks that none of us can live without him. We need him he always said. He took off, I don’t remember for how long but it was when we were very young, he packed his suitcase and left, i felt so happy, but then he came home. 😢 He wanted my mom to see for herself how much she needs him.

[@claudinediamond2555]

My narcissistic soon to be ex-husband has been my greatest teacher in this life so far. What I mean by that is that he taught me that just because I’m confident doesn’t mean I love myself. He taught me all the ways I don’t love myself and open my eyes to the betrayal of myself that I put myself through in this relationship. He is the reason I will never betray myself again. This is the biggest lesson and one of the most important lessons of my life.

[@SleepyStardust3]

Yes! I would constantly tell my ex, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience great pain and strengthen my ability to self soothe. Thank you for showing me who you really are." I took advantage of that relationship so hard. I fell into a stress induced psychosis - lots of paranoia - but I'm on meds now and still in therapy. They are a different breed, man...

[@heyhey11793]

I completely feel like I betrayed myself so I know what you mean.

[@samxsara]

Its def like they teach us to become sovereign

[@bcbro142]

Yes whatever doesn't break us makes us stronger life is a learning lesson and sometimes you have to know the pain to no pleasure

[@girlynerds611]

This is exactly the feeling you get...

[@luckystoller6171]

Dr. Ramani is so right. Broken people aren't the ones susceptible to narcissists' love bombing. Successful people attract everyone including narcissists. It's only AFTER a relationship with a narcissist that people are broken.

[@chikaka2012]

This comment deserves more likes & I’m dismayed but not surprised that it doesn’t have that many. Most people like to believe that if they’re good enough in some way, bad things won’t happen to them. It’s a such a destructive message because it leads to victim blaming. but most people in our capitalist culture cling to the idea of a person earning their fate no matter how much evidence to the contrary - it’s almost a form of cultural brainwashing.

[@christinejones4785]

So true Narcs change you into a broken person

[@chinwenduchinwe586]

​@@christinejones4785 They really can...if they are allowed too.

[@VxiceheartxV]

I think paying attention to your body is so underrated, when you feel something is off even if you can't intellectually figure out what it is, THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE WRONG

[@Skazoonit]

Trust your gut! It knows what your brain hasn’t yet figured out!

[@jackieflynt995]

Exactly!

[@watchingbrain]

and it does not mean that you are right either, does it? Someone might consider the following thoughts/ideas when adhearing to their intuition/ gut feeling to get an even better outcome in the long run. Feel free to give it a thought or dismiss it completly. Have a great day either way! 1. ) The devil lies - as most of the times - in the details. 2.) You may need to let your gut & brain talk with each other to figure things out if you arent already doing it. That would akin to the "mind and body form a unity" approach. If you need some more help with translating your gut feeling the following might come in useful: You may start asking yourself "What does this gut feeling wants me to know?", "Hey gut, thanks for taking care of me. Do you have any images or memories i could use to translate this peculiar feeling? I want to try and do my best to do us both right" and maybe be surprised when you get an answer. 3.) This whole trusting your gut feeling is predicated on the notion that you have a "healthy gut feeling factory". Unresolved trauma, active psychopathologies, high stress, poor diet etc will alter your perceptions and might change your gut feeling accuracy: someones nervous system is a highly tuned and extremely sensitive mechanism which when even off by a little bit can produce vastly diffferent outcomes. Things to be aware of: When push comes to shove this system will rather produce a false positive then risking anything: Better sorry then dead. Be espacially aware that it does not judge things the same way your brain does. Thats why 2.) may prove useful in the long run. Summary or TL;DR: Gut power is nothing without mind control :D

[@VxiceheartxV]

Nah when you are uncomfortable you can't do shit until you get away from the person making you feel that way. @@watchingbrain

[@watchingbrain]

@@VxiceheartxV That is not what i meant to aim at but i can see how it can be interpretated that way. Let me put it more bluntly & harshly so there are hopefully no more misunderstandings: If you are getting any gut reaction of that magnitude you might do yourself a favour by asking yourself some quick questions, just to be sure that you dont jump a gun which isnt there: am i reacting to a real danger or am i maybe reacting to a false positive/ projection/ trauma etc? Do i maybe need to grow the heck up or is this actually a threat? You have a gut and it spoke its truth. Now let your mind speak too. Maybe it has something to add. Maybe even make a quick personal list of 5 things you know might interfere with your gut. You hopefully know some of your blind spots. Your gut feeling is a warning sign which you shouldnt ignore by any means but to drive my point home: A gut feeling is also by no means a perfect system to always rely on without at least a quick "reality check". All this is meant as an extra layer of protection and not to dimiss the gut feelings someone has. Did i make myself clearer?

[@her2374]

When she said “Do you feel safe?” ..gave me chills. I stayed in a abusive, narcissistic relationship for 10 years. I knew I wasn’t safe, I knew it wasn’t love, yet I stayed and it took soooooo long for me to come to my senses. It’s been 1year since I’ve left my abuser and the healing process is both painful & rewarding.

[@Sabrina-s1y]

Sooooo proud of you. Keep going you're stronger than them 🎉

[@theUmovement]

Is there actually life afterwards? Day 4.

[@zushiklinke]

​​@@theUmovementyes. stay strong 💪

[@jobinjoy1129]

I can understand how you feel. I have been in a relationship for 8months and I loved her like a mad man. Everytime I talk to her I start hating myself. I was treated like trash. But the thing is I am dumb and I would never learn. I still love her very much even after whatever she has done to me... But now I wanna keep distance. It's been a few weeks I took the courage to keep myself away from her but crazy painful too.

[@cherimassengale9310]

So true!

[@comfortouch]

"Tell me the story of you." ... Every narcissist I've met has asked me a similar question. Narcissists want to find out as much about you as they can, without sharing about themselves; so they can mirror you, and learn how to love bomb you. My reply to questions like this, is, 'I'm not here to monologue, let's have a conversation instead'. I guarantee they will not be able to have a simple conversation because they haven't weaseled enough info out of you to be able to mirror you. If he/she cannot hold up half of a conversation, walk away.

[@jainfreeman9587]

Yep!

[@gcassidy1000]

Straight on ❤

[@YewNayVerse]

According to the speaker here, that'd paint you as a narcissist. 😅 I don't know how you could set up a self confirming bias better.

[@mephju303]

haha this is a funny comment. no wonder dating is a mess these days either if advice like this is being shared enough women.

[@DemocracyFirst2025]

@comfortouch u missed the point by 180°. This woman RECOMMENDED ppl should be asking their first dates, “tell me the story of you” 0:52 and listening closely to how it’s answered bc of the way narcissists will answer it. She did NOT state, “narcissists will ask you to tell them the story of you”. Your whole premise that lead you to spit fire and hostility in your imaginary scenario is completely backwards…😆 That said, a woman comes at me w/ “I’m not here to monologue” I couldn’t leave faster than if the building were engulfed in flames.

[@MonaLisaSmile1991]

I was in a 10 year relationship with a malignant narcissist. We divorced, I ended up attracting a vulnerable/ covert narcissist. 2 years later we broke up. I then was in a situationship a neglectful narcissist. Thinking hey maybe this will work no ties. 2 years later it was even worse. I decided to take a complete break from dating. Focus on me, and ended up attracting another narcissist that likes me at work (3 dates in I am now running). I can’t seem to get away from these type of people. It’s so draining 😢. Even when I’m not looking they come to me. Thanks to Dr. Ramani, I have learned so much over these past few years. Shields up ladies and gentlemen, we are warriors. ❤

[@curtissharris8914]

Yes this is what they don't tell you. What feels right, feels comfortable to someone who patterned to an unhealthy relationships growing up is nothing more that pattern matching to the familiar - a bond so deep and integrated that it is very difficult to break if fact it's unlikely most will break this cycle. (Edited)

[@lesnla]

I have a similar problem. What I’ve started doing is avoiding those I am first attracted to. My attraction is based on the familiar, so if I’m attracted, he’s probs a narcissist. So now I get to know people whom I would normally not be attracted to, and they so far are much nicer people. Now, I need to figure out how to get my chemistry to cooperate.

[@TammyReneeCoaching]

I was raised in an abusive, narcissistic family. My parents kept me locked in my room, away from the rest of the family. Yet, I was a top performing athlete and honor roll student. I remember feeling like I was losing my mind at 12yrs old, because they would cause arguments, then take it a whole other direction, and before I knew it, it was a full blown web. They also took it as far as secluding me from friends at school and requiring that the teachers keep me alone in the classroom or the library during recess and lunch. I moved out 2wks after I turned 18 and have no contact with that cult. It gives me anxiety just thinking about my parents. My memories go as far back as being 6 and 7 years old and my mom sitting me in front of her just slapping both sides of my face Non-Stop and me crying holding my arms out to her thinking in my mind if I tell my mom hold you meaning hold me that she would stop but she would just hit my hands away and keep slapping me til my face was numb. She would also make me lay on the bed on my stomach with my arms and legs spread out and just beating me with the belt. I would go to school the next day with welts and I remember wishing the teachers would ask me what happened but they never did. So I never told anyone. 😱 God had a better plan for me. It's incredible I even made it out. I never look at myself as a victim. I've always turned anything I've gone through into something positive.

[@penultimania4295]

No your god gave you those parents.

[@NinaSofia_]

❤🎉❤ so proud of you 🤗

[@TammyReneeCoaching]

@@NinaSofia_ thank you 🙏🏽 ❤️❤️❤️

[@mikaela2331]

Very courageous of you. Well done!

[@TammyReneeCoaching]

@@mikaela2331 Thank you so much. It was the best decision I ever made. There’s nothing worse than wanting to make two narcissistic parents proud and never getting their support nor praise. I had to let go.

[@LaPinturaBella]

I'm the daughter of a narcissistic father, am definitely an empath, am a narc magnet, and have been through theraphy to learn, understand, and get myself out of this pattern. I've become very strong and love myself unconditionally now. I've found that if I start becoming hypervigilent with a partner, it's time for me to exit. You can't win with a narc and I'm never letting anyone try to destroy me ever again. I actually really like being on my own, enjoy my own company and do like my solitude.

[@simsim876]

Good on you ! Stay strong!

[@Harsha-D311]

Omg, same My dad is a textbook narcissitic

[@francesbernard2445]

It is hard to find a female therapist who is not a little bit judgmental only because our life history. Like for example how some educated people who have never experienced a narcissistic relationship who come from more privileged or from a very different religious backgrounds who have been taught from the time they were small to regard people from less ideal family backgrounds in the winter most as being like only white trash or whatever. Like for example a therapist who reacts negative when repeating to them what a social worker told you about how I need to date more than one man at a time (while of course maintaining a hand holding only in both public and private boundary which should have been understood as a given)

[@yukio_saito]

I'm enjoying solitude. It's better to be alone than be surrounded by toxic people.

[@redredkroovy]

@@francesbernard2445 I SO get this honey child!! I prefer male therapist, but I've had Dr's who I told , " I can't trust someone like you, you wear $250 SOCKS!! I rolled in weighing 98 lbs after my 2nd son was a year old. I had eating disorders, I was starving myself because FOOD going in my mouth was the ONLY thing I had control over, and I was deeply depressed after baby #2,my husband forced me to have sex with someone else, and it had DESTROYED my marriage. 3yrs and 2 planned kids into my marriage . He judged me so harshly because I was extremely MANIC, and I'd had ENOUGH. I went in saying , here's list if meds I've taken the ones in RED I will not try again, so please don't waste my time & yours prescribing me crap I ready KNOW makes me worse, does nothing or has me throwing up like all SSRIs DO.... And He felt I was combative. I was being brainwashed, gas lighted, I was bad off at that point. Two mins after I stepped on scale at 98lbs @,5,7" age 21... They said no matter what my mental state was ,I'd never be discharged until it said 115 or 125,I forget now, but It pissed me OFF. My mental state wasn't GOOD, that's why I checked into the psych ward day before Thanksgiving. My mother in law had my boys for a few weeks. He wouldn't let me bring them home for 42 days total. It about KILLED me missing them. But that Psychiatrist was first one I'd seen that flat out saw my abusive husband for what he TRULY was. Dr. Advised me to file for divorce while I was on the Ward, and said he would REALLY LIKE TO DO A MENTAL EVALUATION ON MY HUSBAND!!! My husband was FURIOUS when heard that advice, and ended up having me sign myself out off Ward, staff screaming ur insurance won't pay for your bill if you leave against medical advice.....So different from the female Shrink I had gone to for,maybe 5 or 6 mo's. Only time he had ever agreed to go in once a week on his Tuesdays off , we did marriage counseling with this lady and she flirted SO HARD ON my husband, It was insane how quickly She was manipulated and obviously attracted to my husband, would take his side, no matter what.Started wearing red skirt and blazeror navy outfit similar w slits in skirts on our Marital counseling session days. Then one day I informed him and her that CLEARLY I wasn't bipolar axis 1 &2 ,rapid flux because neither of them had a clue I'd stopped taking lithium 3 mo's ago and the other pill , lied to them both and they had NO IDEA I wasn't on any meds, or hadnt been all along. I was like so clearly you two can't SAY I need it, if I'm not taking it, 93 days and y'all were clueless.... That tells me I don't need Meds. Matter of fact I think I'm bout done with our 🤗sessions but by all means you two have alot to talk about obviously. Then I stood up, took tissue out of box and told her she might want to wipe her chin, drooling over him as she was. And I walked out. He was in there another half hour, into her next appointment , I couldn't drive a standard or I'd left him there..... Sorry for that essay... It gets to me still , nearly 30 yrs later.

[@stariadreamtea]

I've seen people go from strong, confident, studying, have friends and good body....years later after being with a narcissist they lose friends, too tired and stressed to study, gain weight and become isolated.

[@amberparedes875]

That's me 😔

[@Ari-Artform]

So true

[@ihatedej]

@@amberparedes875 same here 😔 I’ve just come to the realization that this is my relationship to a T. Isolated, mentally and emotionally worn, and always walking on egg shells. Now, I’m making my exit plan.

[@sll110]

that's ME

[@maartjekuiper691]

Omg, totally me. Trying to become that old self again.

[@stephaniehancock6462]

The last narcissist I dated was extremely jealous of me spending time with anyone else. EVEN my grown children! I never stopped seeing my kids, and it was a RELIEF to finally be away from him.

[@ambrosialea]

Isolation is a key tool. Looking back, Since I started high school my N mom didn’t let me make any new friends or go anywhere unless the fav child wanted to go. Even in college, I had to beg to go anywhere. I still got in trouble and accused of partying when I literally just went to class and work.

[@melissaroladerbarnard4449]

Me too

[@MarieM-p5w]

​@@ambrosialeathough you didn't party, she didn't value you. You're a human being, that deserves to be treated with care. Even if you want to party that doesn't make you any less deserving of being treated with care and value.

[@ligiasommers]

I was married to a very abusive narcissist and after learning with dr Ramani and saving her episodes I finally asked for the divorce 🙏🏻💝🙏🏻

[@mariposamoreno]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@christinechristine3110]

Congratulations!

[@ligiasommers]

@@christinechristine3110 thank you for caring and giving me support 🙏🏻 hope you are happy too 🙏🏻✨

[@hasaniali3489]

That's fantastic! Glad that you were able to take that step. Requires a lot of bravery...

[@ligiasommers]

@@hasaniali3489 thank you for your words and support . No , it hasn’t been easy , even more because I am alone in this country . But after living one year in the basement of the house because of the abuse , I moved to the mountains and then asked for the divorce when I felt safe . Hope and pray for others to be able to do it 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@SwedishTourist]

Holy hell, I can see why I’m such easy prey for narcissists. I share things about myself really easily, and never really think it’s going to affect me.

[@biondna7984]

So did I, for the longest time. I STILL have to rein myself in, stop, ask myself, why do you think this person can be trusted with all this information? I didn't even test them. I was starved for connection and intimacy, and that's not how it's built.

[@SwedishTourist]

@@biondna7984 Starved for connection and intimacy. Good point. I'll have to seek it with those I trust.

[@hannahwynne1922]

That part about "we sat in the driveway talking for 10 hours" that was my exact first date with my narc.

[@patriciaalbertson5183]

People need to earn the right to be your friend, to "know" stuff about you. And that includes siblings, parents other relatives.

[@mistimclaughlin144]

Don't cast pearls before swine comes to mind.

[@alinarisu2878]

I felt something was "off"/ narcissistic about a guy I briefly dated . So I tested him, right from the begining, by paying him "the most ostentatious" compliment I could invent: "It is something so amasing about you, you are like a diamond, you are so above everyone around you, I really have never seen something like you in my entire life" while I looked him in the eyes very serious and involved. His response shocked me : "Yes, I know, you actually have a very good sense of observation" while being so calm and sure of himself. I frozed.

[@chantalnnana5334]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@hrvojematosevic8769]

Run

[@L.Cumming]

I don't know why I laughed so hard😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@marialuislucasdossantosdac7022]

Think we should introduce that as a test in First Dating, so that er get ris of every narcisist

[@realsevencarter]

Omg 🤭☠️😵‍💫

[@tiadeese]

Was married a sociopathic narcissist for 14yrs. My body SCREAMED at me DO NOT MARRY HIM. I, instead, allowed him (& older women) to convince me not to listen to my "fear." Which is now what I know was MY INTUITION. Something he did early on: crossed my boundaries & thought it was funny. Ignoring RED FLAGS now will result in a forest fire later. Pay attention & RUN. DON'T WALK.

[@CdnDolly]

I'm sorry for your loss of years. I lost 7 years and I'm finally leaving. It's so helpful to hear that other people have broken free, and to hear how happy people are after leaving gives me hope. I felt the same before marriage and i ignored it too, you're not the only one. I know I won't make that same mistake again.

[@minkamariseiter1793]

Your intuition is how God speaks to us thru our LIMBIC system ... One of a few self equipped alarm systems. I've never had anything good come from dismissing that

[@Artistpath]

I lost 14 years to a narcissist, too. Engaged for the last 4. Thank God for COVID as it postponed the wedding and gave me time to reconsider my choice. He then punched me in my face for setting boundaries and yelling “don’t disrespect me!!” I had him arrested and then grabbed as much of my belongings in 3 days. I’m still trying to recover from this as it’s fairly recent but I feel grateful for his rage - he almost broke my jaw. I’ll never get back those 14 years or all the money I invested in him but now I am free. Free to be me!

[@VTheYo]

I’m a pediatrician and my narcissistic dad is always putting me down by acting like he knows more about pediatrics. When I complained about it to my mother, she literally said (in defense of him) “well, it’s hard for him to see his children grow up and realize that they don’t need him anymore and that they may know more than him.” Scary. As a mother myself, I’d love it if my children are smarter and better than me!

[@ASMRyouVEGANyet]

My dad is the same way with me. I was a veterinarian technician and know a LOT about animals, especially dogs. He gets intimidated by this and mocks me anytime I try to help him with his dogs.

[@flareon1368]

My dad says the same thing in defense of my mom. My partner is literally a dog trainer and after my partner gave my mom advice on her new puppy, my mom came to me later and told me she was offended that my partner had treated her like she was stupid and when I stood up for my partner, my mom went off on me. After she stormed off in a crying fit, my dad said this word for word. Remember, it's hard for your mom that you are grown up and don't need her anymore. Chilling to have word for word the same experience.

[@MusicalMarzy]

But this phrase is an honest and rational one, right?

[@VTheYo]

@@ASMRyouVEGANyet soooo obnoxious! Why can’t you just be happy for your kid and proud of their knowledge and success!?!?

[@VTheYo]

@@flareon1368 it’s so emotionally exhausting dealing with all of this…kudos to you for standing up for your partner ❤️

[@timeak6307]

"Don't defend, don't engage, don't explain, don't personalize!" Best advice if you have to deal with them in any shape or form.

[@tomahilaire3921]

I've been using this advice since I've learned that this person in my life was a narcissist.

[@alphasiera1757]

Very true. They are really good in arguing

[@kahvi-p5t]

I kept saying "oh, you think so", "ah, that's your idea" when I was forced to interact with a narccist. She might still hate me but she couldn't twist my words or emotions because I gave her none.

[@Clevelandsteamer324]

@@alphasiera1757they get “supply “ from it

[@jentommyontheroad8089]

When someone starts putting me on a pedestal it raises red flags. If someone is overly flattering it’s very suspicious!

[@joannedomingo2398]

I’m an Empath. I’m extra nice, nurturing and caring . I was brought up by parents that were the same. I’m also a Scorpio. I was raised by strict Catholic parents. These days the values aren’t the same. I dated a guy that got suspicious because I was so giving. I disagree that it’s a red flag.

[@lorihoang7003]

Yes, sometimes people want to put you on a pedestal just so they can knock you off!

[@RAconsciousness]

As soon as someone does too much for me when they first meet me , I put myself on high alert. A coworker did this to me just recently. I went on high alert and sure enough her narcissism showed up. She got angry at me because I couldn't fill in for her on the same week that my sister passed away.

[@RAconsciousness]

Her level of anger left me speechless. The day after the funeral, I went back to work, she found me in the building and told me some weird story about how her neighbor crossed her and died weeks later. Then she stared at me and said, so you're not busy to fill in for me now are you? I ended up leaving the job, because she was clearly in a narcissistic rage.

[@maroku2008]

How is putting a woman you love on a pedestal a red flag? I thought husbands did this all the time.

[@JazzBear]

I’ve been removing toxic people from my life. It has been a painful process. But my life is improving as I do this. So, it is definitely worth the effort.

[@TheDutchOracle]

Me too 😅 Have a lot more mental clarity, focus and peace now.

[@fuzzyx2face]

I dumped my ex he was dangerous. I’m happy to spend time by myself

[@TerryBell-iz6dy]

I'd like to . I don't know how..I'm happy for you!

[@Clevelandsteamer324]

Your peace is worth it.

[@Beverly-e4z]

I grew up with a narcissistic sister. Didn't even know about it back then. I just knew it was stressful being around her. Anyway, I moved away after getting my RN. Met my X spouse.....spent 33 years trying to "make it work." Finally divorced him and am now learning about narcissism. I swear, I am beginning to believe most of my past friends were also narcissistic. I am going to take it very slow in the future making friends and I'm ok being alone.

[@sylviefrancis331]

I learned that you should not have to ask to be respected. If you have to ask, that's not a reflection of your worth. It's a reflection of their character. Then you move on. No compromise. Be safe & happy, all you beautifuls. 💕

[@angelp9065]

Tyu2, beautiful; 😊

[@jainfreeman9587]

Walk away! NEXT!

[@saramillet7879]

This.

[@rickkillian2378]

My dad got upset when my mom developed a health issue and he had to take care of her and she could not take care of him anymore. He was even more angry when she died. He went as far as to try to correct all his bad behavior toward me and my sister by "Apologizing" so we would take care of him. I saw right through it.

[@Mal-be6ei]

Yes, the apologies...

[@CitySlickerBallKicker]

He probably caused her health issues

[@GhostBlueEternalFlame]

My mom was the one in this scenario, and she was angry at my dad for dying this year in March.

[@BlinkinFirefly]

That's so heartbreaking, I'm so sorry :( My mom goes through a similar thing with my dad. She left him finally, after a few decades of torture from him. Now he's bitter and he won't leave her alone. He calls her constantly and spews poison, making her feel shame for everything, telling her she's worthless and broken, and all in between "lighthearted" conversation about the family and things he sprinkles in there that he wants to talk about. He doesn't clean his home, so when she goes to visit (to see my brother and his wife and kid who live down the street from my dad) she winds up deep cleaning the whole house because he won't clean ANYTHING. He's a toddler in a man's body. I wish she could break free, but she says she doesn't want to worsen anything, so she just gives in to keep the peace.

[@P.e.m.a.]

While being angry is a stage of grief, this is a bit much. Im so sorry for your loss. ❤️❤️❤️

[@annag467]

"For as much time as people spend in gyms, I wish they would practice boundaries" - Dr Ramani, so good

[@Nick_Taylor.]

*strengthen their, not "practice"

[@reneeprasil6153]

Ooh! I briefly (2 months) dated a psychology professor who definitely exhibited narcissistic traits. But he was so good at deflecting attention away from this, by spending lots of time appearing to be doing things for others. Listen to this, and be aware and alert! Pushing too far, too fast, tossing your boundaries back to you as something 'wrong' with you or your readiness for a relationship... for those of us back in the dating pool after being out for a long time and/or are older, these may be excused as wanting to make the most of what time we have left. Nope! Love bombing is set up to gain control of you, not to spend precious time with you. Run!

[@jainfreeman9587]

As fast as you can!

[@patriciaalbertson5183]

AMEN.

[@Alignmented1]

What did the love bombing sounded like? No one clarifies.

[@tonyak2446]

​@@Alignmented1they move too fast and too soon. They want to be in a relationship with you right away, they may say they love you too soon, buy you gifts and do things for you to buy your love, they share too much about themselves and usually blame their ex. They also want to spend as much time with you as possible and ask you many personal questions early on

[@balancedplans3007]

57 mins in approx - problem is many narcissists will NOT end a relationship. They discard but won’t let go. This leaves the victim stuck in an ugly way.

[@abidaasghar5621]

So true.

[@truckingandlifelife1775]

That's! The best way" I have heard that" Summed up... Concisely!

[@caralynhunt9895]

Spot on

[@yota0209]

Oh wow! This is so true. I have been supposedly in a relationship with a guy who when I was tired of the roller coaster ride in the beginning with him, I told him I was done, he finessed things to where I continued the relationship with him. I noticed when I stopped responding to his BS he don't pick arguments anymore. However, what I realized is the only way to get rid of him is to limit communication with him (pull away). Even though I know he has moved on elsewhere he will not say the relationship is over. He still calls/text once every blue moon.

[@Revolution-tl5wo]

'That statement implies that the victim doesn't have their own agency to leave the relationship themselves. As much as the NPD distorts that agency, once the victim finds it again and stops letting the narc control whether the relationship is or isn't, the victim can be the one to decide they've been discarded for the last time and the narc doesn't get to come back.

[@bettinacarol1301]

They punish you with silent treatments, they pull back & withhold intimate moments & sex, they mock us & treat us passive aggressive. Not a safe feeling. Ty

[@kathiejl1]

Exactly! Every one of the things you mentioned!

[@aliceh5289]

I can't help but flinch at the claim of "withholding" sex - that's the exact language abusive boyfriends with rapist mindsets use. I understand that it's important in a relationship, but if it's such a big deal, then leave the person, don't accuse them of "withholding" (at the guys who did this, not you! Idk if you've said that to anyone or not.)

[@Here_Today_]

I never got the silent treatment- I experienced constant talking, questioning, mind numbing noise…constantly; it became like torture

[@laneneal3510]

I wish Mine withheld. He’s the opposite. Harassment, intimidation, bullying. No hands on. He wants my reaction. Sex=love to him. Childhood trauma.

[@veronicagibney5768]

@aliceh5289 no its not the same. Narcissist men withhold intimacy as a punishment.

[@narcissistwhisperer]

Eight minutes in & the conversation is about boundaries. Brilliant. This is one of my favourite techniques to use with manipulators. When I set & enforce strict boundaries, the trash takes itself out.

[@leas128]

“The trash takes itself out” is my new favourite way of looking at boundaries!

[@tsukujinaan4381]

Perhaps, you became the trash because everything was a boundary to you, so the other person just cut bait.

[@narcissistwhisperer]

@@tsukujinaan4381 Do you have any evidence of this? Or are you doing what every other dumbfuck on the internet does & guess, with no knowledge of me nor my methods nor history nor education? Why are you even here? Why make a comment if it can be shot down so bloody easily?

[@dinas2369]

​@@tsukujinaan4381smells like trash around you

[@beccahday]

@@tsukujinaan4381 spoken like a narcissist. :)

[@yashna88]

“What narcissistic people are really skilled at, is learning everything about you so they can out play you”…I got goosebumps because THIS IS SOOO TRUE. I was burnt baddddly by my ex, I shared soo much about my life and he used it against me.

[@christinejones4785]

Same here I was appalled at some of the comments really plays with your emotions

[@ninaj.4885]

Do you feel safe???? That hit hard. Feeling like you're living in a mind field because you don't know what will set the narcissist off is the perfect description of what you deal with on a daily. I found myself counting the days to the next argument. It's like working in those places that keep a chart tracking when the last employee injury or accident was. "28 days since..." Thats how it feels. You walk on eggshells wondering how long before the next incident. Thats no way to live.

[@Jagoffski]

Ab-so-LUTELY!

[@ninaj.4885]

@@melissagere850 You probably need to stay single for a while and seek therapy to heal and let go of all the crap you've been through or you may keep attracting these types. You've got to break the cycle.

[@mmommo-hx4dx]

omg...the incidents....

[@Ishtanara]

@@melissagere850the question for you is this: If you’ve already got out of a horrendous marriage And here now saying that the second man is a narcissist. Why are you sticking around to have conversations with him? Or to even ask him for an apology? You’re not a martyr your only betraying yourself again. Perhaps God is giving you the opportunity to show that you will walk away immediately and put your faith fully in Him

[@Smashley1]

This is exactly how I feel! Daily I’m wading though the BS hoping to miss the explosives. It is incredible to me the amount of work I can do on myself and let my narc implode all of it within minutes. We’ve been together for almost 7 years with a little one- he was born with special needs and I stay at home to take care of him so I have no foundation financially to do anything. It’s exhausting- I’m very tired. It has totally dulled my shine and I’ve been trying to get back to myself.

[@mamamac70]

Best piece of advice I got was that your first instinct about a person or a situation is the truth. Everything after that is just what you try to convince yourself is true. It has turned out to be true for me everytime. People I kept associating with even though I had a gut feeling they were bad ended up proving me right eventually.

[@realestatecoach8626]

Same here

[@alexatkins9515]

Maya Angelou has this quote that reads something along the lines of believe people when they show you who they are the first time. Following this has saved me so many times!!!

[@sll110]

ME TOO

[@myblueskye777]

I agree!

[@Diana5513]

I'd say for the most part, that is absolutely true! I went on a date with someone who told me he barely smoked weed (personal preference to not see someone who smokes daily and is unambitious) and during the date, he talked about himself A LOT. Mostly about how successful he's been in life (how much he USED to make), then asked me how much I made at work, and to guess what the bill was (I didn't)... we saw each other for a few months and every time we hung out, he smoked a lot of weed, I was told we were limited to what we could do together because "your boy is broke" (his words.. but would go golfing a few days during the week), told me he was trying to "cuff" me but then he lied about not being on tinder (voluntarily told me he wasn't on it but I saw him on it) and got angry at ME for bringing it up. Normally I would've stayed with someone like this but I caught him on tinder again, called him out for it and went no-contact. He texted me later on in the week but I didn't respond. Oooh! But one of my exes displayed traits of a covert narcissist and that was a tough relationship to get out of/hard to see how bad it was going to be.

[@gurudra]

A narcissist will try to destroy you with lies because theirs can be destroyed with the truth🙏

[@michellerose7591]

So dam true this is 🙏

[@truthinaction0000]

Rapid fire accusations without proof was when I realized I could feel the energy draining like blood loss. Funny the accusations fired at me proved her hypocrisy or just her basic inability to give what she expects from others.

[@brigettereissig5254]

I definitely know that's true!!!

[@ThePossumone]

Well said 😊

[@pjj.5649]

GOING TO USE THIS IN MY LIFE, THANK YOU!

[@weepinbel]

My dad is a successful businessman, and my mom is passionate about writing. Five years ago she wrote a book and unexpectedly landed a deal with a publishing house. Soon the media wanted to interview her. My dad, "jokingly", said to her, "If you sell more than 500 copies, I'll buy you a jet ski." Years later, my mom confronted him about his comment. He responded, "I said that because I hadn't read the book at the time. It was so egotistical of him to tear my mom down and then refuse to take responsibility for his actions. A complete narcissist, always fearing that others might outshine him.

[@LadyS4]

Congrats to your mom! I hope her book has been successful and she continued to write.

[@scaussie75]

I'm sorry your Dad did that, but really wanted to say, congratulations and well done to your mum 🎉

[@tastegeorgia674]

When I graduated as the top graduate in my department, my dad said, I front of professors, 'Now you can get a Jon flipping hamburgers'

[@lisaal-shaater5433]

Who ever made a remark about Lisa's facial expressions well that sort of expressions can also show absorbed interest.

[@djmandyland]

Your body will ALWAYS tell you! I had panic attack after panic attack everytime we had sex. I didn't feel emotionally safe and secure with him so my body was following. Always listen to your body!

[@tiarachiffon8131]

Yessss, say that !!!

[@djmandyland]

@@tiarachiffon8131 ❤️

[@sheliahysell3807]

I’m so sorry you went through that

[@djmandyland]

@@sheliahysell3807 ❤️🙏

[@annabejko4803]

Same situation. It was horrible

[@gogosylvia293]

"The narcissist has no trouble telling lies about you." I found out my narcissistic former boyfriend told people at my work that I was embezzling, sleeping with customers, stealing from customers, and on and on. He sometimes did this during "good times" in our relationship, pretending to be concerned about me. They believed him. The damage he's done is irreparable.

[@beasaroseco5840]

He was projecting his ass off!😂 He was a busy boy.

[@lilyghassemzadeh]

Sorry to hear that, it must've been very hard😢

[@calisingh7978]

He did you a favor those people also weren’t good people for you. Hard to find quality people but they are out there.

[@gogosylvia293]

@@calisingh7978 no favors there. These are people I need to interact with in my job. I should be more specific. The damage he's done to my reputation and career is irreparable..

[@Here_Today_]

@@beasaroseco5840excellent point! The accusations from abusers are generally hidden confessions

[@heather71421]

Finally had my AHA moment when Dr. Ramani explained how not being validated as a child taught me to put other’s needs above mine because I didn’t think that that I deserved to be on the same level as everyone else.💡😳🤯 Literally changed how I look and think about everything past, present, and future. After years of therapy and could not understand why/ how narcissists find me, well no more!!! God bless you!!!❤

[@charlesrosaly]

They search for people like us.

[@StratoArticA]

They can sense that Caring nature. If you keep your boundaries and tell Them clearly. Usually they move on to someone else

[@majoritypatella2503]

Are your needs now at the same level as everyone else? How did you reassert your self-worth?

[@sharicoburn5475]

That is me to a T.

[@maryrosecericos154]

This is an awesome AHA moment

[@amandafox2627]

We really need to teach this to young girls as a standard.

[@sacrebleu7422]

Teach this to boys too pls. It's not a one way road

[@rashidaboima38]

"Healthy love is safe!"-This set me free in so many ways 🙏🏽🙌🏽

[@elenagolovko9654]

People are under the impression that it's a guy but often it's a woman...

[@fasttrackblastback8286]

What does it look like? Everyone seems to be narc

[@lorimiller4301]

That word really resonated with me. Not in a huge physical way but just emotionally. It's not a safe place for me to be who I am and say what I want. I never know how he's going to be. 25 years and I truly believe he could dump me at any time. I don't know when the ice might break and I could fall in and drown so I skirt around the edges trying to play it safe.

[@nawaspj7122]

I had no idea what safe meant until age 30 or so. Too many abusers in the family.

[@karengodan5205]

@@fasttrackblastback8286 These people are cruel for no reason. Having a get together then slap , another invalidation to what I’m saying. These damaged individuals don’t understand that it’s my take on life. My opinion, my input, my interpretation. They don’t deserve someone who is genuine and loving. Pay attention when someone disrespects you for their fun to tear you down.

[@jpg1392]

Right before I broke up with my narcissistic ex, I was telling him about a job interview that I had that same day later in the day. They didn’t seem interested and were rather dismissive and it hurt my feelings so I said something like, “I thought you’d be happier for me..” and he said he was but I knew he wasn’t. Then he turned the conversation around to him and he ended up yelling at me over something and left my in tears. By the time the interview came, I had already stopped crying but the damage was done. My spirit was on the floor and I bombed the interview and my mind wasn’t focused. Later in the day, I stayed in bed all day and all he did was act distant and almost like he was punishing me. I broke up with him the next day over something else... He has been creeping on his ex and I basically just said, “ok, enough is enough.” I blocked him just a few days after.

[@hologramgrave]

I’m sorry. I understand. My ex used to yell at me a lot too, and right before I was to go somewhere. It’s horrible.

[@amberparedes875]

@@hologramgrave Mine too. Right before we went somewhere or his family's house....then I was told to stop sulking around and correct myself. It was all to make him look good and to set me up for the smear campaign. He's such trash

[@corysmith3447]

but this is the most sexist interview ever, 50% of narccists are women.. also the world is becoming more narccsitic as job interview social media and many women reward narccsistic behavior!

[@georgesontag2192]

Maybe he knew that when women start making more than the man, they divorce at 90%. He also knows he gets destroyed in a divorce.

[@stateofaffairs1358]

I think you just described the exact scenario that I had the other day. Thank you for this comment and the validation

[@curiousnerdkitteh]

"Tell me how you spend your days" is a great opener! It's true, as someone who was unable to work for a while and is now job-seeking, the question of "what do you do" really can be shaming and come with a lot of implied social judgement, even through the implication that you are defined by your job and that it's the first thing you should tell someone about you. "Tell me how you spend your days" is more open-ended, makes it less identity-based or implying a social norm, obligation or ranking hierarchy and puts the focus on the person's life routines as they see them. It's broad enough that they won't feel constrained to talking about a job, particularly if the job isn't relevant or as relevant as other things.

[@jackdeniston59]

Yeah, You have to actually listen though. Actually be interested, not just looking for what you can get/ how you can use me. From what I have met, women who say narccist man, just means 'he didnt do exactly what I wanted, When I wanted it.'

[@mamaitaliano9774]

I think that's a pretty nosy question.

[@scottfamily5963]

​@@jackdeniston59sorry you are hurting. It doesn't matter if it is a man or woman, they are equally predators, so we should really exclude them from man and woman when it comes to this. Male and female predators are what they are. You miight have malle predator friends but they aren't targeting you. You are instead a prop for them. I am easy prey for narcissists my whole life, both female and male, in friendship, education, employment, business, and dating. That does not mean I think most men or women are like this. You can even be narcissistic and get taken by more predatorial narcissists and psychopaths. I have to be wary and improve my discernment and skillset. You might do well to consider your background and how you became a target, how you can avoid being gullible, unless you are speaking of someone else.

[@sweetestpotato4392]

Plus it positions people as more than our job titles, and creates room for fun answers like “herding cats” so you get to hear how someone perceives themselves, the world around them, and what they focus on.

[@bistravoda3687]

Ladies, this is absolute truth. If a man leaves you once you set boundaries and don't let him play with you - be really proud of yourself and thank God. It happened to me and I am so grateful I was "abondoned" and didn't let to hoover me. Now I am really happy.

[@PCLHH]

Yup, you dodge a bullet. You might feel sad in the moment but very very grateful later on.

[@jainfreeman9587]

Yes!

[@navimarlow]

I just left the NARC right before Christmas, spent Christmas and New Years by myself - it felt SO AUUHHHMAZINGGGGG🥂☺️ no more arguing!!! 🎉🙌🏽

[@mauimanda04]

My ex-husband is a narcissistic sociopath. The mental anguish I went through, no human being deserves. It's pretty sad the physical punch is what it took for me to call the cops ... and that was the easiest of the wounds to heal. The ptsd I still face is awful but I am so happy to have my life and love where I'm at now.

[@francesbernard2445]

Thank goodness you left him after the cops did the right thing by charging him. In my case since I never bruised easy as most other women my age did it was always only my word against his. Which is only one of the reasons why I feel so bad for Britney Griner who maybe only got charged along with her husband too after she was the one who maybe called the police during a domestic violence situation. I refuse to let others define my gender and my sexuality when people call me transgender only because I don't fit into only narcissistic ideals of femininity like working in only a traditional gender role. Including how I was treated by only 2 men. Because there is lots of fish in the sea including me.

[@avachristie8010]

Your brave and courageous , be very proud of yourself . I hear you xx

[@wolfgang7812]

The physical punch is what it takes for cops to listen!

[@murelirajathurai3542]

No man handles the lady by Physical abuse.

[@mauimanda04]

@@wolfgang7812 it shouldn't be though. My gut instinct should have been what I listened to.

[@JGArtemis]

One thing to be careful of is don’t assume someone is a narcissistic just because they talk about themselves. Many autistic and/or adhd people do this as a way of trying to relate or communicate with others.

[@edithtierce8209]

The people who are quick to refer to those with adhd or autism as narcissists are generally the actual narcissist. From my own experience anyway and they love trying to make everyone else around think the same. They are such sickos.

[@carolejackson8357]

100%

[@michawill6599]

Or it could be cultural or due to a lack of contact

[@myhandlewasstolen2]

True, it depends on what else is with it. Sometimes it's a nervous tic, I think.

[@CyberChrist]

Beware people who only _think_ about themselves ;)

[@MoteOfDust430]

It's better to be lonely than wishing you were. 68 years of narcissistic abuse...alone is how I operate now. Autonomy is the best thing I have experienced so far. And I am finally learning how to put up boundaries and it's starting to work. However, I find that I have to fight really hard to not self isolate. Covid was awesome for me; I did some really intense healing. I may be alone for the rest of my life and I'm good with that. I wish you were around when I was in my teens Dr. Ramani. I may be in my 70's now but I have NEVER been happier

[@Earthy-Artist]

I'm happy for you, happy that your happy now! Being alone is wonderful. I miss being/living alone from my single days. I've been married to a narcissist for 19 years....

[@MoteOfDust430]

@@Earthy-Artist I am so very sorry. Hoping for you that you can get out. I say I'm happy but more precisely I am happier than I ever have been 60+ years of narc abuse changes your brain. I must fight very hard every day to stop myself from going into isolation. 19 years are a lot of years but the more time the worse and more permanent the damage . If you can get out safely please do.

[@amandawainwright9061]

My husband doesn't yell or rage at me. If I have good news or found something I'm excited about, he will immediately make a rude condescending remark or have to bring up some anecdotal point that makes him sound superior or that he knows more than me. I've gotten to the point where I just don't share anything with him. I have nothing left to offer and I'm just done.

[@jihyeason1711]

My husband is the same way. He says I'm overly sensitive and gets confused about why I feel that he's being condescending

[@ryanteuscher7996]

Similar situation. Then they condemn you for not sharing to try and stir things up again. Hey I'm a biblical man. I refuse divorce. But proverbs says it's better to live on a house top than with a contentious wife. I believe this is a two way meaning. I have a shop. I will spend alot of time in the shop. They will crave and try to pry you back into their proximity to cause contention and discord. Just establish a boundary and do what you want to do while maintaining responsibilities that you have to maintain if u were single. This removes all power from them and they will submit to you.

[@taom9004]

Ways narcissists punish you if you try to make boundaries: 1. abandon, 2. withhold, 3. humiliate, 4. embarrass, 5. diminish success 6. isolate and then a host of societal fears....New checklist: respect, compassion, kindness, safety. One therapist, at the end of 34 years, asked, "Does he love you?" "Of course, yes." "Do you feel loved? Because when we are loved, we can feel it." Pause. Long pause. "No. No I don't." I was 57 and I had never asked myself that question. Talk is cheap, Mr "Of Course I Love You," had me focussed on what he said, but it rarely matched up with what he did. I could see my parents didn't love me, but him I could not see. I tried to go DEEP [almost] every damn day of my marriage, but learned to live on breadcrumbs. But he was not listening to me. Every damn day. And some stretches, I lashed out plenty, screamed into the wind. Facile meaningless apologies that he would later retract, wordsalad, gaslighting, stonewalling, violence. Wow.

[@snjezanap6448]

"Learned to live on breadcrumbs" same here :/

[@skyflowerz]

Pay attention to the info these questions will convey, their process/approach. 1. Tell me the story of you. 2. Tell me how you spend your days. Notice how you feel in your body. Did their answer feel off? Don't try to talk yourself out of that feeling. Catch yourself about the story you're telling yourself about them. Are you thinking they're cool and full of possibility and that you have so much in common with them? Red Flags - they ask you very personal intrusive questions that feel like they're genuinely interested in you, but really, they're learning your weakness, what you're insecure about, what's important to you. If you say you don't wanna talk about something, a healthy person will respect that but a narcissist will push to test how much they can push you. If you insist on not sharing, they'll patholozise you and say you're not open or wanting a relationship or a friendship, or they'll say you have trauma, etc. How much is a person respecting your need for going slower than them?

[@lynnebucher6537]

I love what you have written. Lots of wisdom there.

[@jeanannedupratt7075]

Me too. ❤

[@carolynnsweeney3910]

This is pure facts ❤💯

[@playgroundofsound7683]

Happened to me. Very true. Patience and honest communication is key

[@gigantopithecushominoidea8779]

You're crazy, imagine telling a narcissistic person everything about yourself. You're projecting all your past insecurities on someone else. My Ex. did those tests every single day with me... guess what... I'm also the bad person when I decided I couldn't handle someone trying to make me the bad guy. You girls are crazy and you all need treatment. like yesterday.

[@ashr8801]

Omg… I’m so glad she said that!!! I was legitimately at the top of my game, the best place I’ve ever been… when I met… them. They were the “down on my luck” narc. Full of potential, had big dreams, smart, socially awkward, was “completely taken advantage of by my last girlfriend who cheated on me”. They were “just like me”, but got rolled over by life and other people. I knew how that could feel and they were “amazing”. They loved that I had so many friends, that I was smart, that I was building my dreams and working hard. They encouraged me every day to be and do my best. A dream guy. One day… it flipped on a dime. Suddenly… my friends were sh*t people, I was a “party girl”, I was stupid, I didn’t have a “real job”, I wasn’t going anywhere in life, I was a loser, I was ugly, I was lazy. It killed me inside. Everything they had “loved about me made them disgusted, disappointed, angry. It was… horrible.

[@LoveCalled]

I once surprised a narcissistic boyfriend by questioning what he meant when he said “I love you”. The context was him having told me he loves me so much and then breaking up with me for the 7th time in a year. And he came back with the “don’t forget I love you”. And he was surprised that I said “what does love mean to you” (it was an overdue question 😅) and maybe because he was surprised by the question so all he could come up with was “I think it means…umm..er…we won’t talk bad about each other”. I replied that that is the worst definition of love I’ve ever heard. AND I later found out that he had already been saying horrible lies about me to our mutual friends. So he didn’t love me even by his own terrible definition of love. I now relate to the comment that having a narcissist out of your life is the greatest gift to your life!

[@donnafraenkel7852]

Evil will always reveal itself.... remember that

[@sww3405]

Haha, this is kind of an amazing story! Thanks for sharing. And I’m so glad you’re free of that guy.

[@rocky1raquel]

True fear of the narc: What other people think about them. Soooo, he was saying he loved you so you would be nice and not trash his name. Had nothing to do with feelings .. just how to control Your actions.

[@LoveCalled]

@@rocky1raquel that's right. That's what his answer revealed. "Love means not saying bad things about the other person". LOL!! You won't hear that definition in any fairy tales or relationship books. Meanwhile he was lying about me to others, including our mutual friend and my neighbor, and who knows who else, trying to demonize me with lies. Anyways, it's good to know how outrageously deceptive and pathetic some people can be without revealing that for quite a while. And then you suddenly realize it, usually when you're trying to hold them accountable for their actions. But I am grateful for the valuable lessons.

[@charliec2960]

Leaving my narcissist was all a blur. My heart woke me up one day and said "pack your bags, we're done here". I tried to rationalise what I was doing, but I couldn't. My heart spoke to my ex and told him we were leaving. My heart organised moving vans, it drove ten hours north to our family. It's like I was even involved. 'Your body tells you what you need to know' is so true.

[@ARavenSpeaks]

Same happened to me. I just told him to leave finally one day after being yelled at w disrespects 😮 I don’t even know what if anything he said back. I just kept saying “good fuckin bye, get out” over and over again. I stayed bc of his dog for so long. Also hadn’t realized I was living in fight or flight mode til he was gone. Had mad health problems. Mental and physical. I hope all people in these relationships listen to themselves and bounce out! Better alone than w that shit quality of life.

[@charliec2960]

@@ARavenSpeaks I can relate. I stayed an extra two years for our puppy. Good on you for choosing yourself.

[@ARavenSpeaks]

@@charliec2960 same to you! And what I realized, was the dog knew. Lol. And he knew I loved him. Congratulations on your freedom! Time to go live life, happy 😊

[@qazedc3]

this is how i felt when I just woke up one day and i felt this inner voice telling me to cut the friendship with my ex best friend that i was friends with for so long. I put up with a lot in that. by the end i couldn't feel anything for her anymore. ironically she thought I was victimizing myself...like yeah if you're being the actual bad guy of course, but also i am making changes to my life and reading books so i know her projection wasn't true. these people have a laughable grandiose and deluded self perception...

[@charliec2960]

@@qazedc3 Yeah, and they often call us out as 'playing the victim'. It's their only defence.

[@lisadavis9535]

My first thought was, "No" they don't mean true love when they say they love you. My experience is that actions speak louder than words. One of the best ways to know if they love you is by how they treat you. Period. One of the best things a psychologist said to me when I said, "Well, I know my husband loves me." The psychologist said, "Consider this, OJ Simpson loved his wife too." Eye opening for me. Helped me to walk away from him.

[@jsf8145]

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 🤏💯

[@Humbegraf]

My best friend ended up being a narcissist. It took over a decade to discover that she was, but when she recently started attempting to taking away my agency, and shaming me I knew it was time to end the friendship that I thought would last forever. Thankfully I'm very self-aware and have an abundance of confidence and firm in my own boundaries that it had very little effect on me. I'm now finding my new peace and creating my own new adventures without her in my life to interfere any more.

[@Jess0410]

I emailed her and told her my story. And she actually responded. And was kind and empathetic. I'll never forget that.

[@MyBeautifulHealth]

Who did you email?

[@lytonyarice1556]

@@MyBeautifulHealthshe emailed Dr.Ramani .She is very nice like that to respond to serious caring emails 😊

[@catherineabbott-allen9054]

I like the two questions: Tell me the story of you and tell me how you spend your days. Buuuuut, my ex (malignant narc) would've easily lied right through them. For me now, the key is refusing to be rushed into a relationship, having knowledge about narcs, and hanging back listening and watching. A big tell however, is noticing that they do not apologise or take ownership of any wrongdoing EVER. They are masters of blame-shifting.

[@morgank7560]

Yes I feel the same

[@clintgahm1495]

Here's an actual question that works with 100% accuracy. "Tell me about a time you failed or made a mistake?" For narcissists it is impossible to answer this question sincerely.

[@sharimadison3836]

@@clintgahm1495 Or, it is triggering for someone with childhood PTSD. My mind goes blank if I am put on the spot with a question like that.

[@clintgahm1495]

​@@sharimadison3836It's not. If your insecurities are so deeply rooted that you're not even capable of simply naming a single instance of a time you made any old mistake, error, flub, or mix-up, then I've got some bad news Shari.

[@moonhunter9993]

yes, i agree

[@marinab8592]

"Judge the relationship by its bad days"...THIS.IS.SO.F.TRUE. My ex used to accuse me of focusing always on "the bad" and for a long time I thought that was my f.. up way of mentally storing things. It took me a while to realize that I was doing that only with him and that actually me doing that meant that I wasn't feeling secure with him enough to lower my guard and focus on the good things. I am not saying that he was a narcissist, but as I watch this video I realize he definitely had some of their traits. ALWAYS listen to your gut.

[@CynthiaPerez-xd5oq]

Mine always tells me that I bring up the past when voicing things that he does that hurt or bother me. His argument is always If it didn't happen today, then I am bringing up the past and what I had to say isn't valid. The only thing about that is his "past" is recurring, the abuse happens again and again over and over.

[@SisterCrow]

This comment is one of the best I have heard. I will use this to help me get over my past situations. Thank you

[@Godhealsnatureheals]

OMg same!!! My ex said and says still the same now after looking for me years after. That I only look/looked at the bad

[@angie4774z]

The flying monkeys really got me because I feel badly for people that have been in the relationship so long that the narcissist has isolated them enough that no one in their circle actually knows them so the lies are not obvious. So sad. It takes some smarts in that scenario and even if one or two people are smart and able to see it they might feel the stakes are too high to call it out. Which is sad and we need more brave souls.

[@patricewilliams2998]

I so agree it takes time to realize someone is a narcissist. You really have to listen and let them believe you're falling for them and believing everything that is coming out of their mouth for you to catch them slipping.

[@wilmahaschensmokalotta-77]

❤

[@iamgoddessoflove]

Narcissists are excellent at acting. They get people by their charm and performance. It can leave you confused because they are so innocent in playing victim and pointing you as the abuser. Don't fall for it!💙KZbinr That Helps People Overcome Toxic Relationships

[@Inconsistent-Dogwash]

Last Friday I left, first thing they tried doing was to make out I was an abuser, luckily no one believed them.

[@mmxw2294]

That’s exactly what he said that he knew he was charming but if you get close the devil himself in the flesh completely de ad on the inside

[@Demifan39]

Agreed and people don’t think someone that charming and kind can be an abuser then it makes the person wonder if they were actually abused or overreacting.

[@alissacook6937]

Narcissistic people are venomous and scary. This channel has been a lifeline for me. Thank you 💕

[@Tyndalic]

Scary AF! And, after all the abuse when he was going to surgery asked me for help. F. U. WtMf h? Is he crazy? Yes. Completely. RUN!!!

[@alissacook6937]

@@Tyndalic i have to share this with you- after my narcissistic friendship, I turned to Jesus and He made me fearless and forgiving towards the narcissist in my life. Truly transformed everything about me, just like He promised He would. I needed to share my testimony with you and I believe you must be a child of God because you are being attacked by the devil. I will pray that the same transformation will happen for you, and God Bless You! 💗🤍💗🤍💗

[@halfbreed4life62]

She's definitely right about narcs not wanting to care for you after you're sick. I suddenly lost one of my legs.Due to accident & I have been through purgatory

[@user-wi9hv2pb2q]

It's unbelievable how much like demon possessed two year olds they become when you have undeniable medical need. Mine shook me awake the day I came home from the hospital to go lie on the floor becausr he was in pain. But I needed to be shook awake to see him walk over and lie down. He had a microscopic kidney stone. I couldn't believe how insane and immature that was.

[@avril.227]

I had one yell at me in the car, while I was crying in pain over a broken wrist on the way to the hospital, because he didn’t like me asking him to go ahead and order my coffee for me, so I could use the bathroom, the day before. They are insanely self-centered and cruel.

[@deannarounds3295]

I had cancer when I was 32 and my ex narc was great for one year. We came out of my one year checkup and he said Well are we done with this cancer thing now? He had a bad back and I told him he was done with the cancer thing and I was done with the back thing. I was followed for cancer for 10 years because it had metastacized and they wanted to follow me for longer and he never came with me again and he never asked how it all came out.

[@CreativeCreatorCreates]

Bless y’all. No one deserves their insanity. I was pregnant with my second and feeling ill. I asked him to take me to the ER and he told me I’d be fine. After begging and crying (no tears came out), he begrudgingly drove me there (while complaining at me). I was disturbingly dehydrated and they spent hours sticking me to find a good vein to draw from and I.v. Me. (Ended up being my wrist and below my thumb). While sitting there watching me cry dry tears…he said “I guess you were sick, huh?”

[@halfbreed4life62]

​@user-wi9hv2pb2q 1~Mine did that back when I was having my stomach wall rebuilt...a little different story...but oh yeah his minor kidney stone trumped my feeling like the doctor had taken a rake to my insides. I have pigskin for an abdominal wall, had to be completely re constructed

[@doodles1979]

I love how Lisa allows the guest to finish their thoughts without interrupting - this makes for a much better interview

[@Earthy-Artist]

She is a good interviewer.

[@lidialeanos9005]

Yess she’s really good!!

[@mauimanda04]

Being with a narcissistic sociopath, for me was someone seeing everything that you loved about yourself and slowly over time tearing you down, making you feel so self-conscious and scared ... you just shut down and become this quiet, silent, shrunk down version of a human being and you become scared.... scared just to breathe the wrong way... and then, painfully every memory you have is taken and warped into a different version for their own twisted, selfish benefit... making you question if it really happened that way~ even though YOU KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED and that they're wrong....and the last part is they'll rip your heart out~ but making you believe that you did it to yourself, and apologizing for it. That's how I describe being with with narcissistic person.

[@pjj.5649]

WELL PUT!

[@angelat1839]

This was my exact experience

[@jessicacaldwell5514]

My experience too. He says he can't trust me because I can't trust him. So he not even gonna try to not sleep with anyone else. It hurts but then I clear my head and know this is a way out. Let her have him. Please take him. Please keep him this time. You deserve each other. I don't wish this kind of relationship on anyone but this girl. It's a long story but trust me she deserves it.

[@playgroundofsound7683]

Very similar situation for myself and my x girlfriend

[@CynthiaPerez-xd5oq]

That is a perfect depiction. My narc tells me that I am responsible for his abusive behavior. He Never takes accountability for anything and always has to twist everything.

[@AAXS-op1vo]

As an empath (a deep one) I had the impossible conflict of holding boundaries versus just being me. It is equally exhausting to hold up the firewall as it is to allow the energies to wash over you. In my marriage, I found myself EXHAUSTED just trying to do what I now know as “grey rocking”. I was very aware that there was NO comfortable place for me to reside. A constant feeling of siege and warfare no matter which stance I take in the world. It is EXHAUSTING.

[@E-Jeb]

I'm an empath too. At first it's exhausting but then it's become easier then it's become empowering

[@thereisnosanctuary6184]

No such thing as an empath.

[@deborahhuber8527]

@@thereisnosanctuary6184that means you’re not one and have never experienced one. When you feel or sense another persons emotions…..there’s no mistaking it. I’d say it’s mostly exhausting. It’s only empowering when you’re around people who don’t “drain” you and that is definitely not everyone.

[@SoundsBogus]

You described it perfectly, what it's like in a relationship with a person who has NPD. It's not easy for me to just dismiss or ignore or greyrock the NPD father I have, just because I now understand it, and accept there is no cure. It's always exhausting just being around him for a short time. The level of anxiety I feel hours before attending a family gathering, and the subsequent hours required to recover, is debilitating!

[@SoundsBogus]

​@@thereisnosanctuary6184Empaths are extremely rare. They're like sponges who absorb everything and can sometimes lose themselves in the merging of thoughts and emotions. Over time they become just like the narcissist. Usually target/victims are very compassionate and sympathetic. Often they already have codependent traits. They too can lose their self and identity over time, picking up the N traits. Victims like to think of themselves as empaths because it gives them a much needed ego boost to their self esteem to consider themselves rare and special. Unless you're a Betazoid, daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings, you may just be an easy mark.

[@barbaracarr2939]

When you are a trauma or abuse Survivor from childhood, your body does not feel off in the same way. You feed right into the dialogue of a narcissist.

[@xaviar10]

You accidentally trained yourself to ignore that feeling because "the ones who fight back get it the worst" It's so shitty

[@margaretjohnson1401]

I think you confuse the sensation of fear in your stomach with excitement

[@faay8912]

​@@margaretjohnson1401how do these two get confused can that happen mixing emotions?

[@MyBeautifulHealth]

@@faay8912fear and excitement produce the exact same physical reactions- that’s why!!

[@connectropy]

​@@MyBeautifulHealthCould the word 'similar' instead of "exact same," be used? To encourage tuning in to the body and mind and heart to *listen* attentively for differences that may seem subtle because they are newly being perceived.

[@marlenemorris9838]

2:52 I ignored the gut feeling and now I am paying.. No respect, loyalty, deep in debts, no friends, no family..

[@MissOne]

I'm sorry to hear this. I was there but slowly bouncing back. be encouraged ❤

[@anneburnsrn9840]

Don’t beat yourself up -u didn’t know! Check out Ellie Frost and her Sovereign program. It’s good for healing

[@kimhumiston2686]

I kept making excuses for my older sister's behaviors, because the entire family just "knows that's how she is". This video tells me that I can not make her respect me, BUT I can stop being disrespected! So powerful!

[@Matrinique]

As a survivor, this interview gave me chills, and frankly made me feel kinda sick 🥲 It's all true. Thank you so much for educating people on this! We love you, Dr. Ramani!

[@Weislawa]

I don't know, if you remember her stating, to ask 2 questions of the person you're courting? Also I can't remember if its this video. I thought it was, towards the end. I think I remember one being: "what do you do with your day?" Or, How do you spend your day? " Something like that. And the other I need help to remember

[@karkardubois4784]

Same😢

[@susanoline5823]

@@Weislawa tell me about yourself.

[@cheanarchist2381]

Except the bring late thing , cause ADAH people are always late

[@ambermoon719]

@@cheanarchist2381I have a bad relationship with the 4th dimension (Time). Or, that’s how I put it. 😂 I try my hardest though. 💕

[@gloriadonahue7241]

After 32 years of marriage, I had very painful oral surgery and my narc husband refuse to take me in and sat outside in his car. So he was not there to walk me out to the car after the surgery either. This is when I knew he would never be there for me. So I can really relate to your one story doctor

[@sherrie6492]

Fell off a jetty at a lake while fishing. Pretty bad compression fracture. In hospital for a day. He balked at helping me at all . Because he had a Bad Back! Couldn't cope with the two weeks I was pretty much restricted to bed. Good thing I could manage basics for myself. Because he wasn't going to help with anything.

[@adeciaranford1578]

Ive just realised my new hubby will never feel safe. Will never cheer me on to get a job or to eat healthy. I was sure he was my soulmate and that we would share all the ups and downs I know I need out, as of today - Ill never feel at home here again 😢

[@latenightsrain]

​@adeciaranford1578 Noo sweetheart you'll be okay ❤ I'm very sorry this is happening to you, he doesn't deserve such a sweet person like you. Can you have a talk with him? If he doesn't want to put any effort to care for you then leave when you have the opportunity, everything's gonna be okay. Please take care of your body and health and I'm sure you can find a job you're very capable!! You can do this!!

[@jelenawilson7877]

My Dad died and I was obviously still upset after a few weeks my now ex- husband said "I should be over the grieving lark by now". I still miss my Dad now. I certainly don't miss him! Take care!

[@Angel-kh3dv]

When I was in labour with our first child he made me ask the nurse for painkillers for HIS migraine

[@sarahs413]

I LITERALLY got out of a relationship with a Narcissist when it was pointed out in a therapy session that I was asking how to make HIM happy or appease him........ OMG, my eyes opened like I'd been in a trance when I was told, "I'm tired of hearing what HE wants. I want to know what YOU want." THAT's how bad it was, and still reliving a lot of it daily over the past 8 years, and those years working my butt off in almost every type of therapy they could give me! Jebus!

[@theDurgaLove]

As opposed to figuratively getting out of a relationship

[@Tally-vision]

Yes, or actually leaving. ​@@theDurgaLove

[@AngiO-f1s]

I had the same experience with my counselor years ago...he said almost the exact same thing "who gives a shit what he thinks or wants, what do YOU want?" I remain forever grateful for him restoring my faith in humanity and my own strength and intelligence 🙏

[@drooleez]

Yes! My #1 priority (now) is do I feel safe with this person? Aka - what is my nervous system telling me about this person

[@j.munday7913]

So true. Always trust your gut feeling!

[@LXSeaV]

"What story am I telling myself about this person?" So key! When I woke up to what I was facing, it was so humbling to realize how much I'd built up this PoS in my head. Like, out of pride, sometimes I look through old messages wanting to convince myself this person was better than they really were. I made the dumb decision to be with them for three years after all. How could I be so fleeced? But I look back at those messages, and all I see is the sad reality. One of the most important things I learned about from the Baggage Reclaim podcast is the concept of positive projection. We talk so much about the negative side of projection -- projecting our negative qualities onto others. But the opposite exists as well! I positively project my own values, etc. onto people who don't deserve or haven't proven they deserve me thinking those positive things about them yet. Like Ramani says, we live in a world where we're often pressured to only see the good. I don't think we should. We should just let ourselves see what really is, and have some faith in our own perception/intuition.

[@elysunrise1087]

💯💯👌🙏

[@pjj.5649]

ABSOLUTLY!!!!!!

[@kathiejl1]

I did the same! Excusing behavior because we were both in a recovery program so I thought eventually he would start healing himself through the program. Shame on me! That was trying to project my positive onto someone so negative it made my teeth ache. And so I just kept getting smaller until I was so depressed I didn’t want to do anything I cared about anymore.

[@cherylannebarillartist7453]

As for a “safe feeling” in a relationship, I felt safe for the first two years, he was a master of mirroring…. And then shortly after “I do”, the mirror shattered.

[@mainanteza3725]

This was my exact experience. I'm initiating divorce proceedings

[@cherylannebarillartist7453]

@@mainanteza3725 I wish you all the best! Build strong boundaries and as strong a support network as possible! 💖✨

[@Earthy-Artist]

With my narc the mirror shattered 2 weeks after our wedding.....

[@angelawade1445]

This video made me cry. Cry for the regrets of my past, and present, pitty for all the lost I can not help, for those who refuse to hear and also cry with joy. Its not me. Thank you, Dr. Ramani.

[@lourissajane9100]

My Narc ex straight up told me you cannot be independent and be with me! We were both to graduate on the same semester he told me to wait until he graduated and starts his bachelors for me to finish my associates degree. Apparently I was ruining his plans,plans he had never told me about. He literally cried when I told him no he stared me dead in the eyes thinking maybe I’d change my mind then he began to cry . So manipulative. The way his eyes were that day still keeps me up at night. I’m so glad I left.

[@briannenurse4640]

I'm glad you left too! Way too many people put their lives on hold indefinitely in order to assuage the narcissistic ego. Good on you for refusing to sacrifice your own plans for his.

[@Dreamseeker731]

My ex Narc use to cry when I tried to break up with him early on in our 2 year relationship. He made such a spectacle of it. Looking as sad and pitiful as he possibly could. Little did I know back then those were just crocodile tears which is typical narcissistic behavior to manipulate me into staying in the relationship. But at the time I felt so badly for him that I ended up staying with him for 2 years. I thought to myself wow he must really love and care about me. So much so that he actually cries at the thought of me leaving him. I knew our relationship was very toxic. So I started do research on toxic and controlling behavior(as my ex was also highly controlling. I'm so glad I educated myself on NPD (Narcissistic Personally Disorder) and got out of the relationship. Best thing I could have ever done.

[@ultravioletcanary]

@Dreamseeker731 word for WORD I'm in the same boat! Today is one month soce the breakup and the hoovering from his end continues, but so does my drive to safeguard my own damn peace!!

[@lunaloynaz-lopez2318]

@@ultravioletcanary you got this girl. dont give in

[@Barox213]

It would be ironic that your parents made so much efforts to raise you to become autonomous just for you to submit to a comlpete stranger.

[@mekylieme]

I am receiving so many revelations right now...even AFTER learning so much. A narcissist not wanting their partner to better themselves is so completely part of my story. I was guilted into quitting school. Thank you ladies.

[@journeylvr]

Yes. And he was going to find me jobs!!! Keep learning. The war with the narcissist is well worth the battle in the end!! 23 years of marriage! I wish I could have been a fly on the walk when he cane home and I had moved out!! I took control!!!!

[@theladyamalthea]

Saaaaaame! He had gone to University for 4 years and screwed around. I was focussed and going to achieve what he could not, so he convinced me it was best for “us” if I “took a break just this year,” and then got me pregnant so that I never went back.

[@hannahschillaci282]

I WAS ALSO GUILTED OUT OF SCHOOL

[@Tyndalic]

My ex husband didn’t want me to work or go to school. He made me feel so bad that I had no choice, but to stay home. Then once I left him he told the judge he shouldn’t have to pay alimony. We were married 16 years! He was so controlling that we argued over what I was allowed to drink!

[@SisterCrow]

I was also guilted into not finishing college

[@toohot1027]

I finally cut contact with my mom at 66. I have memories as early as 8 years old of this narcissistic behaviour. She would always tell me I was her favourite, but I was also the butt of thousands of narcissistic behaviors. Unfortunately, other family members thought I was being a problem child and took her side," oh, that's just mom". She passed away in Feburary and I didn't go to her funeral. All I felt was sadness for her not loving me in a " normal" mom way, anger, and a huge feeling of relief.

[@tonyale749]

My Mom is driving me close to not go to her funeral. Another reason I don’t want to attend her funeral because my family is narcissist.

[@dhesyca4471]

I respect your feelings. I'm sorry you experienced narcissistic abuse.

[@JLTravels]

I get it … No contact with my narc mom & there will be no attending a funeral…took a long time to get here but now I respect ME!

[@belindaschafer1593]

The last 16 years have been the best years of my life, after becoming widowed after 27 years of marriage and starting my life over. Every word of this video is exactly how it plays out and played out and is still playing out with other people. My people are a small group and I am healing through keeping away from people.

[@nannygirlkc]

My husband passed on 9 years ago after 41 years of marriage and I feel the same way. I came to the realization that he didn't love me and now I actually enjoy being alone.

[@foxflower9560]

I have found, when interviewing, a candidate that is narcissistic cannot answer the question, “Tell me about a time you made a mistake”. It’s always very telling and the narcissistic person usually blame shifts or has never made a mistake in their career ever.

[@yukio_saito]

It's a nice idea to use the question to identify the red flag🚩

[@recuerdos2457]

My ex told me ppl everywhere always looked at him and he asked me why ‘intentionally’. Instead of giving what he wanted by telling him he s handsome and cool, I asked him why did he know everyone s looking at him?! :) He took me as a challenge to his game because I was handful and hard to get!! Narcissist looks at their targets like games, very pathetic!!

[@SanctifiedLady]

🤣🤣🤣 that is an extreme shot to their ego! They will be planning to take you down to hell to visit Satan after that question.

[@user-wi9hv2pb2q]

Be careful, they'll frequently talk about how they did a someone wrong, especially romantically. It's a way of bragging about how they can use those people and move on and get forgiven. It's an admission of error that bolsters them.

[@Earthy-Artist]

@@recuerdos2457 My narc is very vein too.

[@ocdmom7889]

I love the point she makes at 47:30 I finally cut ties with my narcissist after 40 years of bashing my head against a wall trying to make them love me. They then went to all of my oldest and dearest friends and told vile stories about me. I found out who was really my friend. In their own way they did me a huge favor. It feels good to hear someone else say the very same thing :) I was actually shocked about how many believed the stories. For a while I questioned myself if so many of my friends would believe I was such a awful person, but decided tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities. Moving on...

[@TheBigStarz]

Same. Cut off sibling toxic narcs. Now I am being smeared to younger generations of nieces, nephews cousins. Not interested in relationships with anyone who believes lies about me. So much happier, peaceful and loving life. Saving tons of money too on birthdays and holidays!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@wolfc8755]

I'm so sorry that people you believed to be your dearest friends were NOT. And especially when you needed them the most. I wish you only the very BEST and TRUEST of friends going forward.

[@eeyoresgirl55]

Those people who believe lies about you without asking you what your side of the story is we’re just looking for an acceptable reason to be against you. It’s scary how many of them are in our lives.

[@meredithkelley3602]

This was my experience exactly. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.

[@marinajanesch4306]

Very valuable lesson learned, it seems! "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind". Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@wesornaitit]

Dated someone for a few weeks and his contempt for minor things felt so violent and made me feel unsafe. thankfully I listened to my gut and walked away.

[@Alaska-me5jc]

Same for me. Red flags and weird things started to happen after he came into my life. I left 4 weeks in.

[@verenamaharajah6082]

She is so right when she said people often judge their relationship with a narcissist by the good days.

[@jeanniewi]

On the subject of a narcissist having a pattern of being late... my experience with a couple of narcissists in my life is that they were ALWAYS on time. It felt more like it was a show of their superiority.

[@Nagoalc]

Some would say being on time means having good manners. Guess I was wrong 🤣

[@creatuitiveguru]

Did you ever notice that they tried to make YOU late, though? (insisting things needed to be done before you could leave, and/or refusing to help you get things packed - both physically refusing to help and/or belittling you for being a "control freak" about what or how you pack or get ready to go somewhere)? Or, asking you more and more to do things with little to no notice? My overt ex did the first one, while the covert one did the latter.

[@idontknowyouthatsmypurse]

@@creatuitiveguruwoah...I physically got tense reading your post because I *know exactly what you are talking about* .

[@creatuitiveguru]

​@@idontknowyouthatsmypurseIt's really super stressful. Especially when they are one that planned the trip, and you have young kids, and the young kids are more helpful and better behaved. You spend the rest of the time trying to convince that shit bag that they are just as important as the children. 🙄 It's sick that we were programmed as children, to think that all our value lied in making others' lives easier and happier.

[@idontknowyouthatsmypurse]

@@creatuitiveguru yes!

[@elsh332]

I asked my BPD w/vulnerable narcissistic traits husband his definition of love. The answer was terrifying. He said that it was hard to answer, that love is incoherent and frustrating. Then he added some vague over romanticised ideas that muddied the meaning more. He lovebombed me, then breadcrumbed me. He mirrored his behaviours onto me and claimed he was all these wonderful things but was not. He once asked me if I'd ever been scared of him, and I lied and said no. Then his behaviour got worse! He literally scares me now. Thank you Dr. Ramani. You help me so much to get grounded in reality and keep confirming that my decision to never go back is the right one. You are saving lives ❤

[@JamieFairchild-o2d]

Mine explained it like this... well, relationships, not love. But it says enough. "in relationships you should only give the other person 10% of their needs. Which means I rub 9 out, and give you the 10th with sex. " mind you... the needs I were expressing needing work was the BARE minimum human emotional needs in a relationship to even continue seeing him 🙄 scary. And he wonders why I left so fast after 3 yrs of cold hearted chaos.. damaged is an understatement. Luckily I never let it get to living together etc.

[@JamieFairchild-o2d]

He wasn't my husband, sorry. Ex boyfriend. 3 years of superficial back and forth crap. And he couldn't understand why I never wanted to hangout. Lol therapy for me asap.

[@julieelizabeth4856]

That is actually the most simple question to answer: To love is to will the good of the other person. Anything less than that is not love.

[@dite6s9mora73]

I asked my husband today what is love for him. . he answered love doesn't exist. It is only hormonal. We have a baby together and I feel very sad. It us hard to make him understand cause he doesn't want to communicate openly.

[@katcat5088]

@@dite6s9mora73Remind him that there are women who have total hysterectomies & no hormone replacement who somehow find love. My friend is like this. She is sweet & kind & found someone who treats her so well. Her surgery was over 20 years ago so her hormones are extremely low.

[@mickeysammy5169]

So much wisdom here: *45 years with him and I was ALONE the whole time. *He crossed my boundaries on the first date - I was 14 and he was 17. * Then, we spent hours talking on the phone. He knew everything about me. *He isolated and controlled me for the rest of our years together. *He alienated our children against me and as adults they will have nothing to do with me. *He projected all that he was doing to me as if it were my behavior. *He cunningly financially abused me (psychopathic). LISTEN TO YOUR GUT TEACH YOUR CHILDREN END THESE CYCLES!

[@neveragain1111]

Oh my goodness. That is so sad and I am sorry you spent all your life on eggshells. Sending lots of love to you ❤ I only had 18 months of hell so only tested the water ❤

[@TigerGreene]

Are you Melania Trump? That's a sad story.

[@mickeysammy5169]

@TigerGreene No, but I was trying to show others how many of us have gone through most of the things Dr. Ramani has described. Today's technology has the ability to get information to everyone in an efficient way. I stayed so long because I didn't know what he was doing. I was isolated. I had nothing to compare him with.

[@mickeysammy5169]

@@neveragain1111 Thank you, your kindness means a lot.

[@theresawolford9000]

​@@TigerGreeneWhat's really sad .... you mocking others with your BS .... and you think we can't see you have more problems than Melania Trump.

[@terrymassie7656]

The telling of self, sets me up to be a target. I share my compassion more with strangers as an outlet than with family. My experiences say it truth telling , they call it ranting.

[@ralphstadler7373]

Narcissists can SAY whatever they want, but actions speak LOUDER than words!! Hold them accountable for their actions!!

[@onnie.6815]

I say this everytime, I hate when people say to “bow out” when it comes to dealing with them. Like, who tf are they? Wtf are they going to do? Spread lies about you? Not talk to you? Oh no🤡

[@YusifRefae]

"That's not a relationship; that's really toxic babysitting!" Brilliant observation. Hits home so hard. Exactly the type of behavior I'm dealing with in one relationship in my life. And setting boundaries. I am still learning to do that better. Wow.

[@susanparker9877]

My first marriage was to a chameleon, horrible, violent man-child. It took away my innocence. It also helped me to be a very perceptive and intuitive mental-health nurse. It's also given me the self confidence to believe in myself and my raison-d'etre (life's purpose). It has helped me to get away from other bad men, when I fell into other traps. I can truly enjoy being single and able to be myself again.

[@sirrantsalott]

I was napping with this playing in the background and woke up at the moment you talk about narcissists taking away any and all opportunities that made their victims happy and successful. I woke up thinking “this is EXACTLY my experience with my narcissistic family!” I loved waking up being validated by Dr Ramani ❤.

[@Jblah]

You know everyone cant be narcistic right? People nowadays will call everyone narsisstic that dont agree with them. I think many of you arent as clean as you think and need to take a good look in the mirror

[@sirrantsalott]

@@Jblah Were you trying to humiliate me? Are you trying to take away that which makes me happy and feel empowered? What was your point in making this statement?

[@Jblah]

@@sirrantsalott oh yeah you def narcissistic lmao

[@taylorpresley4604]

I had a narc mom and a sociopath dad so I have never felt uncomfortable being around a narc as it was familiar. To me to test to see if someone is a narc, tell them no to something they want from you, watch and pay attention to their response. Now, when I encounter a narc, I will mirror them as they mirror us. Mirroring their behavior is offensive to them. Never ever expose a narc, exit quietly.

[@dye4na]

How do you mirror them?

[@Rujalg]

I also remember saying since the very beginning to him, “If you’re happy,I’m happy”. And that was genuinely the case, but now I realise what the reality was. If his day was bad, he would suck up every good thing.

[@lindsayhallin]

I love the part about not living in a world that is a "warm fuzzy place." I know for me, one of the biggest realizations I had coming out of several narcissistic relationships was my belief in a reality that didn't exist. I don't know why I did so much work to believe in something that wasn't real, but my ability to "always believe the best" hindered me from being my full self and caused me a lot of pain. It's important to pause and assess your own thoughts and question them to make sure they reflect what is really happening.

[@ramneetkaur7516]

⭐️

[@ciaomamabella]

I have a sort of weird question because I’m in a spot where I think I’ve lost myself? I don’t really know where to begin to find it or even if I’m am being my full self. How do you know when you get to being your full self? Like is there a feeling you get? Or something?

[@dark7angel456]

Exactly! Always take time to pause and feel it out

[@lindsayhallin]

@@ciaomamabella I think it’s different for everyone and it’s different depending on where you are at in your healing. My baseline was remembering things I like that are specific to me: ice skating, the color red, etc. Getting out of my head was also important: perceiving beauty in art and nature, meeting friends, watching tv. It gives your brain a break. A realization I had in my journey is it’s less about finding yourself and more about creating yourself. As we go through experiences we change. Old identities and habits no longer work. I found that the pressure was off of me when I could give myself grace to change, let my experiences inform my being, know that based on what I want, I can change course and how I operate at any time. Beyond that, a lot of therapy was integral. Really great to focus on my inner child and understanding her needs and work on my ego and shadow so I could differentiate between my authentic self and societal programming. Something I often remind myself is that healing is life’s work and you have time. There is no real destination. Do what you can and don’t forget to live.

[@lindsayhallin]

Also, I forgot to mention environment. Some environments and relationships are not healthy for you. Listen to your body. Do you feel uncomfortable or like you can’t be yourself? That’s a call to assess whether or not this is a relationship that is for you or not. Have a conversation or if it’s truly not aligned, make plans to leave. It’s so hard to do, one of the most challenging, and it may take a lot of time. I heard an example once. If a flower isn’t blooming, you don’t blame the plant. You change the environment, give it water, put it in the sun, etc.

[@MrsLana92]

It's really interesting watching this after being in a healthy relationship for 10 years. I recall a time in my life where two narcissists were essentially fighting over control of me. In the end neither won - I did. I've never been happier, and life has never been more peaceful.

[@B.Harper7]

@MrsLana92 Fck yes!!! I'm thrilled you found your person and have built a healthy relationship together!! 💕💕💕💕 So freaking thankful that you got away from both of the self centered humans!!!

[@MrsLana92]

@@B.Harper7 thanks! That's really encouraging 🥰

[@VivienJohnson-uo2si]

It's so true.... after 8 years, with me in a wheelchair....he did play the game....I had to file for divorce.... and then he convinced me that he wanted to reconcile...here I am a year later.... it's the same crap!!! Thanks Dr Ramani! I've learned so much! ❤️

[@lisagrimes4801]

Dr. Ramani is a gift from God. She has saved my life because of a misunderstanding I carried throughout my life with a narcissistic dad.

[@dhd-00]

When dealing with narcissism, you should know that it’s not personal. “It isn’t personal” is one of those cliches used to cushion all kinds of bad actions taken by people who need an out for being immoral, but in this case it actually gets near the truth. Narcissists don’t know how to love or be a friend; they can’t afford to spare the energy to learn, because they’re always in a state of high emergency, cataloging potential threats and redoubling their defenses. When they claim to love you, it means nothing. They may even think they mean it, but they don’t understand the concept - they can’t feel it. They never attach to you or anyone else. Other people are paper cut-outs to the narcissist, like those cardboard figures of celebrities you pose next to for a selfie. Narcissist value their own children only as mirrors of themselves. When they destabilize you or attack you, it means nothing. They are stuck in an endless conversation with themselves, in which you are an inanimate object, to be assigned their own faults and used as a surrogate punching bag for their hatred of themselves. When they toss you out, it’s no more meaningful than a junkie tossing away a needle; when they try to reel you back in, it only means that they tired of the new drug and need a hit of the old. None of this is personal. They’re too terrified to have personal relationships, opting instead for extraction of admiration from a subservient partner whose range of action they strictly constrain. This is not personal. None of it. The narcissist does not know who you are - it doesn’t know how to know other people. Like the vampire or the chainsaw-wielding creature in the horror film, it’s from another world, bereft of the concept of human connection. Moreover, People wonder why they end up hurt, seriously hurt, and even killed for their own actions. Cheating is a choice and there’s simply a lot of ignorance in the process.... Thank you so much for helping me out Metaspyhub@gmail. com. Your advice and services helped me so much. You are a lifesaver !!! The information you gave me about my cheating partner when you gave me access to his phone was everything I needed to get,.. thank you very much..

[@Ace7of7Cups]

Oh, the over said quote, "It's nothing personal". I see what someone is trying to convey but these words are not the best words for that point. Just because "it wasn't personal" doesn't magically take away the pain for the receiver. This statement is usually used when it is done to one person in an instance. And the fact it wasn't personal is where the problem lies. There wasn't a thought to that person's actions towards another how it would negativity affect them is the downfall.

[@oasisinthestorm1361]

It does just as much damage whether it's personal or not personal. It all hurts the same.

[@jzinser-mandala9117]

My husband used to tell me, " I love you in my own way" in a sweet voice. I knew that meant he couldn't love, period. I was right.

[@cheanarchist2381]

@@Ace7of7Cupsgive this a read , it’s called the four agreements!! One of the agreements is , it wasn’t personal. . & it’s really spot on , you. An find the four agreements on line it’s a very short read & so good

[@myhandlewasstolen2]

Love is like a soft cloud; it makes you feel warm, safe, and secure. Love is having a deep bond with your GF/BF besties, etc, you can be yourself around them. That is my definition of love. People who have your back and you have theirs.