• Narcissism,  narcissist,  narcissistic abuse,  narcissists

    Five Signs of a Covert Narcissist: Judas Iscariot

    The marks of a covert narcissist are not very different from those of most narcs. They all wish to appear as important and particularly righteous or better than others. The main difference is that a covert narcissist lacks the aggression and the overt behaviors of most narcs. Generally passive-aggressive, the covert narcissist often plays the victim while quietly undermining others. The covert narcissist does in secret what most other narcissists do in the open. But the signs of any narcissist remain the same. Here is a short list: A personal sense of grandiosity A fantasy life that revolves around being influential, famous, and/or important A frequent exaggeration of their intelligence…

  • earthquake
    Featured,  Trauma

    The Anchorage Earthquake: A Lesson in Aftershocks

    The Anchorage earthquake of 2018 wasn’t my first rodeo, though it felt like it. I remember the Northridge quake decades ago while I was in college. I lived too far away to feel much except a jolt as I walked through the apartments at the University of California, Irvine. I remember the pictures, of course. Broken bridges and crumpled asphalt roads shock the eye and alarm the heart, even if one isn’t personally affected. But this one frightened me. I should say terrified. I realize now that I have never been properly terrified. The car accidents I have been in, even a severe one, started and stopped too quickly to…

  • healing
    Featured,  healing,  inner healing

    The Three Great Fears that Prevent Healing

    Pursuing healing requires courage and a lot of it. First, the barriers can be hard to overcome. Finding the right counselor, or affording a counselor at all ends the quest for some. And therapy is a significant time commitment in the busy world. At least those are the common excuses that I have made and hear others make on a regular basis. Then too, is the fear that people will find out that you seek professional help. Despite all the public service announcements about mental health and the well-meaning posts about the rising suicide rates, many people are still ashamed. Because seeking help means admitting you might need it. But…