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Five Traits of a Narcissist: Their Real Motives
While it is tempting to equate all kinds of abuse as pretty much the same, narcissistic abuse has a few characteristics outside the boundaries of emotional abuse. Obviously narcissistic abusers are emotionally abusive. I am not disputing that. However, the goals of a narcissist are significantly different from those of a person who is emotionally abusive because of immaturity. Knowing the difference is helpful. Narcissistic abuse requires a different approach to recovery, though the healing path from any kind of abuse is difficult. Emotional abuse is a matter of degree. After all, we all are abusive at times. We lose our tempers, withhold affection, call names, criticize, and take our…
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The Fish in Your Dark Subconscious Sea
Large bodies of water are heavy with mystery. Under the surface live strange creatures, both comic and terrifying. Movies show monsters, though more common are the schools of shimmering fish that fill dinner plates. But the sea is often a metaphor for our own minds, our will, and emotions battling under the surface of our societal mask. So when Jesus tells His disciples to cast their nets on the right side of their boat, He is speaking a metaphor into their lives. Often we default to the line about Jesus making his disciples fishers of men, but this is not the only context in which Jesus speaks of fishing. In…
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Self-Awareness vs Narcissism: How to Tell the Difference
Self-awareness is to sensitivity as narcissism is to self-absorption. Many make the mistake of glossing over the term self-awareness as one of those jargon words like facilitate, monetize, or self-actualization. Christians, in particular, are often suspicious of any word that begins with self. We forget that the injunction to love others as we love ourselves presupposes necessary self-love. But self-awareness is the polar opposite of narcissism. Narcissism projects onto the world an image, while the true self, like the portrait hidden in Dorian Grey’s attic, grows less recognizable with time. The cry of the narcissist is “I have been cheated!” Narcissists seek to escape themselves. Those with even a modicum…
Healing Through Art & Words
