Narcissistic Abuse: A Therapist's Guide to Identifying, Escaping, and Healing from Toxic and Manipulative People

by Vanessa M. Reiser Narrated by Vanessa M. Reiser

Overview

Licensed therapist and narcissism expert Vanessa M. Reiser offers a guide to identifying narcissistic abuse, especially in interpersonal relationships, sharing practical strategies for healing.

Gaslighting. Love bombing. Hoovering. Triangulating. These are all insidious weapons in the narcissist's toolkit. Narcissism can be hard to diagnose, but it is one of the hallmarks of abusive relationships. As a therapist specializing in narcissism and domestic abuse, Vanessa M. Reiser has strategies to help victims to identify, understand, and heal from abusive relationships. With a blend of information, education, and stories, Reiser defines what narcissistic abuse is, breaks down how it's a form of domestic violence and how narcissists think and operate, uncovering their mindset and motivations, so readers can spot a narcissist more accurately, avoid toxic relationships, escape dangerous situations, and heal from mental, emotional and/or physical trauma. Readers will learn how to:

• Identify dangerous behaviors and warning signs of narcissistic abuse
• Create an exit strategy to safely escape from an abuser
• Heal from the psychological damage and trauma.

Explaining narcissistic personality disorder, clarifying common misconceptions about narcissism, and detailing how narcissism works on a spectrum of benign to malignant, Narcissistic Abuse gives readers a clear picture of what narcissistic abuse entails, using specific situations and examples to show how narcissistic traits translate into real-life behaviors. Reiser describes the five stages of narcissistic abuse (luring, love bombing, mask slipping, discarding, and the smear campaign) and lists common stages and emotions that come after the relationship with a narcissist has been severed (including devastation, confusion, sadness, anger, understanding, and healing). With practical tools and a warm, empathetic tone, Narcissistic Abuse provides a clear path for readers to break the cycle and find a path back to themselves.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"This book covers everything from the phases of narcissistic abuse to ways to break the trauma bond and heal. Vanessa provides education on how to disallow victim blaming and the differences between shame and guilt. Her approach is evidence based, clinical and integrated with a no-nonsense approach. All survivors need to feel empowered and most importantly heard.”

 —Gretchen Carlson, Journalist, Co-Founder Lift Our Voices, Female Empowerment Advocate and Best-Selling Author

Narcissistic Abuse: A Therapist’s Guide To Identifying, Escaping, and Healing from Toxic and Manipulative People is a validating and compassionate reference which provides clinicians and survivors with the vocabulary for what happens in these relationships, and tools to manage what can feel like a hopeless situation.  Vanessa Reiser clearly points out the parallels between narcissistic relational behaviors, domestic abuse, and cultic systems, and provides all readers with comprehensive and accessible tools to cope, heal, and safely disengage from invalidating and manipulative relationships. 
 —Dr. Ramani Durvasula, Clinical Psychologist, Professor Emerita of Psychology, California State University Los Angeles, and New York Times and International Bestselling Author of It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191585925
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	10/29/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged