Peeling back the layers to take a peek at the writer behind the words. — by: E.B. Johnson As a writer and a coach, I spend a lot of time on this platform talking about mental health, family trauma, and what it takes to build a good life for yourself. I’ve talked a lot about my trauma and my experiences with narcissistic family, but I…

Lessons in life, love, loss, and what it means to be betrayed by the people who you love most. — by E.B. Johnson When I launched my narcissistic abuse recovery program a year ago, I thought I had a lot to teach the world about narcissists and the families that they build. Having experienced narcissistic abuse at the hands of my mother, I have an intimate knowledge of how this…

Coming to terms with a life lived unloved by the ghost of a woman who never was. — Please Note: Some names have been changed to protect the anonymity of individuals both living and deceased. by: E.B. Johnson The day I found my mother’s psychiatric medication is a day that saved my life. Sneaking into my mother’s bedroom had always been a sin, but it became a capital…

The winding journey into the abusive side of motherhood. — For years, we have shifted the burden of damaged children squarely onto the shoulders of fathers. We blamed these fathers for not being around enough. We have held them accountable for erratic and abusive behavior. We called them out for addiction and for the awful lessons they handed down to…

Be careful with your language. It reveals more about you than you realize. — A few weeks ago, I watched a relatively well-respected TikTok psychologist rant against NLP practitioners. He called the whole thing a sham and derided anyone who engaged in the MIT-invented practice as a “charlatan”. The whole time he went on his tirade, I focused on his language (the central theme…

When learning to “turn it off” becomes a pattern of self-sabotage. — There has been an explosion in our understanding of narcissistic abuse. Now, more than ever, we are seeing what happens when someone is subjected to long-term mental and emotional manipulation. The effects are shocking. When you are abused by a narcissistic person, it changes the way you act and the…

The thoughts and actions of the true narcissist never truly align. — The internet has completely bastardized the term “narcissist”. Watered down by half-cocked gurus and those following trends, it’s become synonymous with any self-centered person who displeases us. Those who have experienced true narcissists, however, know that this isn’t the reality. …

Understanding how the world’s biggest social tool distorts our perceptions of self. — There are few terms the internet loves using more than “narcissist”. It’s become the label that’s slung at every enemy you can imagine. Completely disregarding the lived-in reality of narcissism and narcissistic abuse, the word itself has become synonymous with every selfish or toxic person. Despite our willingness to point…

Exposing the shadows lurking behind the world’s most impossible job. — There is no more perfect place to hide for the female narcissist than behind the guise of motherhood. At once socially acceptable and morally beyond question, there is nothing she is not given a license to do here. Children of this mother are subjected to extremes in emotional and mental…