Have you ever been in a relationship with a narcissist? If so I bet that person always made you feel like you were asking for too much. Did they also make you believe that your needs were insignificant & selfish? Such things are typical narcissist behavior.
Narcissists manipulate & control their victims to meet their own needs & wants while disregarding the victim’s feelings & desires. One of the ways they do this is by training their victims to expect nothing from them.
Victims of narcissistic abuse often are afraid to ask for anything from the narcissist with whom they are in a relationship. They have learned that asking for anything is a huge crisis & usually leads to emotional abuse & manipulation.
Training their victims to expect nothing from them starts with small things, such as not responding to texts or calls, canceling plans at the last minute, or forgetting important dates or events. Victims start to feel like they can’t rely on the narcissists & that their needs don’t matter.
Over time, narcissists criticize their victims for asking for anything. They imply or say outright that their partner is demanding, a nag, selfish, & thinks of no one but themselves. Narcissists make their victims feel guilty for even bringing up their needs or wants. For example, if a victim asks their narcissistic romantic partner to spend more time with them, the narcissist may respond by saying that they need their space & that their partner is too clingy. They will make their partner feel like they are a problem & that they need to change their behavior to accommodate the narcissist.
Victims of narcissistic abuse quickly learn that asking for anything comes at a high cost. Narcissists use any opportunity to make their partner feel guilty or ashamed for asking for anything, no matter how small. They use emotional blackmail, gaslighting, & other manipulation tactics to make their partner feel like they are the problem. They make their partner feel like they are asking for too much & that they should be able to handle everything on their own. An example is this: if a victim asks their partner for help with something, the narcissist may respond by saying that they are too busy or that their partner is being too needy.
Over time, victims naturally internalize the messages. They believe that their needs are unimportant & that they should stop asking for anything from their partner. They become hyper-focused on the narcissist’s needs & desires, forgetting their own in the process.
Breaking free from the abusive cycle is possible.
The first step is to pray. God has helped me & taught me so much about narcissistic abuse. He is vital in dealing with these people. Ask Him for wisdom & courage, ask Him to help you recognize the manipulation tactics of the narcissist & anything else you need. The more you recognize what the narcissist is doing, the less likely you are to tolerate abuse.
It also helps so much to question from an unemotional, logical perspective. Does what he or she says make sense? Why is it ok for me to do for them, but they can’t do for me? Questions like this can help you to gain clarity in your situation.
Narcissists train their victims to expect nothing from them by making them feel guilty & ashamed for asking for anything, while they ask for anything, no matter the cost to their victims. This is one more way they destroy their victim’s self esteem & train them to shrink themselves so they can focus only on the narcissist. Breaking free from the cycle of narcissistic abuse is possible, but it takes faith, courage, & determination.
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