Narcissist Apocalypse: Patterns of Abuse

In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon welcomes back psychotherapist and author Darlene Lancer to explore whether a narcissist is capable of love and why someone’s declarations of love can leave their partner feeling unseen and emotionally alone.
Together, they discuss how narcissism can affect intimacy and empathy, the role of codependency in relationships, and how a partner’s needs can gradually disappear from view. Darlene also discusses rebuilding self-trust and setting boundaries, shifting the focus toward how you are being treated and whether your needs are being met.
*** MY APOLOGIES WITH THE SOUND. I COULD NOT FIX THE ORIGINAL RECORDING. THE GUEST HAD SOUND FROM THEIR DEVICE THAT I DIDN'T CATCH DURING THE RECORDING. ***
You can find Darlene Lancer at her website https://whatiscodependency.com/ or at https://darlenelancer.com/ and you can email her at info@darlenelancer.com for her narcissist checklist.
Here is a link to all the blogs mentioned on the show https://whatiscodependency.com/blog/
A link to Darlene's new book Dating, Loving, & Leaving A Narcissist
This episode is sponsored by Rebound Health. Learn more, check your insurance coverage, or schedule a free 15-minute call at hellorebound.com/na
If you want to be a guest on our survivor story podcast, please send us an email at narcissistapocalypse@pm.me
Click on the title to read about Coercive Control as Care: Signs & Patterns
Sign up to our Domestic Violence Newsletter

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In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon debriefs Morrigan’s story, exploring how family participation and agreement became obligations enforced through judgment and rejection. We discuss why a controlling parent may blame their adult child’s partner when that child begins setting boundaries, and how the mother-in-law trope can make abusive behavior easier to dismiss.
We also examine what kept Morrigan trying to make it work, including her hope for a second chance at family and the belief that she was the problem. We explore how fear of confirming the family’s judgment encouraged compliance, and how believing she could earn acceptance kept her working harder for approval that never came.
This episode is sponsored by Rebound Health. Learn more, check your insurance coverage, or schedule a free 15-minute call at hellorebound.com/na
If you want to be a guest on our survivor story podcast, please send us an email at narcissistapocalypse@pm.me
Click on the title to read about Coercive Control as Care: Signs & Patterns
Sign up to our Domestic Violence Newsletter

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In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Morrigan shares how her hope for a second chance at family led her into the orbit of a controlling mother-in-law. After a childhood where she never felt safe or good enough, her partner’s welcoming family seemed to offer the belonging she had always wanted. But acceptance came with conditions, and Morrigan began holding her tongue to keep her place.
As her partner starts making decisions for himself, Morrigan becomes the person blamed for pulling him away. Familiar feelings of inadequacy return, and the harder she tries to prove she belongs, the more she questions whether she is the problem. Beneath the family gatherings and backhanded compliments is a demand for compliance that threatens the future she and her partner are building.
It's a story of control, a narcissistic mother-in-law, emotional abuse, enmeshment, scapegoating, dysfunctional family dynamics, conditional acceptance, conditional love, triangulation, guilt trips, blame shifting, backhanded compliments, criticism, judgment, self-silencing, people pleasing, hypervigilance, self-doubt, self-blame, never feeling good enough, childhood trauma, childhood emotional neglect, boundary violations, intimidation, racism, Indigenous identity, bodily autonomy, family loyalty, parental entitlement, independence treated as abandonment, and grief.
This episode is sponsored by Rebound Health. Learn more, check your insurance coverage, or schedule a free 15-minute call at hellorebound.com/na
If you want to be a guest on our survivor story podcast, please send us an email at narcissistapocalypse@pm.me
Click on the title to read about Coercive Control as Care: Signs & Patterns
Sign up to our Domestic Violence Newsletter

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In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, we debrief Saarah’s story and explore how the abuser presented control as her choice and used therapy language to make her believe she was the problem. We discuss the pressure to give up opportunities to manage his insecurities, how he controlled what could be discussed in couples therapy, and how accusations about her reactions diverted attention from his behavior. We also examine how fear of abandonment, hope tied to the beginning, and pressure to prove she had tried everything kept Saarah in the relationship.
This episode is sponsored by Rebound Health. Learn more, check your insurance coverage, or schedule a free 15-minute call at hellorebound.com/na
If you want to be a guest on our survivor story podcast, please send us an email at narcissistapocalypse@pm.me
Click on the title to read about Coercive Control as Care: Signs & Patterns
Sign up to our Domestic Violence Newsletter

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In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Brandon and former guest 'Saraah' listen to unsent 'Letters To My Narcissist' that they received from a handful of courageous narcissistic abuse survivors. It's an emotional roller coaster of an episode that will make you laugh and cry, with some goosebumps in between. Prepare to be impacted.
*** WE DID OUR BEST TO FIX THE SOUND ISSUES FROM THE ORIGINAL RECORDING - IT IS NOT PERFECT - MY APOLOGIES ***
Click here to listen to Saarah's Story
This episode is sponsored by Rebound Health. Learn more, check your insurance coverage, or schedule a free 15-minute call at hellorebound.com/na
If you want to be a guest on our survivor story podcast, please send us an email at narcissistapocalypse@pm.me
Click on the title to read about Coercive Control as Care: Signs & Patterns
Sign up to our Domestic Violence Newsletter

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.