Narcissistic Abuse Support Group

Breaking the Cycle:

Understanding the Patterns of Narcissistic Abuse

There is a strange paradox when it comes to narcissistic abuse.

Survivors often describe it as both obvious and invisible at the same time. The lies, the manipulation, the twisting of words, they are all right there in plain sight, yet so skillfully hidden beneath charm, excuses or blame-shifting that victims often feel like they are the ones losing their grip on reality. Psychologists call this gaslighting, but anyone who has lived through it knows it as the relentless erosion of truth.

Research is increasingly confirming what survivors have always known. The damage goes beyond emotions. A study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research (2019) found that survivors of narcissistic abuse showed significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression and PTSD-like symptoms.

FROM SURVIVING TO RECLAIMING

The Shift That Changes Everything

Living with the effects of Narcissistic Victim Syndrome (NVS) is like walking through life with your nervous system on high alert.

• You’re not just feeling angry, your amygdala is firing constantly, scanning for threats that may never come.

• You’re not just tired,  you’re in a cycle of adrenal fatigue, emotional dys-regulation and fragmented sleep.

When Obsession Looks Like Love: Honouring Naso and Every Woman Fighting to Break Free

“As you begin to detach from a narcissist, you realise, it wasn’t them that made the connection feel so intense. It was your obsession that made them seem so special.” - Sri Kaiser

This quote hits hard because for many women, the moment of clarity comes not in the middle of the relationship, but at the breaking point, when love has long since curdled into control.

Keotshepile Naso Isaacs, known to friends and family simply as Naso, was a woman with dreams. A mother of three, she had just arrived in the UK from Otse, a village in south-east Botswana. She came here to rebuild, to give her sons a safer, stronger future. Her smile radiated warmth, her devotion to her boys was undeniable and those who knew her called her “a beautiful soul.”

Never Again Knowledge, Healing & Protection After Narcissistic Abuse

Sis, let’s break the silence and speak truth in this sacred space.

Far too many women strong, intelligent, nurturing women have found themselves caught in the web of a narcissist or sociopath. And let’s be clear, it wasn’t because you lacked value. It was because they saw your light and made it their mission to dim it. But today, we take our power back.

The truth is, narcissists don’t prey on weakness. They prey on goodness.

They target people with open hearts and generous spirits. Women who forgive easily, who extend second chances, who see the best in others even when it hurts. But here’s the thing without the right tools, many of us didn’t even realise what we were up against. We mistook love bombing for love. We mistook gaslighting for miscommunication. We mistook control for care.

The Fire You Don’t See Burns the Deepest!

We have been taught to fight what’s outside us—oppression, injustice, systemic exclusion!

But what happens when the battlefield is your own mind? When the enemy wears a smile, a title, or even a wedding ring? The image you see ain’t just a checklist—it’s a testimony of what happens when narcissistic abuse enters your life. This is not just about breakups. This is about breakdowns—emotional, spiritual, psychological.

C-PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia.

The Neurological and Psychological Impact of Narcissistic Abuse

The psychological aftermath of narcissistic abuse is neither imaginary nor exaggerated. It is a well-documented and deeply impactful form of trauma that can lead to a cascade of neurophysiological and psychological disturbances. Survivors often present with a complex array of symptoms, many of which are reflected in the image shared.

Let’s explore some of the most common conditions through a scientific and clinical lens: