Photo Image by Anurag Agnihotri  Graphics by Randi G Fine The Journey of a Mother Written by Jacque Powers The young mother set her foot on the path of life. “Is this the long way?” she asked. And the guide … Continue reading...

Photo Image by Anurag Agnihotri  Graphics by Randi G Fine

The Journey of a Mother

Written by Jacque Powers

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. “Is this the long way?” she asked. And the guide said “Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning.” But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.

So she played with her children, she fed them and bathed them, and taught them how to tie their shoes and ride a bike and reminded them to feed the dog, and do their homework and brush their teeth. The sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, “Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”

Then the nights came, and the storms, and the path was sometimes dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her arms, and the children said, “Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come.”

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, “A little patience and we are there.” So the children climbed, and as they climbed they learned to weather the storms. And with this, she gave them strength to face the world.

Year after year, she showed them compassion, understanding, hope, but most of all unconditional love. And when they reached the top they said, “Mother, we would not have done it without you.”

The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she became little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And the other, when she lay down at night, looked up at the stars and said, “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned so much and are now passing these traits on to their children.”

And when the way became rough for her, they lifted her, and gave her their strength, just as she had given them hers. One day they came to a hill, and beyond the hill, they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And mother said: “I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk with dignity and pride, with their heads held high, and so can their children after them.

And the children said, “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.” And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: “We cannot see her, but she is with us still.

A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence. Your Mother is always with you. She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she’s the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick and perfume that she wore, she’s the cool hand on your brow when you’re not feeling well, she’s your breath in the air on a cold winter’s day. She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow, she is Christmas morning.

Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she’s crystallized in every tear drop. A mother shows every emotion; happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrow, and all the while, hoping and praying you will only know the good feelings in life.

She’s the place you came from, your first home, and she’s the map you follow with every step you take. She’s your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space, not even death!

Read More About Mothers:

Happy Mother’s Day Poem

A Mother’s Love

Quotes For Wonderful Mothers on Mothers Day

Narcissistic Mother’s Day Card 2018  When you want to sound nice but cannot bear to lie about your feelings… Also see Narcissistic Mother’s Day Card 2017 Narcissistic Mother’s Day Card 2016

Narcissistic Mother’s Day Card 2018

 When you want to sound nice but cannot bear to lie about your feelings…

Also see
Narcissistic Mother’s Day Card 2017
Narcissistic Mother’s Day Card 2016

Narcissistic Abuse Sufferers Need Very Specialized Counseling Written by Randi G. Fine, Author of Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: The Narcissistic Abuse Survivor’s Guide to Healing and Recovery As a professional counselor specializing in narcissistic abuse I have heard … Continue reading...

Narcissistic Abuse Sufferers Need Very Specialized Counseling

Written by Randi G. Fine, Author of Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: The Narcissistic Abuse Survivor’s Guide to Healing and Recovery

As a professional counselor specializing in narcissistic abuse I have heard the same frustration expressed over and over by my clients. Nearly everyone who comes to me has first seen a psychologist, in some cases for several years. Many preface the comment by telling me that the therapist was very good, but go on to say that the root cause of their suffering was never addressed. Many are angry about the treatment they received.

Though I work with clients both nationally and internationally, they all seem to have the same complaints.

• They were encouraged to work things out with their abuser
• The true problem was glossed over
• They were encouraged to take responsibility for things they had no responsibility for
• They were shamed and blamed for not seeing their part in problems they did not cause
• When they didn’t make progress in the time the therapist thought they should they were told it was time to let go of the past and move on
• They felt as if their therapist thought they were imagining or exaggerating their experiences
• The therapist focused on finding and practicing strategies to decrease the patient’s symptoms without addressing the problem that caused them. Unable to accomplish the goal, the patient felt worse about themselves, not better.
• Their suffering never stopped, and in many cases was intensified
• They had no effective way to deal with their abuser

While the symptoms of narcissistic abuse are recognizable to clinically trained mental health professionals, the comprehensive syndrome caused by it, is often not.

All of the following can be symptoms of Narcissistic Victim Syndrome:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Insomnia
• Low self-esteem
• Self-loathing
• Hopelessness
• Self-harming
• Restlessness
• Fatigue
• Avoidance behaviors
• Phobias
• Worry
• Somatizations
• Weight or eating issues
• Signs of physical abuse

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms such as hyper-vigilance, hyper-arousal, irritability, flashbacks, poor concentration, insomnia, nightmares, emotional numbing, memory loss, and heightened startle responses may also be experienced. C-PTSD (Complex PTSD), not yet recognized in the DSM-V and therefore clinically undiagnosable by licensed mental health professionals, often develops from prolonged exposure to trauma.

Narcissistic abuse sufferers often describe themselves as:

• Empty
• Lonely
• Torn
• Confused
• Suicidal
• Unable to cope
• Guilt ridden
• Angry
• Lost
• Unmotivated or uninterested
• Detached

Involuntary coping mechanisms that contribute to narcissistic victim syndrome are:

• Dissociation
• Infantile regression
• Stockholm syndrome, also known as trauma bonding
• Cognitive dissonance
• Magical thinking

Narcissistic abuse victims cannot be released from the frustrating emotional cycle they are trapped in without first receiving validation that what they experienced truly happened. First time clients always ask me if what they are saying makes sense. Due to the brainwashing and extreme tactics of psychological warfare used against them, they do not know if what they experienced was real or imagined. Narcissists train their victims to distrust their own perception.

As a survivor myself, one who has experienced the same chaos and confusion as those I counsel, I completely understand what they are saying. It makes perfect sense to me. No one can truly understand what it feels like to be victimized this way unless they have experienced it for themselves. This is not something that can be learned in school.

Equally important to their healing is the confirmation that the abuse had nothing to do with them. Narcissistic abuse victims are riddled with guilt. After being conditioned to shoulder the blame for everything they are their own worst enemies.

Narcissistic abuse is no less a victimization situation than any other crime. They were targeted. They didn’t cause it, they couldn’t see what was happening to them, they have no responsibility for it, and they could not have possibly known how to stop it.

Once they receive validation that they are not the crazy ones and understand that they bear no responsibility for what happened to them, they immediately experience a sudden relief. Repressed memories start bubbling up to the surface. Clarity gets restored. Within the next few days the grieving process kicks into gear.

I always prepare my clients for what they will experience in the week between their first session and their second so that when the grieving process begins they will recognize it as such.

In less than a year, often after only six months, my clients are feeling much better and thriving in their lives.

My book Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: The Narcissistic Abuse Survivor’s Guide to Healing is the most comprehensive, most well researched, and most up-to-date book on this subject. One of my primary goals for writing it is to teach mental health professionals how to recognize and treat this syndrome so they can help the hundreds of thousands of people currently suffering from it.

If you are a mental health professional you owe it to your patients to gain this crucial knowledge.

Notice My May 11th Free Advice Friday Show, A Fine Time for Healing on Blog Talk Radio will air one hour earlier than usual, so 10am ET instead of 11am ET. This is a live call in show where I … Continue reading →

Notice

My May 11th Free Advice Friday Show, A Fine Time for Healing on Blog Talk Radio will air one hour earlier than usual, so 10am ET instead of 11am ET. This is a live call in show where I take your calls and answer your questions about Narcissistic Personality Disorder abuse. If you would like to call in and talk to me, the number is 424-220-1801. You can also listen to the show live or a recording of it after it airs by going to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/randi-fine/2018/05/11/randi-fine-answers-your-questions-about-narcissistic-personality-disorder-abuse or by clicking on the image above.

(Be sure to click on “cc” for English subtitles) Article and Video Source * Erasing Dad is a feature documentary film that follows six fathers who are fighting to raise their children after a divorce and features interviews with professionals … Continue reading...

(Be sure to click on “cc” for English subtitles)

Article and Video Source *

Erasing Dad is a feature documentary film that follows six fathers who are fighting to raise their children after a divorce and features interviews with professionals who admit, on camera, that they do everything possible to keep children and fathers separated.

In Argentina, fathers are punished for wanting to be active parents to their children after a divorce. Latino men are stereotyped as “machistas”, but many dads in Argentina want to actively participate in their children´s lives after divorce. The justice system favors women and assumes that men are always violent aggressors, and allows fake accusations to prosper. In cases where there are no false accusations, the courts do nothing when visitation orders are not followed. As a result, many fathers are unjustly prevented from seeing their children.

Erasing Dad is more than a documentary, it is a movement. We have more than 30,000 followers on our Facebook page in Spanish and have conducted more than 50 television, radio and print interviews. We are changing the debate about parental alienation not only in Argentina (which approved joint custody recently) but around the world. Families have been reunited after their children or the judges involved in their cases viewed the film. Even attempts to censor the film (it was removed from Youtube numerous times, theaters were pressured not to show it) have not prevented us from raising awareness and turning frustrated families into activists. For that reason, we have decided to keep filming and make Erasing Family, which will be a truly international documentary with stories from the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Latin America. The focus will be on the children who suffer and entire families that are erased, from moms to dads, grandparents and siblings. Please stay tuned for more updates about how you can get involved. You can find Erasing Family on Facebook.

*Complete article and background on the Argentinian censorship of the Erasing Dad documentary can   be found at http://www.borrandoapapa.com.ar/erasing-dad-english/

<br/> The Wound of Being ‘Too Sensitive.’ Is it Because of My Childhood? Article Written by Imi, Copied from Eggshell Therapy and Coaching Website In my work with emotionally intense, sensitive and gifted individuals, I am cautious of the confines … Continue reading...

 Either due to physical or mental sickness, extreme work demand, parents who are preoccupied with their own needs may leave their children emotionally unattended, to the point where they feel invisible.

These children are deprived of ‘mirroring’- an essential process for a child’s growth and development of self identity.  All children has a primary need to be regarded as the person they really are, including all thats they say, feel and do. Mirroring is when their parents validate their needs and feelings, and this process is necessary for a child to develop a sense of self worth, a sense that they deserve to exist and that their existence is valuable; the lack of it during the childhood would lead to a sense of hollowness in adulthood.

Our innate need for mirroring is vividly demonstrated in the Still Face Experiment, conducted in 1975 by Edward Tronick (here is a short but provocative video clip).In this experiment, the mother was asked to keep a blank face and not respond to her child’s attempts to engage with her.  When the baby received no emotional responses, he “rapidly sobered and grew wary”, he made repeated attempts to get the interactions with his mother, and when these attempts fail, he withdrew and turned away with a hopeless facial expression. These series of events happened so fast that they were almost invisible.