Are you feeling confused, depleted, or unlike yourself after a relationship with someone who always seemed to come first? You are not crazy, and you are not too sensitive. Relationships with a narcissistic partner, parent, or family member can be deeply disorienting, and the damage is often invisible to everyone but you. You might notice that you feel anxious, doubtful of your own memory, or exhausted from constantly managing someone else's moods. Maybe you keep asking yourself whether it was "really that bad," or you find that you've lost track of what you want, think, or feel.

You might also notice:

• Second-guessing your own perceptions or wondering if you're "overreacting"

• Walking on eggshells or bracing for the next criticism

• Feeling responsible for someone else's happiness or anger

• Having trouble making decisions without checking with someone first

• Feeling cut off from friends and family

• Difficulty trusting yourself or others

• Guilt, shame, or grief that doesn't seem to make sense

Narcissistic abuse rarely leaves visible marks, which is part of what makes it so hard to name, and so easy for others to dismiss. It happens in romantic relationships, families, friendships, and workplaces, to people of every culture, age, income level and background, and many survivors don't recognize the pattern until they have been living inside it for years.

Perinatal Informed Therapy Can Help