Whilst most people who have never experienced it first-hand understimate and do not understand the true insidious nature of narcissistic abuse, they also underestimate and fail to understand the extreme consequences that such abuse can have on victims, particularly long term.
Unfortunately, the symptoms that are often experienced by victims stretch far and wide and are made up of a multitude of health problems. Whilst diagnosis is possible for these symptoms individually, there is no official diagnosis for the combined effects of narcisisstic abuse which are not always the same and which can indeed be devastating.
Additionally, narcissistic abuse itself is made
up of a varied and wide range of tactics which may include mental abuse, gaslighting, emotional blackmail, slander, defamation, character assassination and financial abuse.The Narcissist's Dance
Because narcissistic abuse is so insidious in nature and creeps up so gradually, it's impossible to recognize in the short term as it takes many years for the full pattern to become recognizable. This cycle of abusive behaviour has become known as the narcissist's dance.
Narcisssts can often be so crafty, sly and devious that once they have hurt their victim or the victim has discovered what they have been doing, they will then make sure that they fully behave right up until the point that the victim has managed to get over what happened and their lost faith has become restored again.
Once the narcissist knows that the lost faith has indeed become restored again, they usually repeat the entire cycle all over again immediately... but not until they know that their victim's trust in them has been restored. Thay way, the victims expectations of further deceit are minimal. Surely they wouldn't do it all again... would they?
Would they??
This repeating pattern usually begins with some kind of emotional upset, something wihch leaves the victim heartbroken. This is usually combined with a cirumstancial tactic such as being cut off from family and friends along with financial abuse which leaves the victim with nowhere to turn.
If they do
find someone else to turn to, that person or those people have usually already been made to believe it's the true victim who is the problem - the situation has been reversed. Everything it literally twisted round onto the victim who has been slandered long before they ever could have anticipated.Essentially, what the narcisisst has been doing is projecting their own behaviour onto the victim behind the scenes, outside of the victim's awareness. Everybody already believes it's the victim who is the source of the problem whilst the narcisisst plays the victim convincingly.
Narcissistic Victim Sydrome (NVS)
To describe the devastation incurred by victims of narcissistic abuse, in 2010 Medical News Today coined the term Narcissistic Victim Syndrome. Whilst this is not and probably never will be considered an official diagnosis, it accurately describes the symptoms experienced by victims. These symptoms usually start off mild and become increasingly worse over time.
Emotional upset and heartbreat, especially when repeated, often leads to clinical depression. Being put under further strain and pressure when suffering with depression then leads to added trauma which can be extremely difficult to deal with.
On top of this, the victim is used and objectified and is treated as nothing more than a means of primary narcissistic supply. This then leads to dehumanization, they lose their self worth and eventually self identity which then leads to dissociation which can be extremely dangerous.
Essentially, the combination of effects that narcissistic abuse has on victims can ultimately lead to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and it's no secret that stress also has an effect on the physical health of a person.
If not dealt with sufficiently and not removed from the situation, the repeated abuse can then lead to a variety of physical health problems. The physical health effects of prolonged stress are already well documented and therefore do not need to be documented here.
