"We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
"And the day came, when the risk to remain closed in a bud became more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Anonymous
Early Premature Aging process in appearance - we look much older than our actual age.
Severe Fatigue or Exhaustion/feeling ‘drained�?BR>Physical weakness/knees buckling
Hospitalization, needing assistance with mobility, medication for depressive symptoms
Migraine and other Headaches
Breathing Difficulties/Asthma
TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint/Pain Disorders, (TM joints attach lower jaw (the mandible) to the skull)
Teeth Grinding/Pain/Loose Teeth/Jaw Clenching
Periodontal conditions
Difficulty Swallowing/Dry Mouth
Severe Stomach aches and cramps, Gastrointestinal reflux disorder (GIRD)
Vomiting/Heartburn/Nausea/Indigestion
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Ulcerative Colitis
Constipation/diarrhea
Weight Gain/Loss (sick of the 'sight' of food)
Increased use of alcohol/substance abuse
Visual Disturbances/Worsening Vision/Temporary Blindness
Bell's Palsy, trigeminal and peripheral neuralgia, numbness, "pins and needles" sensation, loss of hot/cold skin sensation, (all with often lengthy duration)
Hair thinning/hair loss varying in severity
Haggard appearance/loss of 'sparkle in our eyes'
Sleep Deprivation
'Night Terrors'/Nightmares
Sleep time disturbances, sleeping day awake at night
Skin Itching/Hives/Acne/Rash/Other Skin ProblemsHorizontal Ridges in Fingernails
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Stiff/Sore Neck
Dizziness
Menstrual irregularities
Loss of sexual interest/libido
Cancers/heart ailments
Paranoia/panic/hypervigilance, nervousness (jumpiness/abnormal startle response)
Uncontrollable shaking/hand shaking, eye-lid twitching (& other areas)
Panic Attacks
Sadness/Crying/Worrying/Loneliness/Severe Anger/Anxiety attacks - rollercoaster emotions
Coping emotionally with good days/bad days and strong and weak times of the day
Frustration due to Inability to reconcile or mourning a lost relationship with no emotional closure
Jealousy
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Emotional shock at realization we have been in manipulative/abusive situations - often for decades
Feeling unwarranted embarrassment or shame for involvement
Self-directed anger. blaming ourselves rather than blaming the abuser
Feeling “stupid�?despite above-average intelligence
Damaged self esteem/robbed of our 'identity'/feeling 'soiled'
Developing negative attitudes where previous optimistic ones were normal
Self-imposed isolation (hibernating) �?often lasing months
Alienation (from former friends and family)
Needing to talk about it (or not talk about it)
Difficulty talking about abuse because other people do not/will not believe us
Difficulty talking to friends/family because they know nothing about our abuser's disorders
Feeling isolation due to lack of support/validation/assistance even from people who may witness abuse ('winging it on our own')
Focusing on or missing the sexual aspect of the abusive relationship
Cannot stand being touched/aversion to certain people who remind us of abusers
Obsessive Thinking
Having 'in our head' mental conversations with abuser
Scared/fearful
Suicidal thoughts
Unrealistic need to help/cure/fix the abuser
Wanting to reconnect with abuser. ineffable 'magnetic' attraction
Feeling a need to be in relationship with abusers regardless of abuse inflicted
Interruption of common-sense, logical thinking, suspension of sound judgement
Wanting to warn other people/expose the abuser ignoring possible harmful self consequences
Difficulty realizing the reality/nature/severity of the abuser's disorder(s) (malignant optimism)
Feeling that we may be 'crazy'
Confusion about recognizing abuse and manipulation
Knee-jerk rage reaction following witnessing abuse to our children - lack of awareness of consequences of such action
Depression ranging from mild to severe
Loss of motivation
Loss of sense of humour
Loss of our former 'selves'
Loss of joy/particpation in former enjoyed activities
Mental Confusion/Inability to Concentrate/Diminished mental acuity
Short-Term Memory Loss
Emotional Numbness
Feeling ‘frozen�?unable to act (deer caught in the headlights feeling)
Experiencing temporary adjustment-reaction narcissistic/psychopathic traits in ourselves
STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases or fear of this)
Loss of former interest in wanting to look good/pride/dressing up
Feeling like we’ll never have a love-relationship again
Panic and difficulty coping with multiple problems - everything starts going wrong
Imagining future as hopeless, fear of the unknown,
The feeling of 'evil' in our presence
Despair/panic/resentment/betrayal over financial losses, lost years/time
Depression, coping with loss of businesses/careers/livelihood/financial support
Feelings of wanting justice/revenge/vengeance
Imagining hostile retaliation to abusers
Feeling bodily/mental 'dissociation' 'spaciness'- depersonalization/Feeling of 'body part' detachment
Unreal/surreal concept of relationship. Discovery of our previously unknown dependent/co-dependency traits and naive characteristics
Tendency to see narcissists/psychopaths in everyone around us (seeing them behind every bush)
Long emotional healing time
Discovery of having mentally-disordered parents influences subsequent self esteem and relationship decisions and realization and catastrophic emotional pain of need to end relationships with many people, spouses, partners, parents, children and others.
Lack of positive medical results to explain physical symptoms
Lack of empathy or explanation from physicians/therapists
Accusations from professionals that we're 'imagining' things
Our members report that ending our contact with our abusers will result in improvement of these disorders. As we transform from being a target to a person taking control of our lives, spontaneous remissions can and have occurred, and overall health improvement increases, often dramatically.
How Victims are Affected by Abuse
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/abusefamily21.html
How Victims are Affected by Abuse - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD)
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/abusefamily22.html
Traumas as Social Interactions
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/trauma.html
How Victims are Affected by Abuse - Recovery and Healing
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/abusefamily23.html
The Psychology of Torture
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/torturepsychology.html
Member's Comments:
"I am remembering too how my body began to react to the stress. I ended up in hospital twice. I had never been in hospital in my life. That is how bad it was. One of the worst memories is of a nurse having to support me as she got me out of the bed and walked me around the hospital corridor (the doctor said I would have to walk a bit each day), and this was not because of medication or anything like that. My knees were actually buckling under me, (weakness no doubt due to not sleeping, not eating, constant panic attacks, fear of the unknown. financial uncertainty and the loss of my home, and my weight had plummeted and kept going down. And I had been a very fit person prior to this happening, so I can imagine the horror of physical breakdown for someone who perhaps was not so fit."
"For me, 5 years after the first d&d, it took hitting bottom, acute stress reaction, heart unit intensive care unit, tranquilizers, losing my job, a frozen career, almost losing my condo, derealization (the most scary experience), almost a nevous break down, acute depression, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, losing my dignity, becoming a shadow of the woman I was, and moving overseas to be with family to help me heal."
From STOP WALKING ON EGGSHELLS (by Mason & Kreger):
Hypervigilence and Physical Illnesses - It is very stressful to be around someone who may severely berate you at any moment with no visible provocation. In an attempt to gain some control over what appears to be very unpredictable [BP/N - Borderline Personalilty or Narcissistic] behaviors, non-BP's [non-N's] often find themselves 'on alert' to forecast or predict the occurrence of the distressing behaviors of the BP [N]....however, being alert requires a heightened sense of arousal both physically and psychologically that, over time, can wear down the body's natural defenses against stress. As a result, PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS BEGIN TO MANIFEST in the form of headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure, and other illnesses."