Xena & The Blame-Shifting Narcissist | Rerelease
In this rerelease episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Xena shares her story of reconnecting with an old boyfriend whose attention and promises of family drew her into his web. From there, the abuser further ingratiated himself by embracing Xena's daughters. This series of events led to a marriage and then another baby. However, then the abuse really began to show itself and Xena found herself apologizing for things that shouldn't need an apology. And the abuse only got worse from there. It’s a story of love bombing, gaslighting, blame shifting, isolation, physical abuse, guilt, victim playing, coercive control, narcissistic abuse, domestic violence, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, projection, manipulation, intimidation, threats of suicide, weaponized guilt, fear of abandonment, fear of judgment, obligation, self-doubt, self-blame, shame, confusion, walking on eggshells, hypervigilance, self-silencing, emotional invalidation, emotional neglect, unpredictable anger, double standards, moving goalposts, conditional affection, intermittent reinforcement, cycle of abuse, avoidance of accountability, isolation, pregnancy and abuse, firearm intimidation, financial exploitation, sleep deprivation, being vouched for, smear campaigns, alcoholism, addiction, scapegoating, custody, and post-separation abuse.