What narcissistic abuse fog feels like: Therapist explains
From anxiety to dissociation, here's a few things which contribute to the narcissistic abuse fog.
When we are in a relationship with a narcissist, it can create a lot of traumas for us. From the dissociation of feelings to being anxious and walking on eggshells all the time, the relationship can create the sense of brain fog – we start to forget things and distract ourselves from the matter at hand. We also blank out more often and start to forget where to put things and are not able to register things immediately. A narcissist is a person who is extremely interested in themselves and their own things – being in a relationship with a person like that can bring a lot of traumas for us. From constantly being manipulated to not knowing what the next emotion would be, it can be very tiring and exhausting to be with a narcissist.
"Remember that this brain fog is normal and expected in these narcissistic relationships. Don’t be hard on yourself -the stress can be unrelenting, the rumination is enough to drive you to madness, and lots of people feel very alone as they go through this,” wrote Psychologist Ramani Durvasula as she explained what narcissistic abuse fog feels like.
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Dr Ramani Durvasula further explained why we go through narcissistic abuse fog when we are in such a relationship:
Rumination: We are constantly going over the scenarios of the relationship and trying to explain to ourselves why we should stay back in the relationship. This creates distraction from other things at hand. Hence, we are not able to focus on reality.
Anxiety: A relationship with a narcissist means a constant source of anxiety and worry. As we feel anxious, we are not able to think clearly, thereby becoming more unsettled and distracted.
Dissociation: Abusive relationships can evoke traumas that we have faced in childhood, or a past experience that we are not ready to address. Hence, we feel mild dissociation from reality as a defense mechanism of the body and the mind.
