Healing the Brain After Narcissistic Abuse: 6 Essential Steps
Healing the brain after narcissistic abuse is paramount to your recovery. The trauma of narcissistic abuse often causes drastic changes to the brain, changing the way you think and feel and your ability to function. Sometimes, survivors of narcissistic abuse are not aware of this. There can be a lot of shame regarding one’s cognitive function and ability to function. This is particularly true in the aftermath of narcissistic abuse. Healing the brain after narcissistic abuse can be a slow process, but it is more than possible to reverse the damage caused by abuse. You can begin to thrive within your mind and body. In this article, I will discuss how one can repair and rebuild the brain to a state of health and functionality.
Healing the brain after narcissistic abuse: Cutting ties with abusive individuals
It might sound like a broken record, but cutting ties with abusive individuals is the first step toward healing the brain after narcissistic abuse. Aside from the act of giving away a piece of your soul every time you stay in contact or break no contact with an abuser, the damage is at a brain level. The elevated stress hormones in the body, called cortisol and adrenalin, caused by engaging with such individuals harm the brain. Each form of contact with an abuser re-traumatises the victim, wrecking more havoc on the brain. The longer this goes on, the harder it becomes to reverse the damage. That is why committing contact is crucial, not just for your mind and soul. But for the health of your brain.
If you want to understand why you cannot commit to no contact, download a free copy of my eBook. In it, I explain why people struggle to commit to no contact. Without this crucial step, the following steps become pointless until you can commit to the foundation of recovery. By not cutting ties with abusive individuals, you stay stuck at the lowest level of healing. Don’t stay trapped in helplessness and pain. Take the first courageous step toward health, sanity, and recovery.
Understanding the brain’s reaction to narcissistic abuse
It was a while into my recovery when I discovered the unique and specific effects narcissistic abuse has on a victim and how it affects the brain. Up until this point, I felt lost in the confusion and trauma of it all. I was unable to identify what exactly was happening to me and why. Narcissistic abuse impacts your ability to function due to the trauma it causes to the brain and nervous system. It changes specific brain regions by growing the amygdala, which is responsible for emotional processing, and shrinking the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory. The nervous system gets stuck in the fight or flight response, and increased cortisol wreaks havoc on your body.
Research indicates that many victims, including those with PHDs, struggle with cognitive tasks like reading and processing information after narcissistic abuse.
Not your fault: The damaging effects of narcissistic abuse
As a result, survivors of narcissistic abuse may struggle to get out of bed and do simple tasks. They may have sleep disorders and feel anxious and depressed. Some develop autoimmune diseases, fatigue, and exhaustion, to name a few. Narcissistic abuse can cause disorientation, dissociation, paranoia, and an extreme sense of hopelessness. These are the effects of severe mental abuse caused by devaluation and gaslighting. This type of abuse essentially annihilates someone’s sense of self and mental well-being. If you are struggling with any of this, the next step to healing the brain after narcissistic abuse is to understand what and why it’s happening. That way, you can move out of the confusion and shame and into understanding and active recovery.
Designing daily rituals to enhance well-being
One needs to create a healthier life in the aftermath of narcissistic abuse. Creating daily rituals and lifestyle habits will aid in healing the brain after narcissistic abuse. It will also strengthen your overall mindset and resilience. By implementing self-care, mindfulness, and organisational habits and practices, you will move from feeling blocked and stagnant to gaining strength and feeling revitalised. The more you take care of yourself, the more you will undo the damage of narcissistic abuse. Self-compassion is essential when you are struggling to function. Becoming functional while establishing habits for success involves creating space within yourself and an environment that supports your ability to thrive beyond the effects of narcissistic abuse.
Areas to look at include diet and exercise. Sleep, morning and bedtime routines and rituals. Changing your environment and decluttering. Things that bring you laughter and joy. Finding activities that make you feel present and mindful. Also, eliminating things that create toxicity will improve your life.
It requires an integrative approach to eliminating toxicity, strengthening the body, and healing the mind.
Healing the brain after narcissistic abuse: Conscious awareness as a path to recovery
The foundation of my work is healing through conscious awareness. This practice is something I uncovered after many years of walking the road to recovery. It is essentially the simple yet not easy task of becoming conscious and involves multiple stages. Including committing to no contact and trusting your intuition. As well as identifying and healing core wounds, changing your self-perception, and aligning with your soul’s true purpose. I go into more depth of these stages in my downloadable eBook. Although the mind and brain are separate, they have a knock-on effect on each other, and healing the mind will heal the brain, too. Ultimately, healing through conscious awareness will help in healing the brain after narcissistic abuse by creating a more harmonious mind and body.
Shift negative thought patterns for healing
Healing the brain after narcissistic abuse requires changing negative thought patterns. Negative thought patterns are a symptom of CPTSD and narcissistic abuse syndrome. Firstly, the abuser installs these negative thoughts into your subconscious mind. These thoughts are so ingrained into one’s psyche that it can be challenging to recognise it’s happening on autopilot. A negative mind will continue to perpetuate brain trauma in the aftermath of narcissistic abuse. Controlling your thoughts will give you better control over your feelings. Consequently, more control over feelings will lead to positive behaviours. Changing negative thought patterns will cause a ripple effect in your life and well-being.
Conscious awareness: Healing negative thought patterns
In “Healing Through Conscious Awareness,” I have a chapter called “Transforming Your Self-Perception.” In it, I delve deeper into what this process entails and what it means to disconnect from the projections of abusers. Without this crucial step in narcissistic abuse recovery, you will remain stuck and stagnant, still living in the narcissist’s paradigm and distorted perception of reality. Changing negative thought patterns will allow you to break through from the perceptual prison of abuse and take control of your life and sense of self.
Tuning into your inner wisdom
You may be wondering, how does connecting with intuition help heal the brain? I’ve mentioned before how connecting with intuition is the process of coming into alignment. It creates mind-body-heart coherence. Coherence results in a more harmonious existence, which helps heal the trauma brain. Trusting your intuition allows you to eliminate toxic and abusive influences that continue to inflame the brain. It will also build self-trust and confidence, contributing to overall feelings of wellness. Connecting with your intuition will also reduce the risk of falling into another abusive situation, allowing the brain to heal without repeated trauma occurring.
People are disconnected from intuition when they enter narcissistic relationships or get abused by a narcissistically abusive system. This God-given internal guidance system is always with us, but we may not even realise it exists. Intuition is more of an esoteric subject not taught in schools and universities, so when you go out into the world, you might not know what it is, let alone how to connect with it. It takes a leap of faith to begin following your intuition, and when you do, you realise that it has been there all along.
Connecting with intuition requires continuously tuning in.
– Natalie daly
Healing the brain after narcissistic abuse : Combining strategies for effective recovery
In summary, healing the brain after narcissistic abuse is a complex process that requires a comprehensive and multifaceted approach. It is not just about lifestyle choices; it integrates practices that nurture the mind, body, and spirit. A foundational step is cutting ties with toxic individuals and understanding how narcissistic abuse affects the brain. By doing this, you create awareness and compassion toward yourself, allowing yourself to shed any lingering shame.
Creating daily rituals and lifestyle habits that honour your well-being is essential. Healing through conscious awareness, changing negative thought patterns, and connecting with intuition will further aid your recovery. Although narcissistic abuse can be devastating both emotionally and physically, following the practices outlined here can help you build strength and empower your brain to heal itself.
Remember, neuroplasticity means that your brain can adapt and transform. If you’re feeling trapped in the nightmare of CPTSD after narcissistic abuse, don’t forget to download my free eBook. Inside, you’ll find a six-stage roadmap designed to guide you through the recovery process.
For personalised support, consider booking a narcissistic abuse counselling session or purchasing email counselling. If you have any questions or need assistance with bookings, feel free to reach out via email.
