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Showing posts from September, 2017

Break the Spell of the Narcissistic Step-Parent

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By: Christine Hammond LMHC They appear at just the right time: a broken family torn apart by divorce or death in desperate need of emotional security and starved for normal amounts attention. Enter the narcissist, hidden by a veil of perfection, who immediately endears themselves to every family member (pets included) navigating the personality differences with ease. They are charming, caring, generous, kind, and seem to have it all together. They anticipate the needs of others and come willingly to the rescue without complaint. The broken family instantly falls in love and adores the narcissist for the lavish gifts and the net of protection they seem to provide. The narcissist feels the family’s admiration and is drawn in even further. For the narcissist, this family gets just how special they are and fully appreciates them for all they do. Finally, they have found what they were missing in their other relationships. The marriage often happens quickly with everyone

Loneliness: A Constant Battle Seen with Personality Disorders

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By: Christine Hammond LMHC John regularly told his wife, Jane, “I feel all alone in this world (within our family, at my job, or in our neighborhood).” In the beginning of their marriage, Jane erroneously believed that she could fill that void in his life and went to great lengths to demonstrate that John was not alone. However, he would have only temporary relief at best and in most cases, her efforts were never enough to stop the comments.   After ten years of attempts, Jane became discouraged and gave up trying to satisfy John’s loneliness needs. This is when John’s loneliness intensified even more. Loneliness is a common thread in people with a personality disorder (PD). The feeling of loneliness is due to three main reasons, all of which are part of the definition of a PD. First, a person with PD has an inaccurate perception of reality.   So while they might actually not be alone they tend to feel isolated due to their unique perspective on the world. Second, their

What Are You Afraid of?

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By: Christine Hammond LMHC A popular acronym for fear is false evidence appearing real. However, for the person experiencing this emotion, the evidence seems very realistic and eminent. These fears can paralyze a person for moments or even a lifetime if left unattended. They are dominant and determinate factors in daily decisions, thoughts, actions, behaviors, and other emotional responses. There are even categories of fear such as the deep-seeded, driving, often subconscious, emotional forces that Freud identified. Then there are also the more conscious fears born out of trauma that cause a person to intentionally avoid people and circumstances in desperate effort not to repeat the same mistake or relive the trauma. And there is there are the more obvious daily fears such as phobias of spiders, driving, flying, or small spaces. Each type of fear has its’ own level of intensity. For instance, a deep-seeded fear of abandonment that is reinforced though the desertion of