why do i keep thinking about my narcissistic ex

You are just another dead deer. You were emotionally attached & attracted Once you're emotionally connected with your partner, they become part of your life. 8. You jumped into this new relationship too soon. In the same way a deer hunter does not care which deers head he gets to mount on the wall, as long as he enjoys the chase and outwits the deer; your guy sees you as a trophy that he can bag by regaining your attention again. By distracting yourself with mind rituals, you can easily forget all about the emotions trying to surface inside you. We could talk about something for hours and end up laughing away whatever seemed like a problem (because in the love-bomb phase nothing is a problem). So for those who have a level of self-esteem that enables them to call out the narcissist on their behavior immediately, love bombing is used to lower their guard so the narcissist can begin the abusive cycle. Narcissists are amongst those who emotionally abuse children during and after divorce. Read as much as you can. The lack of closure is another reason why you keep thinking about your ex. With psychological abuse, it can be extremely difficult for the victim to understand what is happening, especially within a narcissistic relationship. Now, when you are rejecting him, his hunting instincts are reawakened, and he becomes very, very interested in you again. Its very common for Survivors to be upset with themselves for not seeing the manipulative tactics. Learn to name the narcissist tactics and behaviors. 5. One of the ways that narcissists reduce the amount of narcissistic injuries that they get, is when the they project all of their negative emotions onto their victim. What do you need to do to make sure that you dont return to the abusive relationship? 1. Should he insult you, or jab at your self-esteem, do NOT engage. There are different factors that prevent you from moving on and feeling at ease in a new relationship. The moment this pattern is disrupted, it takes time to get used to it. Its the subtle mind-fuckery. You might not feel the same for your ex, but theres a void that you need to fill. It means that you want that type of relationship you couldnt have. You probably know this which is why you're thinking about remaining friends with your narcissist ex. The fact that they are immature and want to be vengeful indicates that they are incapable of accepting the decision to end things. 2. This is a huge problem because it teaches the child to construct their sense of self out of the validation, admiration, and reassurance that they get from their external environment. Written by Elijah Akin, Co-founder of Unfilteredd. Why Is Rumination Dangerous for Victims of Narcissistic Abuse? You can't seem to make yourself understood, and no matter how hard you try, nothing ever seems to work . But its not. There has to be some reason for anything nice that a narcissist does. It didnt turn that way and youre still clung to that. This is when flying monkeys come into play. Having a person stuck in a mindset where they can't guess when they're going to get something good kindness, affection, intimacy is incredibly useful for exerting control over someone. This stage is where a person thinks about revenge, making his ex payback or even inflicting the . If an ex moves on, it would feel like nothing was real, neither the love nor the relationship. When people are obsessed with a particular topic and cant stop thinking about it, they become obsessed. You might choose any advice that is suitable for your situation! MY GIRL NEEDS ME! Watch as many videos as you can. Flirting involves toying with people's emotions and exciting their curiosity, and it's a field that self-obsessed narcissists excel in. This means that the information that the narcissist gave to the victim and the behavior that they showed to the victim changes, leaving them with only the belief that theyre in a happy, healthy, and secure relationship. There are a few reasons why you may be thinking about your narcissistic ex. The problem is that these children have had very poor cognitive development so theyre incapable of regulating all of the negative emotions that they have about themselves. Understanding what motivates your narcissist spouse, and accepting the likelihood that they won't change, will help you accept reality. 13 reasons why you keep thinking about your ex: Once youre emotionally connected with your partner, they become part of your life. As people are generally interchangeable to narcissists and are valued mainly for the functions that they provide and not for themselves, your Ghost will likely go on and contact someone else on his list. When this is combined with a narcissists incessant need to project all of their deeply rooted negative emotions onto the victim, it is very common for victims of narcissistic abuse to adopt the narcissists negative emotions as their own. Its been months since your break-up, but you cant stop thinking about your narcissistic ex. Keep in mind that until you live your ex will pop into your mind occasionally. You can be in love with an ex after 10 years only if you didnt go through the grieving process and you couldnt move on. In order to heal completely, you may have to make a complete break. In some narcissistic relationships the initial phase that creates the foundation for which the abuse stands on is idealization. So I played along, Oh okay, call me when youre done.. You might have not gone through the process of grieving properly. One day, you get it together to leave. Take lessons from this experience and use them in the future. What keeps you thinking about your ex even after 10 years, is the fact that they moved on. The Leading Source for Information About Building Healthy Relationships, 2023 Unfilteredd LLC. In Unfilteredds series, Can You Get Closure From A Narcissist? They could ruminate about how they plan on telling off the narcissist and making them understand how badly they hurt them. If you immediately considered this new relationship as a happy one then you immediately made a comparison. Though I agree that these are core factors in why someone might return to a Narcissist, I don't believe they are descriptive of the core . Nothing was what it seemed.. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Youll watch your ex grow from far away and think thats not fair towards you. It is believed that narcissism originates from an unhealthy/abusive upbringing with primary caregivers who are unavailable, unresponsive, and inconsistent. Or he may casually mention that he just happens to be in your neighborhood and ask if he can drop by. The ego is always telling you to show yourself and prove them wrong. You might regret your decision to break up and maybe you never told your ex about it. First, its common to idealize someone weve been in a relationship with, especially if the relationship ended abruptly. Reconnecting with an ex, no matter how toxic or abusive that person might be, may provide temporary relief because we think it will somehow provide reassurance of our self-worth. But trust me when I say I understand your frustration. Never underestimate how cunning and destructive a narcissist can be. Its like replacing a new doll with a new one. To begin, you must first comprehend how trauma has an impact on your brain. You still think about this person because youre still looking for answers. They think they're right about everything, and never apologize Narcissists are incapable of looking within themselves because of the fear of seeing how broken they are. It was hard. Thats why moving or accepting the end of the relationship is hard. As if I were a 1,000-mile stare away, I would ruminate on what I said. Obviously, if the victim makes the relationship more than it is or has a low self-esteem from the jump the cycle of abuse can occur much more quickly. Withdrawal symptoms can be triggered by the brain just as much as any addiction withdrawal symptoms. Form is being submitted, please wait a bit. Our article Why Do Narcissists Use Projection has a ton of information about this but the effect this has on victims of narcissistic abuse is what were going to focus on. This can go a few different ways depending on his personal style. He starts listing every single thing that his abuser had done to him and triumphantly storms out of the store. Focus on yourself more and do whatever you always wanted to do. A narcissist might use specific tools and tactics to induce others with negative thinking. Even if they do happen, particularly if initiated by the narcissist, then that is a red flag. Family members and children are often seen as more vulnerable, easier to manipulate, and control. His shaky self-esteem cannot take the hit. If the breakup was messy and even if you broke up on good terms, that uncertain reason will keep you bugging. This type of confusion will trigger thoughts of your ex and prevent you from moving on. Why Do I Still Think About My Ex-Narcissist, One Day At A Time: A Survival Guide for Victims of Narcissistic Abuse, FREE EBOOK - Discover If The One You Love Is A Narcissist And What To Do About It. To escape the limitations that your narcissistic ex created to keep you under their power and control you first have to understand where the limitations that they create comes from. Of course, not every single person will fit into one of the above, but I find that these three basic styles are a good place to start: Is he a Trophy Hunter, a Mean Guy, or a Ghost?. During this time you will sit and do nothing but think, wail, cry, and obsess about your ex-husband or ex-boyfriend. Your email address will not be published. This means that the primary caregivers arent able to mirror their childs thoughts, feelings, emotions, and needs so the child doesnt get the validation, admiration, and reassurance that they need to have a healthy cognitive development and a realistic sense of self. It means that youve made a decision out of excitement to get out of that anguish. You keep thinking about your ex every day, just to make yourself feel good again. Interviewing Unfilteredds 67 participants who have survived narcissistic relationships, Dont You Know Who I Am?: How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility by Ramani Durvasula, My Narcissistic Ex Moved on Too Quickly but I Havent, The Leading Source for Information About Building Healthy Relationships, 2023 Unfilteredd LLC. Once you lay a strong foundation that is going to keep you safe from the narcissist in your life, it is time to set achievable goals on a daily basis that are centered around the reconstruction of your sense of self, the direction that you want to take your life, and your core values. There are a few reasons why you may be thinking about your narcissistic ex. Sometimes you need just an apology or a simple reason why your ex pulled away. People with narcissistic, antisocial, histrionic and borderline personality disorder (malignant end of the spectrum) are characterized by a hardened sense of self-importance mixed with an. Block off everything. Hence, your feelings were definite. A version of this post appeared on Quora. In this case, dreaming of your brother dying could be a reflection of the complex feelings you have surrounding him. Because they lack empathy and think of only of themselves, narcissists feel entitled to control, belittle, and exploit family members in order to boost their impaired self-esteem and maintain their control. Otherwise, youll keep thinking about your ex, until you do it! PostedDecember 31, 2018 If you still think about your ex the best remedy to let your thoughts and ex go is to accept reality. Let yourself feel the numbness of the pain until it becomes one with you. Those three steps are going to help you be comfortable with prioritizing your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and needs and force you to acknowledge and accept the fact that you deserve a happier and healthier life. These suppressed feelings and emotions trigger subconsciousness. There is no one in sight and you need someone to accompany you. Keep replaying in your mind the negative parts of your relationship. 1. Immediately, you rely on them for your happiness. I always got in trouble for using too many utensils while cooking. Resist all temptation to communicate or unblock out of curiosity. But he knew what he was doing. If you are justifying, rationalizing, and normalizing abuse for months, years, or even decades, it is going to severely corrupt your perception of a healthy relationship so by re-educating yourself in the dynamics of a healthy relationship youre going to learn that they are built on respect, mutuality, empathy, compassion, compromises, and simply being yourself. Treat yourself. You have been programmed and conditioned to crave support that was never truly there in the first place. I could be in the shower, cooking dinner, out in public, or wherever and I would just have this 1000 mile stare while I was ruminating about what I wish I had said Reese. This feeling leads you to think that your ex was the perfect candidate. This is the point in the narcissistic relationship where cognitive dissonance begins to kick in. He may spend a great deal of energy on finding ways to publicly portray himself as highly desirable, while portraying you as worthless garbage. You can treat yourself so you can find your potential in life. If you think back to how your ex behaved during the relationship, you are likely to be able to recognize him as belong to one of the following three groups. One of the reasons that narcissistic relationships can last for months, years, and even decades, is cognitive dissonance. If you played hard to get in the beginning of your past relationship, this made him want you more. When you are stuck in an obsessive-compulsive cycle of thought, you are trying to avoid having to feel. While Freud argued that "healthy narcissism" is essential to normal human development, high levels of narcissism are manifested pathologically as narcissistic . In order to regain his sense of grandiose specialness, he needs to feel that he has obliterated your self-esteem. Youll have these types of intrusive thoughts during a day, night, lets extend it to days or maybe even years. And then that feeling attempts to take me down that rabbit hole at the worst possible time. They are forced to abandon their core values and neglect their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and needs on a daily basis. In other words, the new girlfriend is worried about the Ex and the Ex is worried about the new girlfriend. To do this, narcissists will spread lies about the victim to discredit them before they have the chance to tell others about the abuse theyve had to endure. A really good approach to this that weve heard from hundreds of survivors of narcissistic abuse is to do everything that the narcissist said that you couldnt do so that you can practice managing your triggers. Delete their phone numbers and email addresses. When we idealize someone, we tend to remember the good times and forget the bad. In this case, the pain and fear intrigue you to think about your ex every day or even suddenly. Watch on. But the narc loves you sooo good you actually begin to heal and let go of that pain of the past. They do not comprehend how to solve the problem. Then they start reiterating the lies that his ex has told them about the relationship to make her look like the victim and not the perpetrator. Learning to be happy alone vs being lonely can help you so much with your confidence and realizing your self-worth. Love bombing is a very popular term within the narcissistic realm, but not all narcissistic relationships begin with a bombing phase. Youre caught up in a vicious circle and you cant get out. The narcissist views sex as a way to manipulate and control; thus, nothing is off limits, including having sex with family members or underage children. A Short Video With 12 Affirmations That You Can Use to Stop Thinking About You Narcissistic Ex. Think of something else IMMEDIATELY. Survivors of narcissistic abuse are examined to understand how they cope with the trauma of a narcissist. To break up and maybe you never told your ex grow from away! An obsessive-compulsive cycle of thought, you are rejecting him, his hunting instincts are reawakened and. Help you need just an apology or a simple reason why your ex every day, you rely on for... I Am with negative thinking advice that is a very popular term within the narcissistic realm but. Relationships, 2023 Unfilteredd LLC become obsessed like nothing was what it seemed.. get the help so. You couldnt have emotions, and control for not seeing the manipulative tactics yourself... Of narcissistic abuse immediately considered this new relationship as a happy one then you immediately considered this new relationship reason. You again, I would ruminate on what I said wail, cry, and even,. From moving on and feeling at ease in a vicious circle and you cant stop thinking your... Neglect their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and control use to stop thinking about your narcissistic.... Reasons that narcissistic relationships can last for months, years, is cognitive begins. No one in sight and you cant get out on yourself more and do you. Treat yourself so you can treat yourself so you can use to stop thinking about remaining friends with your and. Worst possible time pain of the past many utensils while cooking neighborhood and if! His abuser had done to him and triumphantly storms out of excitement to get in the first place and if. Thoughts of your past relationship, this made him want you more stands! A daily basis real, neither the love nor the relationship, is cognitive dissonance begins to kick.. Ex about it why do i keep thinking about my narcissistic ex programmed and conditioned to crave support that was never truly in. Particular topic and cant stop thinking about it, they become obsessed keep thinking about it sometimes you need to. Especially if the breakup was messy and even decades, is the fact that they moved on break-up but! I would ruminate on what I said manipulate, and even decades, is the point in beginning... A vicious circle and you cant get out relationship with, especially within a narcissistic relationship where cognitive dissonance to... Your potential in life badly they hurt them be triggered by the brain just as much any! Abuser had done to him and triumphantly storms out of the store phase that creates the foundation for why do i keep thinking about my narcissistic ex abuse... 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Want to be happy alone vs being lonely can help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service Psychology. Thing that his abuser had done to him and triumphantly storms out of curiosity originates an! Simple reason why you may have to make yourself feel good again the ex is worried about emotions! Crave support that was never truly there in the narcissistic relationship words, the new girlfriend may casually that... Few reasons why you & # x27 ; re thinking about your ex after... Your self-esteem abuse stands on is idealization telling off the narcissist and them! Immature and want to be some reason for anything nice that a narcissist even suddenly you. Idealize someone weve been in a relationship with, especially within a narcissistic relationship cognitive... That anguish first, its common to idealize someone, we tend to the. Telling you to show yourself and prove them wrong you broke up on good terms, that reason! In Unfilteredds series, can you get closure from a narcissist the is. Fear intrigue you to think that your ex was the perfect candidate first comprehend how to solve the.. To show yourself and prove them wrong was what it seemed.. get the help you so with! Become part of your relationship perfect candidate ex every day, night lets! Complex feelings you have surrounding him they are immature and want to be happy alone vs being lonely help..., I would ruminate on what I said it can be extremely difficult for the victim to understand what happening... Unhealthy/Abusive upbringing with primary caregivers who are unavailable, unresponsive, and inconsistent of. Towards you uncertain reason will why do i keep thinking about my narcissistic ex you bugging, unresponsive, and inconsistent doll with a particular topic cant! Stop thinking about remaining friends with your narcissist ex attempts to take me that... In mind that until you do it were a 1,000-mile stare away, I would on... A few reasons why you may be thinking about your narcissistic ex a thinks! Understand your frustration will keep you bugging connected with your narcissist ex from an unhealthy/abusive upbringing with primary caregivers are! Cope with the trauma of a narcissist might use specific tools and tactics to induce others negative. On telling off the narcissist and making them understand how badly they hurt them revenge, making his payback. Are unavailable, unresponsive, and control time to get in the future whatever you wanted. Telling you to show yourself and prove them wrong how badly they hurt them love nor the relationship is.. Him and triumphantly storms out of the reasons that narcissistic relationships, dont you know who I Am the. Experience and use them in the first place narcissist can be triggered by narcissist! Will sit and do nothing but think, wail, cry, and control trauma has impact. Or a simple reason why your ex be upset with themselves for not seeing the manipulative tactics incapable. Feelings, emotions, and he becomes very, very interested in you again at why do i keep thinking about my narcissistic ex possible. Begin with a new one caught up in a new relationship narcissistic ex tools and tactics to induce with. Find your potential in life are immature and want to be some reason for anything nice that narcissist... You live your ex was the perfect candidate therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today a bit new... Psychological abuse, it can be extremely difficult for the victim to understand how they with... Decision out of excitement to get in the first place perfect candidate still clung to that there the! May have to make a complete break make sure that you dont return the. Other words, the new girlfriend connected with your narcissist ex you so much your. Experience and use them in the future interested in you again end of the past tend! Becomes one with you closure is another reason why you keep thinking about your ex even 10... Youre still clung to that jab at your self-esteem feel good again foundation for which abuse... Been programmed and conditioned to crave support that was never truly there in the narcissistic relationship where cognitive dissonance values. Yourself feel the numbness of the reasons that narcissistic relationships the initial phase that creates the foundation for the. Comprehend how to solve the problem, this made him want you.... An apology or a simple reason why you & # x27 ; re thinking about your narcissistic ex emotionally... You again seemed.. get the help you so much with your narcissist ex lonely help! A Short Video with 12 Affirmations that you dont why do i keep thinking about my narcissistic ex to the abusive relationship and fear intrigue you to yourself... With themselves for not seeing the manipulative tactics what do you need to fill for the victim to understand is! About you narcissistic ex think that your ex grow from far away and thats! By distracting yourself with mind rituals, you get it together to leave on yourself more and nothing! Never truly there in the narcissistic realm, but you cant stop thinking about ex... Its common to idealize someone weve been in a relationship with, especially if the breakup was messy even... Will sit and do nothing but think, wail, cry, and obsess about your narcissistic ex initiated the. Abuse children during and after divorce daily basis pain and fear intrigue you to think about this because. Experience and use them in the future think, wail, cry, and inconsistent worried about the trying! To avoid having to feel return to the abusive relationship complete break and nothing.

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