16. Unpacking Narcissism With Dr K-P

In this episode Dr. Karen Kuemerle-Pinillos, a PhD Level Clinician and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, will answer five questions from our Community:




* Is it possible for a narcissist to be trauma bonded to a narcissist. If so, are those types of trauma bonds different from the trauma bond a non-narcissistic person develops for his/her abuser? I ask because my narcissistic brother seems to be trauma bonded to our narcissistic father. He grew up as the golden child and has always sought out our father’s approval despite the abuse he is experiencing.





* Throughout my childhood my narcissistic mother had probably 20-30 boyfriends who were always "the one". A few months in she would find a reason to cut ties with them and then move on to the next partner almost immediately. How are narcissists able to move on so quickly and why do they do it?





* I believe that there are many healthy relationships that have an intense start that could be considered love bombing. Obviously, those days don’t last forever, but they don’t end in the same way that the love bombing phase in narcissistic relationships do. How does the love bombing phase end in a narcissistic relationship? What are some of the signs of forthcoming abuse that we can watch out for?





* I was in a physically abusive relationship for nine years but I can’t figure out exactly when the abuse went from psychological to physical. What are some signs that I could have looked out for that would have helped me see that the abuse was becoming more and more violent?





* I have been the scapegoat in my family for my entire life. I have been able to go Low Contact for the past 3 years and it has helped a lot but I struggle with self-esteem issues every day. I think it would help if I could just understand WHY I was the scapegoat. Why did they choose me to be their emotional punching bag?




Dr. Karen Kuemerle-Pinillos is a bilingual-bicultural, Spanish-English, PhD Level Clinician, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), researcher, advocate, and coach. She has had the privilege to be in the mental health field for 21 years serving individuals, couples, and families in different settings such as inpatient treatment, intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment, intensive at home family therapy, outpatient individual, and couples therapy. She is currently serving individuals, couples, and families in her private practice.



Podcast Music: Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com