Once the narcissist senses they’ve secured your trust and affection, their need for control surfaces. That’s when the masks begin to slip. You may begin to experience:
- Gaslighting: They distort your reality, making you question your memories, your feelings, even your sanity.
- Guilt-tripping: They use your empathy against you, making you feel responsible for their unhappiness or moods.
- Isolation: They subtly (or not so subtly) push you away from friends and family, reducing outside influence on your perspective.
- Devaluation: Once idealized, you’re now criticized, compared, and emotionally manipulated.
These behaviors are not accidental—they’re deliberate strategies to maintain dominance, leaving you emotionally dependent and unsure of your worth.
