The Abandonment Depression. Why Childen of Narcissists Often Struggle to Reach Their Potential

If we have come from a narcissistic family, understanding the concept of the ‘abandonment depression’ is fundamental. The abandonment depression is at the heart of the driving forces behind many of our behaviours. Understanding how it works can help to make sense of behaviours that can seem to be irrational in ourselves or others. What is the abandonment depression and how can it drive people into states of such unbearable loneliness, helplessness and depression, that they aren’t able to recognise themselves as valuable human beings? How can intelligent and well-meaning men and women decide that avoiding the abandonment depression at all costs is more important than leading a balanced, rewarding and creative life? Abandonment depression is an umbrella term which covers depression, panic, rage, guilt, helplessness (hopelessness) and emptiness (void). The intensity and immediacy of these six feelings can become unbearable in people with a severely impaired sense of self. To these people, the real self is under constant attack and a siege mentality clouds their ability to perceive themselves and the world in realistic terms, the world and other people become the enemy. Relationships are stifling, engulfing or always on the verge of breakup, leaving the self hurt and abandoned. This video will cover: our ‘real’ and ‘false’ selves and how these are influenced by the abandonment depression how different personality types experience the abandonment depression in different ways and have different motivating drivers in achieving goals and avoiding fears the 3 types of narcissistic personality disorder (grandiose, covert or closet and malignant), borderline personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder – these are different versions of personality adaptations, i.e., coping mechanisms, which are rooted in the childhood rejection of our real selves and are common in people who have had a narcissistic parent what healthy childhood development looks like the role of fantasy in our defences examples of how the false or adapted self feels the emotions which make up the abandonment depression – depression, guilt, emptiness, helplessness, panic and rage 1.49 The Abandonment Depression 4.23 The Real and the False Self - Definitions 8.46 Examples of How the False (Adapted) Self Feels 10.56 Fantasies as Coping Strategies 11.39 I Don’t Know Who I Am 13.07 Workaholism and Being Busy 14.41 Healthy Childhood Development 20.36 The Fear of Abandonment 23.04 The Fear of Intimacy 33.05 Descriptions of the Abandonment Depression 34.54 What is the Abandonment Depression? 36.14 Helplessness (Hopelessness) and Emptiness (Void) 37.56 Depression and Rage 39.02 Panic 40.42 Guilt 43.53 Personality Disorders as an Outcome of Having Narcissistic Parent Borderline, Narcissist and Schizoid Personality Disorders 45.20 Borderline Traits 51.16 Narcissistic Traits 60.01 Types of Narcissistic Personalities The Grandiose and Closet or Covert Narcissist The Malignant Narcissist 60.05 Schizoid Traits 60.12 The Disorders of the Self Triad 60.13 Defining the Underlying Drivers 60.15 Healing https://childrenofnarcissists.org.uk/... https://childrenofnarcissists.org.uk/ https://sarahgrahamcounselling.com/