This is a book written by a divorced mother with children. The book begins with the definition from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Narcissistic Personality Disorder Version 5 (DSM-V). The author describes the book based on her experience, but refers to the writings of the American Psychiatric Association and experts she cites. She talks about achieving peace and emotional freedom. Yet a few paragraphs later she mentions “my ex (bastard).”
The author describes narcissists and their characteristics. She relates most of them to her experiences and observations of her ex-husband’s behavior. I had no idea how much the narcissistic traits she was referring to were related to her expert writings and her own experiences with her ex-husband.
The author describes her narcissistic traits and her own experiences in relation to her DSM-V criteria in relation to her professional writings. She tells us about her experiences and observations in her colloquial style.
She describes the early familial influence that sets the stage for the development of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She makes it clear that this condition is not something people choose for themselves. It is a condition that tends to occur in families and may be at least partially hereditary.
The book describes the difficulty of separating from a narcissistic spouse who is not honestly negotiating. It explains how to operate to your advantage. Trying to negotiate with such a person is often a losing proposition.
Balancing and coordinating the time each spouse spends with their children can also be challenging, and may require the help of a lawyer or court to manage the arrangement. The author presents in detail a long list of possible co-parenting issues and suggests specific approaches for managing each of them.
Also discussed are issues of adequacy of treatment for children involved in divorce and post-divorce struggles. Therapy is considered “essential to successful co-parenting,” among other supports, but does not elaborate on how therapy can help parents.
The author addresses a variety of issues that can arise when managing co-parenting with a narcissist.She also provides specific recommendations for managing each of these issues. . She explains the complex issues involving relatives and how they are manipulated by narcissistic ex-spouses.
Finally, emphasize the need for self-care. She also emphasizes taking time to try and recover from the trauma of being married to or ex-spouse of a narcissistic spouse. all might suggest a therapist’s help, but the author doesn’t specifically say how a therapist can help with this process. We discuss an extensive list of actions individuals may pursue to recover from the situation.
The author suggests that the best way to deal with these difficulties is to not get involved in a relationship with a narcissist.I wholeheartedly agree with this conclusion. Still, narcissists can be very seductive and put on a false face for a while.If you find yourself in this situation, this book offers a handy roadmap through the narcissistic jungle. I will give it to you.
