Antagonism Informed Therapy: Reclaim Your Power after Narcissistic Relationship Patterns
Are you feeling lost in a relationship that leaves you drained, confused, and questioning yourself? You're not alone, and self blame is not the answer.
The Myth of Mutual Responsibility
In healthy relationships, the practice of taking personal responsibility for our behavior can be a sign of emotional maturity; it means we have awareness about the impact our words and actions have on those we care about most, and that is the first step towards repairing relational ruptures.
A common underlying assumption that many of us believe, whether consciously or unconsciously, is that all parties in a relationship are at least partially responsible for contributing to the issues present in the relationship.
We often hear "it takes two to tango" in relationship struggles. And while this notion has a lot of merit, i.e. we all show up with our own legacy issues and insecurities in relationships, there is more nuance when antagonistic patterns of behavior enter the picture.
Recognizing Antagonistic Patterns
Antagonistic behaviors include:
Manipulation
Arrogance
Hostility
Entitlement
Inconsistent empathy
Exploitativeness
When antagonistic patterns - also widely referred to as narcissism - show up in a relationship, it creates an imbalance of power, and often involves one-sided empathy as well as covert and/or overt forms of manipulation. This can leave you feeling small, intimidated, and disempowered.
The Impact of Antagonism
Antagonism inhibits the other person in the relationship from developing a consistent sense of safety and trust in the relationship, even more so if antagonistic behaviors play out between parent and child.
And when the person presenting with antagonism is also someone that we love, we are often left feeling confused and even more inclined to do what we can to make the relationship work, in the hopes that we can maintain close connection with our loved one.
This combination can lead to high levels of stress, rumination, guilt, and self blame when attempts to change the way we are showing up doesn’t seem to make a difference.
If you’ve experienced antagonistic relational stress or narcissistic abuse, you may also suffer with related mental health symptoms such as anxiety, self - doubt, depression, feeling disconnected from your core self, somatic symptoms, dissociation, insomnia, disordered eating, and complex PTSD.
“ The more our clients have to engage with a narcissistic or antagonistic person, the more they have to disengage from themselves.”
Antagonism-Informed Therapy: A Different Approach
Traditional communication strategies often fall short in antagonistic dynamics. Antagonism-informed therapy focuses on:
Understanding antagonistic and narcissistic traits
Letting go of self-blame and wishful thinking that I can fix the relationship
Reconnecting with my core self: values, needs, hopes, and desires
Your Path to Healing
Whether you decide to stay or leave the relationship, I will be here to support you as you cultivate the meaningful life and connections that you crave, and heal from antagonistic/narcissistic abuse.
Written by:
Ready to reclaim your power and rediscover yourself? Contact us today to begin your journey towards healing and empowerment.
---
*Keywords: antagonistic relationships, narcissistic abuse, relationship power dynamics, emotional healing, self-empowerment, trauma-informed therapy*
